Where are you guys from?
Beautiful South West London. More precisely: Mortlake, Putney and Twickenham.
How is the scene in your area?
It’s not amazing, really. It kinda feels like the local scene has become fully immersed in chart music. You can get great record stores like Banquet Records over in Kingston, which isn’t too far, but other than that the nearest ‘good punk scene’ is probably Camden…
What would you guys say that makes your band different from every other band?
We aren't your ‘generic’ modern pop punk band where everything is tuned to drop d and you just have chorus, verse and then a breakdown, although we gotta say there are some great bands that can do that! It’s just not what we do... We take the pop punk sound right back to its roots, with the likes of early Green Day and The Ramones.
How long have you guys been together?
FUSS in its current form has been around since November 2013. We got Charlie on the drums earlier in the year and then Joe on bass later on.
How did FUSS come about as a band?
Jamie started it all in January 2012, when he and another bass player wrote a couple songs and uploaded them to Bandcamp. More recently though, Jamie found Charlie to play drums, and then we found Joe in October 2013.
Joe: “When I checked out FUSS' music, I instantly realised it was something I wanted to be a part of, so I sent Jamie an e-mail and it all sparked from there.”
What are your influences?
Surprisingly, being in a pop punk band, we’re influenced by the likes of the daddies of the genre: Green Day, Blink, etc... Other influences range for each of us, but include Patent Pending, Flatline Stereo, Biffy Clyro and Sum 41.
How have the shows you guys have played gone?
We played our first gig as a full line-up on December 13 2013. It was unreal because we had only been playing as this line up for three rehearsals, but still decided to jump into our own headline show. We managed to get over a hundred people in and they were all jumping and moshing to our music... Craziest night of our lives.
What are your current favorite bands?
We listen to so many different bands… Man, I think we can all agree on Green Day and Blink as being all our favourites. Joe’s a big fan of Patent Pending and Enter Shikari. Jamie and Charlie are going through a big Biffy Clyro phase. We also listen to a lot of unsigned bands when we find them. A favourite is Flatline Stereo, for sure.
What has the response been like for your album Behind Closed Doors?
So far so good, to be honest! People seem to really enjoy it. It’s had great reviews from what we’ve heard.
What would your perfect show lineup be?
Supporting our idols would be class. Getting a slot on a festival like Reading/Leeds, Glastonbury or Coachella is still surreal in our minds. Who knows what could happen.
What has FUSS been up to in the last couple of months? (Shows,tour,recording,ect.)
We released the album Behind Closed Doors on December 6th, followed by the album launch show on the 13th. We went quiet over Christmas so we could buy presents and get drunk like the festive people we are. We then rekindled for an interview and spent a whole day in Charlie's bedroom shooting a video for our tune, New Year's Revolutions, which will be up on YouTube very soon.
What does FUSS have planned for 2014? (Shows,tour,recording,etc.)
We’re gonna gig, gig and gig some more. We’d love to do some shows outside of London to spread the word around! We’ll jump back into some pre-production when the time is right, we’re just gonna have fun!
What has been the craziest experience you’ve had on the road together?
We discovered Charlie’s bug and cat feces infestation in his room, as well as his obsession with shouting ‘men’ at random times...
What are your hobbies when you aren’t playing music?
Music is the biggest part of our lives, but as well as that we like eating pizza, watching football (soccer, for you Americans), and hanging out with friends.
What are your favorite movies?
School of Rock, Anchorman, Forrest Gump to name a few.
How would you describe each member of the band personality wise? (weird, funny, awkward, nice, mean, grouchy,ect.)
Joe: Jamie is possibly the nicest band mate I have (being in 4 bands, that is quite a big deal), he is a lovely guy, always up for a laugh and not the worst looking guy either (no homo).
Jamie: When Charlie stops shouting ‘men’ and how he wants to ‘play with fish’ when he’s older, he’s one of the funniest guys I know. I think we’re all a bit weird deep down, though.
Charlie: I'm extremely pretty, handsome, good looking, hilarious, fun to be around, and the front man of FUSS. Who's Jamie? Joe is just a nutter. He's our nutter, though.
What are your favoirte fast foods or any type of foods you guys like to eat?
Pizza, burgers, bacon. You now know us perfectly.
Anything else you would like to add or mention?
Give us a shot! You never know, you might actually like the stuff we play! Thanks for having us, TIPPP!
