In Dork’s December/January issue (feat. The 1975, out now), we tackled a bunch of our favourite new bands – the ones whose gigs buzz with excitement, who inspire more devotion in their fans than Emmerdale does from our grans, and who will undoubtedly make 2017 special.
How have you found 2016? What was the most exciting thing that happened for The Big Moon?
Soph: We recorded our album! I’ve always wanted to play in a band I love for a living, and recording an album was a next step that I never really imagined would happen.
Cea: It’s been pretty amazing for us. We’ve done so many incredible things from the Maccabees and Ezra Furman tours at the beginning of the year to playing Glasto for the first time and our Scala show was just mental. But yeah making the album was crazy special and listening to it all the way through all mixed and mastered and everything in the right order, gahhhhh! I’m so excited for everyone to hear it. I’m very proud of us.
Fern: I’d say recording our album. It’s felt like such a wait to be able to do it and now that we’ve recorded and mixed and mastered the thing, I can’t quite believe it’s all done. The whole year has been fun, full and a bit bonkers really.
Juliette: Also, a man got a Big Moon tattoo. WOWOWOWOW.
What do you think has been the biggest music-related news story of 2016?
C: 2016 has been such a fucking roller coaster and there’s been so much sad news, but also there have been some very great albums that have reaffirmed my faith in the healing power of music. Ones which have really helped me wade through the shit are Beyonce – Lemonade, Frank Ocean – Blonde, Frankie Cosmos – Next Thing and Whitney – Light Upon the Lake.
F: I had a new Casio keyboard for my birthday.
J: Dava Bobo and the tiny purple one went to the big bouncy studio in the sky, which was sad. But then also in 2016 that guy crowd surfed and caught a beer and drank it and did the coolest thing of 2016 (John Coffey). And fern got a keyboard.
What song would you crown banger of the year?
S: Sense by Abattoir Blues is a banger. It’s a rocking out while still tugging at your heart strings kind of banger.
F: Sense by Abattoir Blues. Banger.
You’ve had a super busy year – how’s your debut album coming along? Is it nearly there now?
S: It is! We’ve fully finished it now. Can’t wait to share it with the world.
J: It’s all done. We’re sitting on it, like hens. Got to keep it incubated. Do hens wee? Or is it just poo and wee a the same time with them?
Have you had any more encounters with Robbie Williams? What do you make of his new material?
C: Not yet! And I haven’t actually listened to the new stuff (sorry Robbie).
F: Not into it.
J: I haven’t heard it yet but I’m really hoping for a return to the Kylie Minogue ‘Kids’ era rock sound, and maybe some rapping.
If you could wave a magic wand and have one thing of your choosing happen in 2017, what would it be?
C: More Robbie Williams encounters. And also lots of things that are way more earnest that I don’t know how to write without sounding super cheesy. But general world healing and hope would be really wonderful.
F: Yeah, it would be nice if we had fewer prats in power and people started being nicer to each other.
J: I’d like to pick up some time traveling scissors and snip out a bit of space-time-continuum. I’d go back to 2015, skip out 2016 altogether and jump straight into 2017 holding hands with Bowie and Prince, and Brexit and Trump wouldn’t have happened… so I suppose the thing I want to happen in 2017 is that I will come across some time travel scissors.
Do you have any resolutions for 2017?
C: Hold on to all the good things.
F: Ease up on the coffee.
J: I need to stop putting off going to the toilet.
Who do you think will be the biggest new band of 2017?
S: The Magic Gang! They can only get big. Other ones I’d like to be are Forth Wanderers, Breathe Panel and Abattoir Blues.
C: All of the above, plus Trudy and the Romance.
F: The Magic Gang.
J: My money’s on the Honeys. Black Honey are gonna be huge! [sc name=”stopper”]