INTERVIEW | BLAENAVON

Following a couple of sublime EPs and well received festival slots up and down the country this summer, a great deal of hype has built up around extremely promising trio Blaenavon. Listening to their accessible but distinct material, it's easy to see why they are commanding so much attention - as they prepare to tour with The Sherlocks and then The Hunna, NRMB caught up with the group...

Laurence Penna: First off, how did the name "Blaenavon" come about? Does it refer to the Welsh town of the same name?

Blaenavon: We were all taken on a school trip to Blaenavon as children and it left a strong impression on us. We decided to give ourselves the name at the bottom of the Big Pit. We all felt at home in the pit.

LP: You certainly have a unique sound as a band, what would you say are your main musical influences?

Blaenavon: We all have quite different stuff on our mp3 players. We all agree on Cardiacs and Lorde though.

LP: What would you say has been your favourite gig you have played as a band and why?

Blaenavon: We tend to prefer the shows when we get a bit of a holiday out of it. There were some really cool ones in Germany with Warpaint which we all loved but more recently Glastonbury and Reading have stood out. Having loads of new people singing the songs with us at these festivals made them feel special and like we were starting to get somewhere.

LP: Finally, what can we expect to hear/see from you in the next year or so? Albums? More EPs?

Blaenavon: There’s going to be some dope music videos whilst we polish off the album. We’re also going to be playing thousands of shows this year with The Sherlocks and the Hunna. Can’t wait.

Blaenavon's latest single 'Let's Pray' is available to stream and download now.