poppedmusic

Bedside Manners

Words and Photos by Gary Lambert

With a heavy mix of guitars and swagger, Bedside Manners are made to be discovered at festivals. With a good hint of classic British indie rock Oasis and Kasabian about them celebrating a wall of power and noise, the north west five-piece are ready to hit the stage at Isle of Wight Festival.

Popped Music : How are Bedside Manners doing?
Ben Bedside Manners: Livin’ the dream, looking forward to a belter weekend

What are you looking forward to about playing at Isle of Wight Festival?
Ben: For me, it’s that hunger that it’s our first major festival, it’s a new experience and I’m ready to prove our worth. So yeah just waiting to be on that stage again, it’s where I feel at home.
Ethan: I’d say the thing I most look forward to is travelling outside our home town and getting out in front of fresh faces. Festivals are where the music lovers are at so I think they’ll like what they see when we get on stage.

Will you have any new songs to play at Isle of Wight?
Ben: I’d say the thing I most look forward to is travelling outside our home town and getting out in front of fresh faces. Festivals are where the music lovers are at so I think they’ll like what they see when we get on stage.

Are there any other acts at Isle of Wight you’re looking forward to catching?
Ben: The This Feeling tent is packed with cracking bands. I’m going to be looking forward to staying around there most of the day. Kasabian too for me, been meaning to see them for years, Everyone You Know is one I wouldn’t mind seeing live as well.
Jim: Personally looking forward to try and catch Kasabian, Wet leg and The Charlatans. Think it would be amazing to see Kasabian as a band as we take influence from them. 

What makes festival season so important to you?
Ben: I think just that unity that live music brings,  concerts and gigs do it and are the lifeblood of the whole thing, but there’s something special about a load of music-mad dickheads giving it limbs in the middle of a field and on top of that I think the pinnacle for every band in the UK is that pyramid stage at Glasto, there’s just something so magical about it.
John: Like BC said, in the UK there’s just something about that Glastonbury pyramid stage appeal, Arctic Monkeys 2013 sticks out to me as a masterpiece of a set and think it’s a marker for any band to try and live up to. I’ve always loved looking back on old festival lineups as well, it’s always good motivation seeing a band you love low down on a lineup from a years ago and smashing it on the main stages now.

What are your favourite memories from festivals?
John: For me it’d have to be the prodigy at T in the Park 2015, watching Keith Flint with the whole crowd in the palm of his hand was something out of this world. I think they’re one of those bands that whether you’re into that music or not you just can’t help fall in love with it when you see them take to the stage. I think that’s something every artist wishes they could do to a crowd, I know we do.

When you are on tour who is in charge of the music played in the van?
Ben: To be honest aside from Dan being banned from going on the AUX don’t think we have any issues with music, I quite like my own thing so sometimes whack my headphones in and have a kip.
Ethan: Jim’s not allowed the aux either as it’ll be seven hours of Toxic by Britney Spears otherwise.
Jim: I wouldn’t let Ben choose the music either. He has an unhealthy obsession with Muse.

Do you have any other gigs coming up?
Ethan: We’re off to Berlin on the 1st of July to play a gig at a fezzy which is something new for us and it should be pretty mad. Then we’re looking forward to some weekenders we’ve got coming up in July, check out our socials to keep updated with specifics but we’ll be on the road almost immediately after we get back from Berlin.