If you think managing a four-piece band is a headache, spare a thought for Big Band of Boom. With a massive twelve-piece line-up, this lot are less of a traditional rock group and more of a musical riot. Blending the heavy-hitting energy of Rage Against the Machine and System of a Down with the brass-heavy flair of the Kill Bill soundtrack, they’ve managed to create a sound that is as unique as it is loud. We caught up with them to chat about their origins, their satirical “Stupid Filthy Rich” lyrics, and why playing in an abandoned church is the secret to their horn section’s power. It’s a story of jazz students, festival stumbles, and flamethrowers – exactly what we like to see.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are a big band – 12 of us, but we’ve been friends and playing in other groups for ages.
How did you meet?
The Horn section mostly met at the Birmingham Conservatoire on the jazz course and the rhythm section stumbling around festivals. There are a couple of smaller projects that exist within the band too, and if you like what we do they are definitely worth checking out.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Officially we formed in 2022, but really only started doing it seriously for a few years since we started writing the album.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Not totally sure, it used to be the Big Band of Doom, but we don’t really play Doom Metal – it’s more hard rock, so we thought let’s go with Boom.
What are your influences?
Many many influences, we all listen to totally different things and a lot of these you can hear in the band. RATM, SOAD for me personally but the horn section will talk about ska bands like Streetlight Manifesto and Josh our singer loves My Chemical Romance, Cat Empire is another band favourite. It all goes into the melting pot.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
It’s like if System of a Down or Rage Against the Machine fused into a monster with the Kill Bill soundtrack. I wish we had a better way to describe it, but there is not a band that sounds like us – frankly there aren’t many bands with 12 people in them.
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Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
There is a lot that is personal to us, and Josh our singer and lyricist had a way of writing about complex topics in a way that really draws the listener in. Stupid Filthy Rich, track 1 a song about billionaire excess has my favorite lyrics from the album. Cutting satirical english wit and dark comedy at its finest!
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Come and see the show!!! There are some videos online, one we do it at Boomtown with flamethrowers… but this music was designed to be live.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
The flame throwers… they were pretty wild…
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
With two guitars on the album we have one double tracked with humbuckers using the Neural DSP amp sims, and single coil into a Rat pedal through a Blackstar amp. Drums were recorded in a sort of greenhouse/conservatory which is where the size and power comes from with the room mics. Horns in an abandoned church. With such a big band, we’ve found that space and how things blend is more important than the direct sound source capture itself.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Our Album! 14 tracks of Big Band of Boom madness!
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
Festival tour comes next, we have about 12 dates so far with more to come too.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you?
We would love to open for System of a Down, and support band Conflict Choir, they are brilliant and definitely worth checking out.
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Big Band of Boom: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | bandcamp | tiktok | youtube
Big Band of Boom: facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | bandcamp
