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Photo Credit: Dave Snocken
Bringing to you from across the pond an interview with London pop-punkers The Bottom Line. These guys have been featured numerous times before on the site with their explosively melodic pop-punk charge similar to blink-182 and The Starting Line, but maintaining a goofy and youthful vibe to them that has catapulted the group into the pantheon of British groups that are making a huge dent with American audiences right now as we speak. Bassist Max Ellis was kind enough to take some time out of their hectic schedule getting ready for their tour with Simple Plan as we check up on the guys to see what they've been up to since the last time we chatted, how their popularity has increased, and where their current path takes them moving forward. Here is the transcript from our chat:
Give us your names and roles in the band?
Max – Bass & Vocals
Callum – Guitar & Vocals
Matt – Drums & being “the cute guy”
It's been a couple of year since we've last chatted, how have things been going with the band?
The last couple of years have been a lot of fun. We were trying to recall the last time we spoke exactly but in the past couple of years we've crossed continents which is cool to say. Indonesia & China were absolutely nuts and we think 2016 is going to be a pretty crucial year to say the least! A single release, more music to come & a European tour with Simple Plan... we're gunna give this all we've got.
Take us back to the early years of The Bottom Line and when you guys first formed?
We've been playing in various projects pretty much since school but The Bottom Line really started in the latter half of 2011. We used to be called Thursday's Bad Luck (based on a story involving Callums butt and a broken window. At the time we had a load of 'I <3 TBL' T-Shirts left from a few gigs and we thought 'okay, let's change the name and keep the letters... that's when we became The Bottom Line (pretty dumb right...).
How has your popularity increased in the last couple of years and what have been some memorable fan encounters?
Compared to where we were a couple of years ago our online presence has gone nuts, not to mention the support we've received from fans on tours. For me I think one of the most ridicuous fan encounters would be walking through Shenzhen in the middle of China and having a girl come up to us and say 'hey, are you The Bottom Line?'. That was unbelievable... there have been weird instances as well... but they should never be written.
Give us an idea of the current state of pop-punk music in the UK at this moment and where you see it moving forward?
It's been a really interesting time for Pop Punk... There's been this massive wave of angst driven, heavy modern pop punk which has shown a whole new generation what it's like to jump and sing at gigs. With pioneers of the genre like Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Blink 182 and of course Simple Plan releasing music this year we think the up beat, party punk we love is going to come back, which is great for us!
Take us behind the recording of your just released single "Insecure" and what the song is all about?
Recording Insecure was a lot of fun. We had the song ready to lay down for ages so it was great to get in on track. We've had it recorded for nearly a year so to finally release it, a long with the music video, felt like a real achievement. The song kind of revolves around the concept of being in a band, constantly having ups and downs, sometimes going crazy over it but always keeping your head above water. I guess that's what it represents for us anyway, hopefully people can relate to those situations.
Can we expect a full length album in the not too distant future and any shows planned for the U.S. sometime soon?
We are ready to get in the studio and record our second album. We have all these songs prepared and we are sure they're the best we've written, we have been playing new songs in sets and the responses have been immense (what better way to trial new tunes than to play them to the people we write for?!). We just need the funds to get back in the studio now.
What is one little known fact about each of you guys that people don't know about you?
Matt didn't just dress up as a girl for our Taylor Swift cover video, he regularly spends his weekends as Martha. Callum once evacuated a whole tube carriage with the power of one fart and Max once tried to runover an apple on a BMX and went over the handle bars...
How can people find out more info about you?
The Internet. We are on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Apple Music, Spotify, the lot! If you
haven't heard of the internet it's a pretty big deal BUT you can always come say hi at a show and we'll tell you our story.
Lastly, how have you guys all grown and gotten closer together since forming the band?
I've grown outwards, Callum has grown upwards and Matt is probably the only one who has grown
mentally. It's been a long journey and as a completely independent band we're proud of how far we've come.
Thanks once again to Max for being so awesome in doing this interview! You can clearly tell how much fun they have while plaing together, and being goofy and hilarious is one way to pass the time while being out on the road, and also shows their true colors and who they really are as musicians and human beings. You can find out more from the guys from the aforementioned social media links directly located above.