MOU: I hear a lot of 'Electro' in your tunes would you say bands like The Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode inspire you lot?
AJ: Yes, we are hugely influenced by those bands and also many other bands as well such as; New Order and Joy Division. As a band we all have bands and artists we collectively love and respect and as individuals we also have our own likes and dislikes when it comes to our own influences and when you throw all of that into the mix I guess the output of that is Apollo Junction.
MOU: "On The Ropes" sounds huge, was this track written about anything in particular?
AJ: We wrote and recorded that song during lockdown so it was certainly influenced by how we were all probably feeling at the time. The song is really about overcoming obstacles and being out on a limb, but then sticking together throughout the difficult times. It was the first time we worked with a choir, which was great fun. We were aiming for a big sounding song that blows people's doors down! We have never played it lived before, so we're all excited to hear it on the big stages and festivals later this year (hopefully).
MOU: Did the band find new ways of recording during 2020?
AP: Yeah, we had a batch of songs that we were wanting to record that were all sitting there ready to go. We had to find a way to record them within the socially distanced guidelines which we did. We often had to record individual instruments/parts at a time which actually worked really well. It meant we all got quite a lot more one on one time with our producer finessing a lot of the things that perhaps we wouldn't ordinarily have had time for. We obviously can't wait to all be back in the studio together as that's when a lot of the magic happens.
MOU: What have you got planned for 2021?
AJ: We've got a crazy 2021 all being well. We have a new single out on the 9th April - "Light Up The Sky". We have a ton of gigs and festivals from July onwards, including Isle of Wight Festival, Carfest, Bingley Weekender, a string of support shows with the Kasier Chiefs. Then later in the year we head out on our UK tour which includes our big hometown show in Leeds on the 27th November at the Warehouse which is almost sold out and shaping up to be an incredible night with some great support bands. And also album 2 is being released at some point as well so yes, a very busy year for us...
MOU: What have you missed most about playing live?
AJ: The fans. We have an unbelievable fanbase who follow us around to all sorts of weird and wonderful places. We know how much live music means to them and what it brings to them, so the fact they haven’t had that (and other live music) in their lives for the last 18 months we know for a fact that, that has had a real impact on people. We also miss the buzz of being on stage, the unpredictable nature of being on stage or on tour, and the priceless moments we all treasure as 5 best mates on this incredible journey.
MOU: What albums did you listen to during 2020 and in 2021 so far?
AJ: We had a lot of time to listen to a wealth of music during the last year, and it probably all varies on each band member. I know collectively we have been listening to a lot of Idles, Sports Team, Fontaines DC, Sea Girls and the new Foo Fighters record is also incredible.
MOU: Are you hoping the music industry can bounce back, and do you think it will?
AJ: Of course and it will. If this pandemic and lockdown has taught us anything, is the importance of live music and the arts in general. I think people have realised how important a gig is and the support of bands and artists new and old will be stronger than ever.
MOU: Sum up your sound in one sentence...
AJ: Described recently by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 music; swaggering electro rock.
