Q&A: Broken Witt Rebels at Leeds Festival – August 2016

Is this your first time playing Reading and Leeds?

Danny: It is.

What can people expect from your set today?

Danny: Life changing. It’ll be absolutely life changing.

James: It’ll be mind blowing.

Luke: We’re going to come in, take over and destroy the stage.

Danny: We’re playing at 9.30pm on the Jack Rocks stage; which is a great stage. I think there’s only one other band playing then. I think they’re called the Red Hot Chili Peppers or something or other? There will probably be a lot of people there, but we’ll see.

I’m sure that you will still get quite a decent crowd.

Danny: I hope so, yeah. If you come along, then at least we’ll have one person there!

Are there any other bands that are playing at the festival that you would like to see?

Danny: Not a single one.

JD: It would’ve been nice to see the Chili Peppers; but unfortunately we’re busy then! Hopefully we’ll catch them after our set. That would be good.

Luke: I’d of liked to have seen Chvrches or maybe The 1975.

JD: And Biffy! Biffy Clyro would have been good!

If you gave festival tips to anyone, what would you advise?

Danny: Wear wellies.

James: We made a schoolboy error today; we didn’t wear wellies.

Danny: We brought wellies last time that we needed them at a festival, but they were in that bad of a state afterwards that we just left them there. We could’ve really done with them today. So wellies is an obvious one; it really is. You can never really have enough pairs.

You released your Georgia Pine EP earlier in the year. How do you feel that the general reception has been to the new music?

Danny: Fantastic. It’s brought us to play these festivals and meet so many people. We’ve had a crazy summer. We’ve also been all over Europe and we’ve played some incredible festivals. I truly believe that if it wasn’t for Georgia Pine then we wouldn’t be here. We owe everything to it.

JD: During that time we have also been writing lots of new material as well; so each gig we look forward to showcasing new stuff. Soon we’re going to start recording the album.

Earlier this year, you amassed quite a large amount of interest thanks to a live version of your single Low going viral. What advice would you give to other artists about going about marketing their music in this way?

James: Make sure you put out a good product first. If you don’t put out a good song, then people probably won’t like it.

Danny: Try not to be too political; I don’t personally like that too much; but then again it depends what sort of market you’re trying to hit. If you’re trying to hit the masses then go for a commercial track; something radio friendly; but have your wits about you. Ideally, you just need a great song.

James: I think a fan base beforehand is always handy too, so they can actually spread the word.

Danny: Yes, loyal fans.

As a band, what has been your biggest learning curve so far?

Danny: Ummm I as daft as it sounds, it’s to be humble. To be as humble as four gods can be anyway! To be serious, we’re very grateful to be here and to play these great stages; so we have a lot of pinch yourself moments. We do appreciate it. For other bands, I think the best piece of advice we can give is just to keep going and don’t stop. It has to come from a good place though.

James: I’d say 100% believe in your own music.

Danny: Yeah, don’t listen to anyone else; you have to believe in your own stuff. If you ever feel down, watch a Disney film; because they always have a great ending.

Luke: Everyone’s got an opinion, but at the end of the day if you listen to your gut; however successful you get, you’ll still be happy at what you’ve done.

If disaster struck and you could only listen to one album, what would you choose?

Danny: Does Georgia Pine class as an album? Actually, I’d choose Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours.

James: I’m going to go with Pink Floyd’s Animals. It’s great.

Luke: I’d go with Mothership by Led Zeppelin.

JD: Well you’ve took Fleetwood Mac; I can’t go for Tango In The Night, so I’d probably go for The Doors. I’d probably go for a greatest hits album or something so I could get all of the classics in there.

Last question; what’s next for the band?

Danny: Well; besides world domination, we’ve got a tour in September with This Feeling. Then we’ve got some more stuff with Jack Rocks and Jack Daniels in October. We’re then doing a full November tour supporting a band called King King and some more touring in December. Overall; lots of touring and working on the album during that time as well. Our songs are ready to go!