Drawn in by their vivacious sound and psychedelic imagery, I had a chat with London-based rock ‘n’ roll band Disco Lizards about their infectiously energetic upcoming single Come On, inspired by a raucous night out in Amsterdam…
Hey, Disco Lizards! Introduce yourselves to our readers…
Hello readers! We are Disco Lizards from London! Matt – vocals and guitar, Daniele – lead guitar and backing vox, Lala – bass and backing vox, Felipe – drums!
You’re getting set to release your new single Come On. What’s the story behind the song?
Matt: Come On is loosely based on a night out that I had in Amsterdam with my friends (including Hugo), years ago now.
The night always stood out in my mind just because of how wild it was. I was in my early 20s and I had only just really got to know these guys, and they were introducing me to all these cool new people – it just had this really exciting buzz because you could feel this new friendship for life was forming. I just remember I kept saying “so where are we going?” And they had no idea, they were like “we don’t know but come on, follow us.”
I love the artwork. Who designed it?
Matt: My good friend Hugo De Jong – he is an amazing artist and musician from Amsterdam. His style is so unique and bold and adds another dimension to us as a group.
Expect to see more crazy artwork on our future releases!
Which bands have most influenced your sound?
Matt: I think I can speak for all of us and say we share a love of The Beatles. Felipe is a huge Ringo fan and Lala has a Hofner Bass Guitar like Paul. Their music is timeless, and they are arguably the best band to ever exist.
Other bands and sounds that influenced the writing of these songs include groups like Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, Car Seat Head Rest, etc… the modern music visionaries!
Daniele: I’d have to say Jimi Hendrix, although I’m a massive [John] Frusciante fan and give all the credit to Kurt Cobain for making me pick up the guitar in the first place.
What’s been your favourite musical experience to date?
Matt: We only formed in the summer of 2018 but have had a blast so far. I think my favourite DL experience so far was when we hosted our own little club night called The Lizard Disco and we had a load of our friend’s bands play, almost like a mini day festival and so many people came down to support. It was everything that we had worked toward for 2018 and gave us everything we needed to slide into 2019.
Daniele: Jamming in our little Hackney Wick studio. It was cold and small, but it gave us the autonomy to do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. It really helped us bond as a unit. I say that despite having to piss in a bucket (our makeshift toilet) for 2 months.
If you could play any venue in the world, where would it be and why?
Matt: There are so many but my top three would be Brixton Academy because I saw my first gig there, The Cavern because of The Beatles and Royal Albert Hall because its stunning and the sound is just… wow.
Daniele: The X Factor, so I could go up to Louis Walsh and lick his little face.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given as a band?
Matt: Our producer (and 5th Lizard) Ian Flynn aka Werkhouse has probably given me the best advice and has really urged me to have a good plan.
Everything we are doing is with purpose and meaning – from the writing of the songs, the structure of our rehearsals and the performance of our shows to the detail of our release schedule for the year…
Daniele: Lala told me if you ever get lost, just slide, baby.
What are your plans for 2019?
Matt: 2019 is the year of the Lizard! We are going to be releasing a single every month from February with the aim of releasing our debut album by the end of the year.
We are working on some UK & European tour dates at the moment and hope to secure some festivals too.
Daniele: World domination.
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