poppedmusic

Make Friends

Words by Gary Lambert

Another of the acts we are excited about for CloseUp Festival is Make Friends. Their indie sound is what every summer sounds like at Popped Music. With jangling guitars and dreamy vocals tracks like Call Me Out will always make us smile.

Popped Music: How are Make Friends doing?
Make Friends: We’re doing great thanks! So pumped to be back playing shows again!

Will you be playing any new tracks at CloseUp Festival?
We’re working on a lot of new tracks at the moment, we maaay have one song that we’re arranging so we can play it live at CloseUp Festival. Can’t give away too much right now, but we’ll just say anyone who comes down to CloseUp Fest might get a sneaky peek at some new music.

If someone hasn’t watched Make Friends before, what song do you think best encapsulates your style?
We’d say Sleep Sound. It’s got big riffs, melodies and grooves which is what our music is all about. There’s a reason we’ve been finishing our live sets with it recently!

What makes festival season so important to you?
Festival season is important as it’s a time where bands and artists of all different musical styles and backgrounds can come together and celebrate as a whole. We’re into all kinds of music, and during festival season there’s a bit of something for everyone.

What are your favourite memories of festivals?
There are so many to choose from, but Live At Lydiard last year stands out to us because it was our first show after a year and a half of COVID and lockdowns. That definitely makes us slightly biased towards it, but stepping out onto that BBC Introducing stage feeling equally excited and nervous to be back after so long is a memory we’ll never forget. It helped that the rest of the lineup was superb!

When you’re on tour, who is in charge of the music played in the van?
It’s usually whoever is riding shotgun. Our golden rule is if you’re shotgun you get to be in charge of the music, but you also have to stay awake with the driver. Easier said than done when you’re on tour and you’re travelling all over the country at all hours of the day/night! 

What’s your go-to pre-gig hype song?
We’ve had so many! One recurring hype song for us is Providence by Foals, because it goes so intensely off the wall that we can’t help but move and feel pumped up listening to it. We’ve also rocked up to many a venue blasting Hold the Line by Toto, nothing like a bit of classic 70s rock to get you in the right mood to play a show.

To get a ticket for CloseUp Festival, visit DICE.

Check out our CloseUp Festival playlist too