Four teenage lads from Dovercourt who have been in a rock band for 6 years and are making their mark on the rock scene as they release their first single. They have played West Cliff Theatre, The Landslide Festival and the 4Fs MCC Bike Rally as well as plenty of fetes in the local area.
HC: Who does what?
William Atkinson – lead guitar and vocals
Jago Hepburn – rhythm guitar and vocals
James Batholomew – drums and vocals
Adam Oxley – bass guitar
HC: How long has Dynamites been together?
We joined the local We are Music Rock School and were put together as a band six years ago – we’re still together and doing gigs.
HC: How easy was it to choose your band name?
The name was given to us by the rock school. Initially it was spelt ‘Dyno-mites’ as we were all small, we have now changed it to Dynamites as we’re older.
HC: You guys look like you are having a great time….are you?
It’s pretty exciting doing gigs when you see how much people are enjoying it
HC: What do your mates & teachers think?
Our mates think it’s really cool and our teachers are very proud of us
HC: How often do you practice together?
At least once a week more if we have time
HC: Is it difficult to juggle practicing and your school work?
At times it can be as we are getting close to our GCSEs
HC: When did you make the decision to take the plunge and write your own tracks?
Toby from We are Music suggested we should give it a go. William became inspired by situations at school and started writing.
HC: How are you finding the process? Is there one group member who has a talent for lyrics or the melody, or is it all team work?
William wrote the song and lyrics for our first song and we all added the parts for our instruments. We really enjoyed the whole experience of recording it at Hamford View Studio.
HC: What made you select the current instrument you each play?
William & James could already play theirs. Jago joined as a singer but learnt to play the guitar and Adam could play the drums but decided to give the bass a go.
HC: When you are not making music, what hobbies do you enjoy?
We all enjoy gaming. James like football, Jago plays golf and cricket and Adam loves being outside and waking
HC: When you become famous, what will your rider be?
Wiliam – Tango ice blast
James – food and drink
Jago – McDonalds
Adam- a motorbike
HC: Any band member have a special skill outside of music that we don’t know about?
James is good at football, Adam loves engineering and Jago is having golf trials for Essex
HC: What artist/group would you like to support?
Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Bowling for Soup or Fountains of Wayne
HC: If you could choose any singer/musician to join the band for one gig, who would it be?
William – I like our band just as it is
Jago – Dave Grohl
James – Jack Black
Adam – Paul Stanley
HC: What super power would you each like to have?
William – be one with the force or be the human torch
James – read minds
Jago – be really strong
Adam – fly
HC: What challenges do you face being a new band and a young band?
We would like to play more venues but are too young to play pubs! We would like to be old enough to not rely on our parents to be our roadies.
HC: Do you feel you have found your own style?
We are trying to put our style into rock music, we’re influenced by American punk rock
HC: Which song do you most like to perform, and why?
We like to perform our own song ‘Clone’ as we are really proud of it
HC: What types of music do you enjoy listening to when you are hanging out?
Rock music
HC: When/where was your first gig, and how nervous were you? Did it go well?
Our first gig was six years ago when we performed at the Kingsway Hall in Dovercourt with We are Music we were 9 and 10 years old. We were so nervous but it went really well.
HC: How did it feel to hear your first single played on the radio? Were you all together listening?
We were so excited and very proud. We couldn’t listen to it together as some were on holiday but we all listened with our families.
HC: Anything unusual happened at a gig?
Yes, Jagos guitar strap broke while we were playing. Also James forgot his microphone was switched on when we were at a fete, he thought he was telling the band about a grasshopper on his foot but he told the whole audience!
HC: Who is your biggest super-fan?
Our roadies – family
HC: Thinking long term, do you all want to be rock stars?
We would like to write more songs, we love playing gigs as well. Yes, we would all like to be rock stars but William and James would like to produce music, Jago would like to be a golf coach and Adam would like to gig enough to buy a motor bike.
HC: When is your next gig? What big plans do you have for 2020?
We have lots of gigs/biker festivals in the pipe line and we are itching to get out there and do as much as possible. We just had a conformation for playing at the Spunky Monkey Bike Rally on the 13th June at Bury St Edmunds.
HC: What are your social media links, where can we hear your music?
Our single ‘Clone’ is being released on all the music platforms Spotify, Apple music, etc on the 18th January.
This interview first appeared on GrapevineLIVE
Link:
Dynamites