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In little more than 18 months, Baddies‘ effortless fusion of razorsharp riffs and gut-wrenching basslines has catapulted them from Southend-On-Sea’s lowly live circuit to the top of the UK indie-punk pile. Recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios in South Wales (where Oasis made (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?), debut album Do The Job is a ritalin-fuelled riot of hook-laden power-pop that leaps from dancefloor-friendly new wave to earth-shattering proto-metal.  Guitarist Simon Bellamy gives Toonwaves a run-down of the band’s story so far…

Firstly, how are things going?

Everything is going great. The album is now out, and we are just about to head off on a mammoth tour to promote it. As I type, I’m sitting in my dressing gown, contemplating the mammoth packing task ahead of me.

Tell me about writing and recording ‘Do The Job.’

The album was written over quite a long period, as we found our feet live. By the time we came to record, we had a wealth of songs that came in and out of our live set, and we had to prune it down to an albums worth. The recording process was pretty straightforward – locked up for a week in Rockfield in Wales, spending long days recording. We wanted the album to capture the energy of our live shows, and I think we have done that.

What’s the worst job you’ve had to do?

Before the band, I had a succession of jobs, all pretty terrible. I wasn’t exactly career-minded, so flitted from job to job for a while. It’s hard to pick a worst one, but I did spend many months in front of a large vat of glue, while a machine filled up the tubes. My job was to take them off the machine and put them in a box.

You’re from Southend. How do you see yourselves fitting into the music scene down there?

The scene in Southend is not a very united one, to be honest. There isn’t one unifying style like there is in Manchester, for example, or loads of venues like any other big city. There are plenty of bands, and everyone knows everyone when you start out in bands. But the honest truth is that every band in Southend is either happy to stay there and be local heroes, or look to make it in London. Baddies are happy to play anywhere in the world.

How did the band get together in the first place?

Our various bands broke up at the same sort of time, and so we decided to get together – that’s the story, I’m afraid. We had all been supporters of each other’s projects for a long time, and so it made sense to get together when the opportunity presented itself. I’d love to give you a better story – but there it is.

Two of the band brothers. How does that influence the Baddies dynamic?

It can be a little weird. Jim and Mike have obviously known each other all their lives, and so can talk to each other in a certain way. But in truth, the band is very democratic, and the four of us work very well together.

Do they have many Noel and Liam moments?

Lots. There are loads of brotherly arguments that are over as soon as they have started. There haven’t been any serious moments, but the tension is always there, bubbling under the surface.

Where did the name come from?

The name, like the story of the band getting together, is a very dull story. It was literally found in a dictionary when we were trying to come up with a name. The words either side of it in my dictionary are ‘bad blood’ and ‘badge’. I think we chose wisely.

Why no “the”?

Because ‘The Baddies’ sounds terrible.

Who/what are your biggest influences?

Loads of stuff. I think Jim and Mike started playing music because of Nirvana, Danny because of AC/DC and me because of Blur. But that doesn’t really tell you much about us now. We get compared to loads of bands, some good, some bad, but we didn’t start out trying to emulate any of the bands we love – I honestly believe that that kind of attitude does not lead to creativity, and therefore to a poor or short-lived band. The key is to be eclectic and open-minded, and not to discount anything. It is just as likely that a Frank Sinatra song will inspire an idea as an XTC song.

What are your plans for the future?

To keep going. We have worked really hard over the last couple of years, and we have got ourselves into a good position. The only thing we know how to do is to work hard, to persevere. Onwards and upwards…

Baddies play The Cluny on October 5

Watch the video for ‘Open One Eye’:

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