Artist Spotlight: Young Guns
Hey pals! So here is another band I wanted to take the time to share with all of you – Young Guns. These handsome boys are the rockers from across the pond who are currently blowing up here in the US. I wanted to get to know them a little better and find out what it’s like to rise to fame. Must be insane to see your career take off, and these guys are savoring every moment. They have even opened for Bon Jovi! Impressive!
Take a listen to there latest single, “Bones” and see what they told me about their musical journey so far! Pretty sure I have a crush on all of them now!
How did it feel going from playing your first small gigs, to performing with acts like Bon Jovi?
We pulled up to the o2 arena in London’s Docklands in our little white van, in itself a ridiculous visual, and rolled our equipment into the 21,000 cap venue and then spent the rest of the day in awe pretty much. When it came time to play we must have paced a couple of miles in our small dressing room. It was a fantastic experience though, playing to that many people shaped our perception of playing live very early on and we’ve carried it with us since.
What were your influences when you began writing music?
I personally grew up influenced by my mum’s musical tastes in the 80s, so Michael Jackson, The Police, stuff like that, and then my brother’s love of grunge and rock in the early 90s. I learned to play music by playing Nirvana, Green Day and Oasis songs on an acoustic guitar. As for the band, I’d say we were collectively influenced by bands like Thrice or Lostprophets, but we never set out to sound like anyone other than ourselves. It’s always been about melody first and foremost, not conscious style-based decision making.
How would you say your music has developed over the years?
Over time we’ve realized not to care about trying to make decisions based on what was ‘cool’ or not, and just to write what we hope and think are good songs. Because we all like different genres of music it can be tough to satisfy every creative thing you want to do, but less is always more and that’s something we’ve learned. This band will always evolve and grow, from album to album.
At what point did you realize you had reached a level of success?
Having singles on the radio and playing sold out shows. Reaching the A-list at Radio1 at home in the UK with our single “Bones” was definitely a big deal for us. Seeing our name amongst Coldplay, Rihanna and Lady Gaga was weird and amazing. Inking our American record deal was a moment as well.
If you weren’t a musician, what do you think you’d be doing?
I’d probably be putting minimum effort in working some job that I couldn’t care less about. Maybe working in retail. The band has given me a sense of purpose and a direction in life that I couldn’t imagine existing without any more. It’s not my band it’s my life and without it i’d be lost.
Always great to see artsit who are in love what what they do and appreciate their careers. Cheers to Young Guns! If you want to keep up with these guys check out their Facebook page and keep an eye out for more of them on Buzznet!
What do you think of Young Guns?
Let’s talk music let me know your thoughts in the comments below. #musicrules.
