Band of the month - June 2010
The guys from Neon:
John Willson - Lead vocals (24)
Adam Abbott - Guitar, Vocals (24)
Bryce Newbold - Guitar, Vocals (21)
Joe Pasch - Bass (19)
Jamie Flanagan - Drums (23)
Leicester top power pop band, Neon Sarcastic were formed in April 2007 when John and Abbott, tired of jamming and playing acoustic sets, decided to form a band. Bryce, Jamie and Joe joined and later Neon was born.
Neon Sracastic's bid to play at Bedroom Jam 2012
We talk to them about the band:
Artsin: How long has your band been playing?
Neon: We have been together for a little over three years now, and I [John] would say we are enjoying it more now than ever.
Artsin: How did you meet? How did the band form?
Neon: Well Abbott and I [John] have been friends since we were about 7 but we didn’t really start playing music together till we were about 17 (no idea what we did with the 10 years in between!). We would jam together on our acoustics, play open mic nights and write songs together. We really didn’t think a duo acoustic outfit suited us. So, we went on the hunt for a band. We knew Bryce through our friend, Bryce knew Jamie and Jamie and Bryce knew Joe! The crazy thing was that myself [John], Abb, Jamie and Bryce all went to the same college.
Artsin: What was the first gig you played and how did it go?
Neon: Our first ever gig was at The Shed in Leicester. It was such a scary and intimidating experience. We were there, on stage, playing in front of a room full of all of our family and friends. I don’t think we moved around on stage much that gig but the feeling of being up there was amazing and we have been hooked ever since.
Artsin: Kind style of music do you play?
Neon: It’s a mix of Power Pop, Punk and Rock. We have some really upbeat and catchy songs, some powerful tracks and then some “Lighters in the air” songs.
Artsin: What are the main influences on your band? Which other bands do you like most?
Neon: I think we all have different influences and thats what keeps our song writing interesting. I know that I [John] got into music because of New Found Glory, I got the self titled album and played it on my CD player until it broke! (I have since got a new copy).
I [Abbott] am quite influenced by Fightstar, as I ’m quite into melodic, powerful music.
Artsin: Who in the band writes the songs? How do you do it?
Neon: We all write the songs together. Normally one of us comes up with a riff or melody and we all just feed off of it. I think the most exciting feeling is when you write a new song, hear the finished product and play it live.
Artsin: Which comes first the lyrics or the melodies?
Neon: Normally the melodies. When we are writing we kind of express the melodies using “Na na nas “ or by humming it. Although their are a few songs which the lyrics have been written before the melodies like Super Dan.
Artsin: Have you entered competitions like OBS or Surface Unsigned? What happened?
Neon: We have entered Surface Unsigned once and got all the way to the Semi Finals. Unfortunately for us, in the semis, Surface Unsigned only assign one judge and he was walking around in a Metallica T’shirt.... Surprise, surprise a metal band got through! Ha ha.
Artsin: I'm wearing my lovely new Stiggz t-shirt. Will be going Surface Unsigned tommorrow but just as well, I'm not judging!
Artsin: Would you ever enter a competition again?
Neon: No I don’t think so. Just because of the way we went out in the semi finals last time. We felt a little cheated, but we’re not bitter!
Artsin: Of course not! What do you think of the live music scene in Leicester?
Neon: We love it! Their are so many good bands coming out of Leicester at the moment. Its great to be able to go to randomly go to a venue and be guaranteed a good show.
Artsin: Which is your favorite venue?
Neon: In Leicester? I would have to say The Musician for sound and The Music Cafe for space.
Artsin: What do you think of the news about the O2 Academy opening?
Neon: We think its great (and about time! ha ha). I think Leicester has been screaming out for an O2 Academy for years. We can't wait to play there!
Artsin: Do you ever perform covers?
Neon: We’ve performed a few covers since we started to gig but it really depends on the show we are doing. We have recently been playing “Save it for the bedroom” by You Me At Six ... seems to go down well.
Artsin: What plans has the band got for the year ahead?
Neon: Well we want to finish writing our new album to follow on from “Time To Smile” and record that over easter time next year and hopefully play lots of shows in between. A mini summer tour could be on the cards too.
Artsin: Which other bands have you supported?
Neon: Not Advised, The Screening, Love and a .45, Hill Valley High, Ictus and many more!
Artsin: Have you been on radio, either having tracks played, or done an interview?
Neon: Yeah we have been on a few radio stations for interviews and our tracks are being playing on them too. I was just listening to Leicester Sound in my car a few days ago and they just randomly played “Walk With Me” which was weird but awesome!
Artsin: What do you think of Kasabian?
Neon: We think they have done amazingly well for themselves and deserve to be where they are now. Although we still think the earlier stuff is better than the newer stuff ha ha!
