Charlie Wyatt of PREDECEASED opens up about the band’s creative process and inspirations with Soundsphere’s Dom Smith.
Hi guys, how are you today?
Very well thank you. Although I’d wager George and Jack are doing even better than me as they’re currently as Primavera.
What’s motivating you outside of music at the moment – think specific people, places or movies for example?
We’ve really been digging what Walton goggins has been up to in Fallout and some of his other shows. George literally works with dogs all day so I’m sure he’ll have some ‘tails’ for you that will be anything but ‘ruff’.
I watched Godzilla: Minus One the other day that was pretty baller. We played Bristol the other week and it was the first time any of us went there when it was hot. THAT was a fun night. Jack’s on his 38th re-run of Trailer Park Boys, so that’s a laugh. Also, we all want Rishi’s head and his wife’s head on the same stick. They’re making bank of this genocide.
What would you say the biggest challenges you face as a band are at the moment?
Getting more people to listen to us really! And going to bed on time whenever we link up to do ANYTHING. Otherwise it’s smooth sailing, we have a great group of people around us helping us do what we wanna do. It’s quite tricky to eat properly on the road too. I have IBS so the toilet breaks are a matter of life and death. Jack likes a spew too. George has a good (and deserved) bitch about driving all the time too. Maybe pay us some more so we can hire someone?
How do you look back at What Do You Do now?
I like it! It’s a fun record. It takes a few directions. It definitely has a ‘batch of tunes’ feel to it as we made it during the pandemic and couldnt road test anything
I think it turned out really good, the tunes are great and people are into them right off the bat, it’s real loud and bouncy and I couldn’t have thought up a better ‘first record’ for what my own songwriting and playing abilities allowed. It was fun to make it as a duo (me and George) but I’m glad Jack’s in the band and we can power trio everything now. It’s fun! It sounds better live though so come out.
How are The News and Sun reader representative of where you are at as a band now?
It’s good. I like that we’re angrier and speaking on things that our affecting us, if only to start a conversation with each other and audience members about how tough it is getting by. I feel it’s more important than ever to treat music only as half of a distraction from the day jobs now, we need to get talking about what’s frustrating and inhibiting us. Both these tunes are about how news outlets do a great deal to incite anxiety in ourselves and arguments with each other, so it’s important to me to recognise that us on the bottom rung of the ladder are bleeding red instead of blue. Community always outweighs individualism, but as we’ve learnt there’s no money to be made in sharing it about.
Musically speaking, So long as we’re always moving towards a common goal that involves excitement and energy then we’re game to explore whatever process or sound that provides that. The moment we’re bored is the moment we pack this in.
Talk us through working with Wayne Adams, the best moments?
He’s a very easy person to work with, highly knowledgeable, allows you take creative risks while also having the good taste to tell you when you’re exploring a dead end.
I like that he works with electronic music too, he has ways of making records sound heavy without just leaning on CHUGS, and Albini drum sounds, he knows how to use the studio as an instrument. He got annoyed we stayed up too late one time though! Sorry, Wayne.
Is there anything else you’d like to add before we finish?
You can change the numbers around on your driving license (provisional included) to make you appear to be younger on the national rail site to get railcards outside your age bracket. Ask me how! Those pricks make far too much money off us.
