Good Trip, Bad Trip: Whilk & Misky

Dodgy meals and tripped out performances...

Whilk & Misky don't quite fit in anywhere.

Partly blues and partly techno, partly song-based and partly sound, the duo – Charlie and Nima to use their real names – have had to find a quite different audience.

Yet, somehow, they've managed to do just that. Playing countless shows around Europe, North America and beyond Whilk & Misky have pieced together a fan-base that shows remarkable devotion.

With the duo's new single 'All By Myself' out now, Clash decided to track them down for a special instalment of Good Trip, Bad Trip.

– – –

– – –

Best Trip…
Our favourite place was in Costa Mesa. We'd left a 44 degree celsius Arizona and driven all day to reach our venue in Santa Ana, CA. It was 6:30pm by the time we'd loaded and sounchecked so with three hours to kill until the gig we hopped in the van and cruised down to the beach in Costa Mesa, the Sun slowing falling asleep, Laguna Beach waiting to welcome us with warm sand and the harsh hugs of the Pacific Ocean.

Nima loved New York. Such a cool city, so much to do and to see and cool people. His favourite show was in Brooklyn, at Baby's All Right. It was Tuesday, sold out plus guestlist, plus dancing and so many beautiful girls.

Worst Trip…
Well, our worst trip could be a double entendre…

We arrived in Minneapolis on the friday of Pride weekend so there was a lot of buzz in the city. Before the gig we were holed up in this dingy green room, beers n chips n dips n drips. The boys had come back from a stroll and they'd score off a local carnival Jester…

The venue was quiet and the gig was nigh and after 20 hard days on the road you don't really think straight anyway so we all dropped a half hour before the show. About half way into the set I realised the crowd was becoming one, their image like a snapshot hovering from side to side before me. I looked at Nima and he was already looking at me like "ohhhh shiiiiiiit”.

My mpd was vibrating and the sounds of the crowd were whooshing and pulsing with the music in my ears. Nima felt everything was really slowed down and seconds were passing like hours so he was pushing up the tempo and I was struggling to pick the notes to the beat. Pffffft! We survived though and the crowd seemed none the wiser but was an intense one for sure. I'm not sure I can deal with the responsibility of delivering a good show whilst tripping absolute Neanderthals…

My favourite foreign venue…
Favourite venue was Lightning In A Bottle festival. Amazing design and setting and perfect gig at the grand artique stage. Nima's fave was Baby's All Right.

We’re surprisingly popular in…
We had a Number one in Kazakhstan! Whoop! Whoop!

Best or worst exotic foodstuff…
Best: toasted crickets. Worst: Strawberry Pooh.

Most interesting individual you've met on the road…
Met a half Egyptian half German dude that had been in 16 different prison in 16 different countries.

Worst on-tour injury, or infection, or accident…
About the third or fourth night on tour I thought it would be funny to pole dance on a wooden post… woke up with third degree friction burn and splinters in my wrist.

My essential travel item…
Headphones and a smiley face and a notebook!

My essential travel tip…
Get weird.

– – –

'All By Myself' is out now.

Buy Clash Magazine

-
Join the Clash mailing list for up to the minute music, fashion and film news.