Q&A: Sunset Sons

Anglo-Australian pop-rock quartet Sunset Sons have made it onto the BBC Sound of 2015 list. Ahead of their UK tour, drummer Jed Laidlaw reflects on their journey so far. They play Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool from 6 March.

How did you come together as a band?

I was travelling around Europe and stopped by a new bar in Hossegor, France. When I arrived, our singer Rory was playing the piano. I knew straight away I wanted us to be in a band – he has this amazing voice. Our bass player Pete was also visiting and keen to keep travelling, so the band was a great excuse for him to do that. Rob was different – we found him through a mutual friend. He was in Manchester but we convinced him to fly over. We told him we would make a mint, but we never did in those early days.

Has the fact that you all met in a surf resort influenced your music?

Only in that it was surfing that brought us together. Hossegor is a mecca for surfers from all over the world; a real melting pot. We always have a better day writing if we have had a splash – everyone is in a better place after that.

A lot of your early gigs were to rowdy surf crowds. How do audiences outside of that community compare?

The early gigs in the Alps were mental – lots of crowd surfing and everyone there is always up for it. But the audiences we are playing to now are stepping up to the plate. When people come to our shows we want them to be as involved in creating the atmosphere as the band. We’re all in it together.

Does coming from different parts of the world bring different dimensions to your music?

It brings different dimensions as we all like different genres, but it also brings a lot of good craic. Pete always makes us laugh with his Australian catchphrases. Ask him what ‘go off like a frog in a sock’ means.

Your single Medicine has been well received. Will other tracks from the EP maintain the momentum?

We’re buzzing about how well Medicine is going down. It’s been added to BBC Radio 1’s playlist too. We’re all really happy with the tracks on the EP – you can really hear where we’re going as a band.

CATRIN LEWIS