Band Interview: Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs
Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life bring you an interview with alternative rock band, Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs.
1. How did you get started as a band?
At first, it was just me writing an album. Then I realised I needed some help when it came to playing those songs live! I was already in a cover band with Pete (drums) and Hagrid (guitar), so it was a no-brainer to ask if they wanted to be involved, and thankfully, they did. Jay (bass) was the last one to join. He came to the try-out and everything slotted together from day one. We’ve never looked back.
2. How would you describe your sound?
We take influence from so many bands that it’s hard to boil it down to just one genre. Alternative rock seems like the easy answer to give here, but it’s true. You can hear flashes of punk and emo bleeding through it all, so you could probably use those to define us too.
3. What bands/artists would you say have influenced your style of music?
For me, it’s a lot of the pop-punk bands from the 00’s that made me want to start playing guitar. For instance, I’m a sucker for an octave riff, and that was something you couldn’t get away from back then. That’s probably the bedrock for all of us, but we all have stuff we listen to that the others don’t quite so much, so the influences creep in from those too without us even noticing.
It’s quite funny when we’re all in a car together and a song one of us hasn’t heard before comes on, and we point out it sounds like something we’d do. It’s pretty cool too – inspiration can come from a bunch of places. Whether it’s consciously or not.
4. Has the rise of YouTube & music streaming helped or hindered you as a band?
We’ve only been a band during the reign of streaming, so we can’t really compare it against a pre-Spotify world. But they are platforms offer a great service in terms of making our music available anywhere. It’s just frustrating that the payment model is so one-sided.
5. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?
I like to fool myself into thinking I enjoy downtime. It’s true to an extent, but any longer than a day or two and I start to go a little stir-crazy. I always have some kind of project on the go, whether it’s a podcast or some other form of creative writing. Saying that, binge-watching TV is definitely not without its merits.
6. What are your future plans musically? Tours?
We’re gearing up to release a few more singles before out debut album drops. It’s our first full-length release. We have two EPs out, but this is a much bigger project for us. Alongside that, we’re planning a summer tour of UK to help promote all this new music. We’re headed to Leeds, Liverpool, Peterborough, and a few other places. Keep your eyes peeled for dates!
