Interview: Puppy
We had the joy of sitting down with the lovely Puppy before the finale of their “World Tour Of The UK” at The Borderline in London.
Some people might not of heard of Puppy, I found you guys from an Arcane Roots video and you were featured on the side as a recommendation and I do see some similarities, what music would you say helped you find inspiration with your music?
Jock (Lead Singer) - “The music me and Billy (Drummer) were playing before was a bit more broadly Alt Rock... bands like Dinosaur Jr were quite big influences. We wanted to add a metal influence as well…. So when we all came together we brought those heavier riff influences in… we bring that big riff energy! Also early stuff like Ozzy Osbourne… basically no one from the last twenty years!”
'Demons' has some emotional lyrics and builds one of my favourite songs of yours, where did the influence come for this song and the lyrics?
Jock - “I was trying desperately to write a new song and that was the best one I could come up with so we used that one! (Laughter) Lyrically though the song is about trying to turn negatives into positives…. We liked that as a theme.”
Will (Guitarist) - “Speaking of lyrics as well, I hope the irony is never wasted. (Demons) is usually our last song and the last lyric is ‘We won’t leave you’ and then we immediately leave the stage…. In a way the music will stay with them forever… if they buy a record”
Your debut album comes out on January 25th, what can we expect?
Jock - “It’s got all sorts on there! 12 songs… All new stuff, that we have been working on for a while. We really took our time to get it right. I think fans of the band will really enjoy it, if you’re into slightly different elements of the sound of the band, these songs will explore that a little bit more…. Production wise as well, it’s really taken a step up.”
Will - “Jock said earlier ‘If you don’t like Puppy, you won’t like it but if you do like Puppy you might like it.’”
Can we expect to see any new music from the album tonight and if so what songs should we look out for?
Jock - “Yeah! We are playing ‘Black Hole’ which is the single we put out recently and we are playing a new song called ‘World Stand Still’ as well… Oh also ‘Just Like You’ as well.”
You have been posting some cryptic messages on your social media, what is the meaning behind these posts?
Billy - “In the build up to the ‘Demons’ video we wanted to pretend we have joined this fictitious cult called The Grand Order of Ascension and Transcendance… It was all about giving context to the video.”
You talk about reaching "Transcendence" in your social media posts, how can that be achieved?
Jock - “Join The Grand Order of Ascension and Transcendance”
This is the last show of your headline tour, what have been the highlights so far for you guys?
Jock - “Wales was great, we have never been there before.”
Billy - “Southampton was really fun. Grove Street Families hometown show.”
Jock - “ Having them (Grove Street Families) on stage every night has been wicked. They are such a good band”
You are playing the Borderline in London tonight, do you have any memories of attending this prestigious venue yourself?
Jock - “I came to see my dad play here some time ago. So it was quite emotional actually… Me and Billy played here once in our band, Toploader… It looks much nicer now though, they have done it up!”
Billy - “Some sweet lighting on the way to the toilets!”
Jock “It is a really fun route to the toilet.”
Billy - “I have been there five times and I don’t even need to wee, I just stand there.”
Considering the reputation of the venue tonight can we expect any special surprises?
Jock - “If we don’t make an mistakes during the set that would be very special, that’s what we are shooting for.”
Finally, What is your guys favourite songs of all time?
Jock - “Toploader - Dancing In The Moonlight”
Billy - “We are gonna do the Thin Lizzy verison in the style of Toploader.”
Jock - “Actually that's our favourite song ever… once we make it!”
Interview by Alfie Drake and Photo by Hayley Fearnley
Puppy’s album ‘The Goat’ is out on 29th January 2019 via Spinefarm Records