THE SHOOTOUT: BANG BANG ROMEO

Bang Bang Romeo are a band on the up. So before their stock inevitably rises right to the top, they stopped by at The Rodeo to take on 'The Shootout'.

1. Tell us your most interesting story from gigging...

It's not necessarily about gigging... But probably the weirdest and most interesting thing that's happened to us recently was ending up back at Jeremy Renner's (Hawkeye in The Avengers) Beverly Hills pad till 7am jamming songs in his studio and chilling in his jacuzzi. He even lent Rich and Ross shorts, haha. Even saying that is pretty bizarre... he’s a really cool guy. 

We'd just finished recording 'Shame On You', and we'd gone from the studio in L.A. straight to a bar for a couple of drinks and all of a sudden we were in Hawkeye's pool talking about music. Surreal doesn't quite cut it.

2. Best part of being in a band...

Playing live without a doubt. Taking songs written in your bedroom years ago to the stage and having thousands of people singing back. It's an unbelievable feeling, such a buzz and there's really nothing else that comes close. 

3. And the worst?

That's a tough one, it's hard work sometimes, but you always know that the hard work is worth it. Nothing comes easy in this industry, especially when it's full of people like us who are trying to make their dreams a reality. I think the worst part that we experienced is them years spent trying to find the right team to take you forward, the industry is full of people that take advantage of young bands. Music is a business, but the nature of songwriting and the blood sweat and tears that go into making it happen make it so personal and precious to the bands themselves. We're so lucky to have the team we have now who believe in us, don't try to change us, and work just as hard if not harder than we do.

4. If you could take credit for one song what would it be?

Aha, we play this game in the van all the time, but it's got to be 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' by The Beatles.

5. Best movie you've watched recently?

Stars: The most recent one I’ve watched that has probably come out the most recent is Gerald’s Game. A Stephen King classic, then Netflix took it and really brought it to life. Super creepy and the mind games are brilliant. Very clever, would highly recommend to any fans of the thriller/horrors genre, (my fave overall).

Ross: I watched Ready Player One recently and thought it was brilliant, another Spielberg special!! Loved the nods to other classic movies, especially The Shining. Great to see Ralph Ineson in it too, he's a big supporter of the band and featured in our 'Chemical' video, which we'll be forever grateful for.

Rich: I think Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri is one of the best movies I've EVER watched, the script is so full of wit and craft. Stunning performances from Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson too. Now, to get either of them in a video... haha.

6. If you weren't in a band, what would you all hope to be doing?

Stars: If I weren’t in the band, I’d probably be travelling the world, painting on random walls and sketching passersby... Edgy.

Ross: I also co-own a designer menswear store close to Doncaster called Revolver, we stock Fred Perry, Pretty Green etc and opened up just as Stars and I started the band. So when I'm not with the band I'm usually at Revolver.

Rich: I'd probably be a designer, I'm self taught out of necessity for the band really. Or I'd have gone back to the Marines Band Service, I applied for the forces before I went to Uni, did all the training, and the week long interview in Portsmouth before deciding that I want to make the most of the opportunity of going to University. 

7. What's everyone's favourite track from your new EP?!

Stars: 'Bag Of Bones' and it’s message is really giving me life when we play it live at the moment. I truly feel unstoppable when I sing that live, the message, the middle 8, the bass line, ughhhh YES.

Ross: This changes all the time but right now I'm loving 'Cemetery', I was taken back by the production when I first heard it back and it's just really uplifting. We've started opening our shows with it and it puts us on the front foot from the off, really proud of this one.

Rich: I'm loving 'Shame On You' at the moment, it gets people moving from the start and has a real swagger at the moment.

8.  Describe your sound in 3 words...

Holy, Preaching, Nectar.

9. Any pre-show rituals?

We usually have a shot of JD Honey, really warms the belly before we go on, then we wait for Rich to get back from his nervous poo before having a bit of a huddle together before we walk out.

10. Where does your name come from?

Stars and Ross were in a bar in Sheffield around 8/9 years ago, and under the influence of a lot of tequila started talking about a name. The Bang Bang comes from the harder edges of our song, and then the Romeo is inspired by the Shakespearean themes, love found, love lost, all with that dark Bang Bang Romeo twist. It was just the one Bang originally, imagine that, Bang Romeo. Haha...

Listen to Bang Bang Romeo's new EP, 'Shame On You', now, available on all streaming platforms.