[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Brighton-based indie-poppers Safe To Swim have just dropped their new single ‘Ride Away’; a reflective number that’s filled with a youthful yearning to escape. With an October tour supporting The Night Cafe, and a slot with Anteros later this month, frontman Jim Filippides introduces his band.
Hey Jim, how did you guys all meet and decide to form a band?
Well, we all met at university while studying music in Brighton. Ingledew came a little bit later to the party, but it all started when I needed to find people for a group project. I briefly met Rawlings through a friend of a friend a couple of weeks prior and met Joe at some point during freshers because he lived across the road from me. So I called to them on Facebook asking if they could help out and they did. After a successful project, we decided to carry on and see if we could make something of it.
Did you know what you wanted to sound like from the off?
Yeah, I think so, but not what we sound like today. Like all bands, our sound has developed over time. When we started, we were a little more grungy, and none of us really knew how a synth worked, so that was all kept to a minimum. I think we basically just wanted to sound like Weezer. Which is cool, but I think in the long run we got a bit tired of the idea. Don’t get me wrong, we all still want to keep it rock ‘n’ roll, but I’d say now these electronic elements are much more present in our music.
What were the albums (or tracks) you played on repeat as a teenager? Has your taste evolved much over time?
I can’t speak for the others, but from about the age of 12, when I first started getting into music I remember being hugely into classic rock thanks to my mum, guitar teacher and most likely Guitar Hero. Guns ‘n’ Roses, AC/DC and The Rolling Stones were mostly on repeat.
Then for about six months, I went into a bit of an emo phase like most teenagers at the time, which I won’t go into… Unfortunately, Rawlings is yet to come out the other side and is still hoping for an MCR reunion.
After that, I heard The Strokes’ ‘Is This It’, which immediately got me into similar bands like Kings of Leon, The Killers and White Stripes. It was at this time when I was about 15 or 16 when I first started trying to write my own songs.
The last couple years or so I’ve been introducing myself to a lot of 80s and 90s alt-rock bands’ catalogues. Especially that of Pixies and The Cure. At the same time, I’ve also been loving contemporary artists such as Magic Gang, MUNA, Japanese House, Sundara Karma and The Big Moon. I mean the list could go on forever and I’ve definitely just missed out a load of artists and other genres I’m into, but basically anything that’s good will do.
Were there any disagreements over the name? Bands usually seem to have a few good rejects…
Well, originally we were called Neon Beach about three years ago. But luckily we decided that was an awful name, so we changed it. So yeah, I guess there were some disagreements. Now we’re called Safe To Swim. No one was extremely keen on that either, but at least it’s a bit more catchy. No one has suggested anything else since so yeah I guess “It’s safe to swim with us”… Yeah?
What was the music scene like in the area you grew up in?
Virtually non-existent. I mean I was fortunate enough to experience living in America for a bit, but when I moved back to the UK and before I went to uni in Brighton, I ended up living in a very safe middle-class suburban town just outside of London. We had one youth centre which had a gig night of local bands once a month and I played there a few times back in the day in several different musical outfits. Thinking back, that actually helped me get to where I am today, so I am very thankful for that opportunity.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]You’re off on tour with The Night Cafe soon – are you excited? Have you toured much before?
Totally! We actually went on tour with them back in May, along with our buds in Bloxx too. That was our very first tour, but it was absolute madness. We got a crazy reaction in each city we played, and we can’t wait to get back at it again this Autumn.
What’s been the highlight of your time as a musician so far?
Dingwalls in London supporting The Night Cafe. It was probably the first time for us when the crowd were singing back most of the words of songs we’d put out, jumping around and going nuts. We even had people coming up to us afterwards wanting autographs and a photo. Just one of those shows where everything went down so perfectly.
What would you most like to achieve during your music career?
Bigger and better shows. I mean, we have been lucky so far, but we will always want to aim higher. I can’t speak for the others, but I think when it comes to the time we will aim for a chart topping album or something very close. An arena tour would be great too y’know… We’re very ambitious. The bigger, the better.
Finally – what do you do for fun?
Well when we’re not trying to fulfil our dreams as rock stars me and Rawlings both work in pubs, Joe is a cleaner and Ingledew worked in a Sainsburys once. That’s fun, right?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1504703543494{margin-right: 15px !important;margin-left: 15px !important;border-top-width: 10px !important;border-right-width: 10px !important;border-bottom-width: 10px !important;border-left-width: 10px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;border-left-color: #1e73be !important;border-left-style: dashed !important;border-right-color: #1e73be !important;border-right-style: dashed !important;border-top-color: #1e73be !important;border-top-style: dashed !important;border-bottom-color: #1e73be !important;border-bottom-style: dashed !important;}”]
Factfile
Who’s in the band: Jim Filippides (Vocals, Guitar), George Rawlings (Guitar), George Ingledew (Bass) and Joe Dennis (Drums).
How long have you been together: Three and half years in the shadows. Six months in the limelight.
Where are you from: Brighton.
What musical pigeon-hole can we shoehorn you into: Indie pop / Alt rock / Amazing.
What track should we embed in the space below: ‘Ride Away'[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Catch Safe To Swim on tour:
SEPTEMBER
25 Komedia, Brighton (w/ Anteros)
OCTOBER
09 Komedia, Brighton
10 The Horn, St Albans (w/ The Night Cafe)
12 Esquires, Bedford (w/ The Night Cafe)
16 The Cookie, Leicester (w/ The Night Cafe)
17 The Cellar, Oxford (w/ The Night Cafe)
18 Boileroom, Guildford (w/ The Night Cafe) [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]