9 O’Clock Nasty – Smash, Grab & Go
Release Date: 17th February 2024
East-Midlands punk rockers 9 O’Clock Nasty put out their latest single last week, ‘Smash, Grab & Go’, continuing their pattern of releasing fun and funky tracks that just don’t take themselves all that seriously….in a good way.
Putting their music out there for the love of doing it, the Leicester-based band have created a sound that feels unique to them, combining catchy guitars and repeated lyrics that you just don’t quite have the power to ignore. ‘Smash, Grab & Go’ is going to get all of the dancing happening.
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Check out ‘Smash, Grab & Go’ here and read our interview with Ted from the band below while you’re there:
Heya, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today! For those living under a rock, can you tell us a bit about yourselves as a band?
We emerged from the plague-town of Leicester, UK just after the pandemic and have been messing about ever since. We’re a sort of grunge-hop, post-punk, death-disco mashup act. We love music. We’re sonic geeks. Writing and releasing songs scratches an artistic itch that won’t ever let us go. We occasionally play live, but our main thing is social media,
You’ve just released new music, can you tell us a little about it and what it means to you?
Smash, Grab and Go is the third song from what will eventually be an album called “This Is Crowland.” It’s the simplest, most direct punk tune we’ve done in a while. It’s got the energy. The song is one of those accidents that end up being about a whole heap of things, which is something we love to do. It might be about identity and being watched. It might be about breaking windows and taking things. Every song is special. We always say the one we just released is our favourite and we mean it. We think it’s probably a good introduction to the band for anyone that hasn’t heard us before.
Do you have a favourite track on there or is it like picking your favourite dog breed?
We always think our latest release is our favourite. Probably the most fun we’ve had recently is doing a cover version of Blindness by the Fall. Deconstructing something so iconic and messing with it – in a loving way – and then hearing this beast of a song emerge, is one of the best feelings a musician can have. Our favourite dog breed is Dalmation-Spaniel cross.
Can you give us an insight into how you write tracks and has this changed as you’ve become more comfortable working together?
Writing songs is very personal. You are exposing yourself to ridicule every time and there have been so many times one of us has written something amazing but not wanted to play it to anyone. If it is comfortable you are not pushing yourself. That means there is a lot of passion in our process. Conflict with love. We battle over tunes, we wrestle them, we build them and break them over and over. No two songs are ever the same.
What was the original inspiration for you wanting to get into music and is the current style where you thought you would head?
We were locked in a house together for COVID lockdown. We could have either formed a band or killed each other. We’ve all been in music since we were very young, and always been in bands either together or touring together or rehearsing at the same spaces. It was just the right time to come together and make what we do. We have quite different listening styles but have plenty of common ground, we play a lot of Ramones and Hip Hop in the studio. I don’t think we had any clear idea of the sort of direction we were aiming for. We plan a lot of things well ahead, but writing songs is a chaotic process.
Do you have any upcoming plans you’re excited about?
A gig in Brighton (UK) on 8th March. That is going to be amazing. The next few singles are all powerful. We’ve just done a remix with an artist called Preyswitch that has really excited us.
What’s the ultimate goal for the band? Headlining major festivals, playing a certain venue or just having as much fun as you can?
We don’t have goals. We just like doing what we do. Music is not a career.
Outside of the day-to-day band life, what gets you up in the morning?
Love for the people we care about. Anger at the wrong things happening.
Finally, are there any bands that you’d like to give a shout-out to?
Whoah…. The Qwarks for sure, they are our sonic brothers, The Margaret Hooligans who are blindingly good, I Am The Unicorn Head who write the most sublime pop tunes, Bones in Butter who are the most accomplished and thoughtful songwriting beast, The Scavengers who carry a flame too bright for the world.
Thanks for your time! Is there anything you’d like to say or promote while you’re here?
Thank you. Probably the one thing we’d ask is that people support the band they love. If that is us, buy a track on Bandcamp or support us on Patreon. We live in a world where the value of music has fallen to zero. People expect music to be free. It isn’t. Support music in the ways that you can.