London’s Flat Party recently shared their second EP ‘It’s All Been Done Before’ via Submarine Cat Records, a statement of intent that built on the potency of their January debut. The six-piece comprise Jack Lawther (vocals), Rory O’Rourke (guitar), Nic Morris (bass), Dylan Tarayan-Bibbs (guitar), Zander Hearn (drums) and Tom Hunt (keys).
Nic explained how Flat Party came together: “Lawther, Rory, Dyl, Tom and I all met at uni and were all in different bands playing the same bills and in the same venues. And Dyl and Zander had played together back in the day so we’ve all got strings attached to one another musically. When Lawther and Rory were putting the band together, we all were brought in bit by bit and became permanent fixtures, it hasn’t changed since. All of us bring something quite different musically speaking so it makes for interesting playing.”
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Jackhas said that the debut EP had a lot to do with boredom, and thus it’s perhaps not so surprising the six-piece release their second EP of the year. ‘It’s All Been Done Before’ was co-produced with Chris McCrory (Walt Disco, The Joy Hotel), Nic shares: “The garage-y pop rock songs on the self-titled still hold a dear place in our heart but we were really allowed to push ourselves with this new EP. Co-producing with Chris over seven days in Eastbourne was a claustrophobic moment of creativity, scratching an alternative art-rock itch that we were all desperate for. It’s a lot more confronting this 2nd EP, with each song having its own world lovingly created around it.”
Questioning just where Flat Party find the inspiration for the music, the response is characteristically tongue in cheek, something that is present in their songs. Jack states quite openly: “A lot of the time I just get really obsessed with a song and then try to rip it off. It never ends up sounding like the song that inspired it, but then it becomes its own thing. In terms of lyrics, I just write about what I see and how I feel, very boring really, but I do find it comforting when I’m feeling really low. I think everyone should write, it’s good catharsis and it’s far cheaper than therapy.”
Flat Party had a launch show at Windmill Brixton for the first single from the EP ‘Shotgun’. By all accounts it was a raucous affair. Nic shares: “That show was a lot of fun, getting to play at such an iconic venue was a buzz. I sat and chatted to Tim for a while and he reeled off so many stories about bands who had played there, matey could talk for days on what bands prefer in a rider.”
“Our UK tour last year showed us how important these independent venues are to any band starting to get out on the road. Places like The Parish in Huddersfield, The Fulford Arms in York and the Polar Bear in Hull, these venues are brilliantly run by people who want punters to see a good show. With the sorry state mainstream ticketing is in nowadays I’d say get on Google and find your local spot.”
Going back a little Flat Party’s second single ‘Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel’ was the first released (March 2023) on new label home Submarine Cat Records. Jack explains how the band came to their attention: “They were already working with a band our manager was associated with and so they just started coming to shows. At the time we were trying to release our first single, but chats with other labels didn’t really go anywhere, so we ended up self-releasing. SubCat seemed impressed with how it all went and when we came to release ‘Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel’ they told us they wanted us on the label. It was funny actually, when we signed they took us to a members-only bar in Soho which made me feel really cool until I bumped into a mate from home who was just ‘out for a pint’ – not as exclusive as I thought, it seems.”
Incredibly the second single was then self-produced at Abbey Road Studios, mixed by Chris McCrory (Walt Disco, Catholic Action) and mastered by Noel Summerville (The Clash, My Bloody Valentine, Kraftwerk). Jack shares more on the overall experience: “Honestly, it was incredibly stressful. Despite the fact we got the sessions for free, we only had two four-hour slots to record both ‘Dig Up Concrete With A Plastic Shovel’ and our first single, ‘Fish’. I had to relearn and play all of Rory’s parts too because he got a concussion on the day of recording. In the end, we ran out of time, so I ended up doing the vocals in the toilet back at mine and Rory’s flat. For the single artwork, we went to High Wycombe (where Rory’s from) and did the shoot late one night in a multi-story carpark with our mate Mat Scott. He’s an incredible photographer and always up for whatever daft idea we have.”
Coming right up to date Flat Party’s latest single ‘Madonna’ is accompanied by a striking black and white video. Is aesthetic important as a band and is it fun to play around with ideas to go alongside the music? Jack again: “I think aesthetics are really important. We spend a lot of time considering how we present ourselves, it’s just as important as the music. At the end of the day, every band is a romanticised version of how they want to be perceived. No one is genuine, so you may as well embrace the fact it’s all an act.”
Zander adds: “It’s quite nice not to have a hand in writing the music as it means the first time I hear a song, it’s already fully formed. The world is built and the visuals just kind of spill out from it. It’s just a case of recreating that for a camera.”
It is impossible to overstate the importance of support slots in growth for bands. As Jack explains: “We played a few dates with Courting earlier this year which was probably the first time I actually began to notice people singing our songs, which was great. They’re lovely fellas too, not great at pool though. We also played some dates in The Netherlands with King Nun which were great. When we played Rotterdam they were meant to drive back to Tilburg that night, but we managed to convince Ethan and Caius (of King Nunn) to book a hotel and come out with us. Funny thing is, we took so long walking to the club that by the time we got there we were so hungry we abandoned the idea (and Ethan and Caius) in search of a kebab. Still, I think they enjoyed it regardless.”
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