Newcastle-based ska-punk/alternative band, Goodsprings, have just unveiled their latest single, ‘Horrors’. Georgina Shine caught up with the band to discuss charlatans, the far right and more.
Ahead of the release of your new single, ‘Horrors’, give us a bit of background info about the new track…
‘Horrors’ was written back in 2018 as a response to the influx of far-right hate preachers who were utilising social media platforms to promote rampant hate speech. Me and our original drummer, Xanthe, split the writing duties, with myself writing the chorus whilst she took on the verse. Xan was very influenced on writing it from the stance of a disenchanted working-class youth being inspired by these hate preachers, as it appeared to be the demographic these charlatans targeted. The music was written by our bassist, Jack, who created this great riff.
Can you describe what Goodsprings means to you?
Therapy! So many of our songs have been influenced by personal events and grievances and there’s such power to express how I feel through music. It’s been a cathartic experience writing so many of these songs because I’ve put a lot of my soul into them. We have a song called ‘Keep Flying’ which a friend said made her cry because she really understood what it was about in relation to me. That’s such a beautiful thing to hear, you know. For all the disappointment and industry rubbish any artist has to put up with, the fact something I’ve written has created an emotional reaction is humbling.
What do you hope listeners and audiences take away from your music?
We aim to hit the right blend of fun and enjoyable music with a level of meaning still. I’m not pretentious to believe that I’m writing lyrics with deep philosophical merit to them, but I’d like to think that there’s lyrical depth which can resonate with people with maybe a similar view or someone who can emotionally connect to a lyric. I’ve always felt like a man with a fork in a world of soup, and the one thing keeping me above water is a lot of the punk music I listen to being written by a voice who also feels alienated from society for one reason or another.
If you could create a Goodsprings Festival, who would you put on the line-up? And what vibe would you go for?
It would be called Goodstock and it would be the right level of chill, being both fun and safe. Maybe that’s a bit of soft answer, but I cannot be arsed with people acting up; leave your ego at home and just have a good time without being a complete bastard. Bands-wise, as this is a dream festival I’d want the likes of The Clash, Sublime and Operation Ivy headlining for sure. Then the rest would just be full of the best skate punk, ska, reggae and punk bands.
And finally, what does the rest of 2024 look like for the group? And what can audiences look forward to?
We’re quite excited to say we do have a lot in the works. We’ve recorded a music video for the single which we’re aiming to release soon. We’ve been working in the studio a lot over the past two years and have a few more singles in the works which we can’t wait to release. Gigs-wise, we’ve got a few supports here and there but we’ve got a big headliner in the works in September which we’ll be announcing soon.
You can listen to ‘Horrors’ now on all major streaming platforms.
