Ahead of their gig at Tooth & Claw in March, Moonlight Zoo chats to IGigs.
In nearly four years, Moonlight Zoo have built up quite a CV; headline slots at King Tuts, going the bills of Isle of Wight, TRNSMT and Party at the Palace and receiving strong support for their debut single. 2018 sees them hoping to build on the momentum returning to the studio whilst also bringing their brand of alternative to pop to a stage near you. We caught up with the guys before their Inverness gig;
You toured widely in your early days taking in a European busking tour! What was the inspiration to set you off on that journey?
We wanted to travel and we wanted to improve as musicians, and this seemed like the best way to do both. With busking you really need to earn peoples attention, so it forced us to improve and develop as performers. Also, it is very difficult when you’re unsigned and unknown to properly tour Europe, so by busking our way round it allowed us to get a glimpse of touring life, at least from street level.
In your Facebook bio you describe yourself as ‘A primal mix of funky pop, beastly beats & growling riffs punctuated by sensible nonsense sang in three part harmony.’ With so many bands looking for that break how do you feel your sound sets you apart?
With every show we try to give it absolutely everything we’ve got, and we hope all the hours of practice, as well as our absolute love of what we’re doing comes across when we play live. Chances of financial and commercial success are really so thin these days, we don’t consciously think about how we can stand out from the crowd, we just write music that we all love. If we come up something which we can play for a couple of weeks and not hate then that’s considered a success.
Fortitude Magazine described your single ‘Melting’ as “impossible not to feel instantly brightened by this track’s pure, addictive joy.” Is that the overriding feeling you set out to achieve?
It’s interesting because we always knew the main guitar riff was really sugary and sweet, and i think that is why we choose to use the music as a backdrop to a tale about the end of the world – to provide a quirky kind of contrast. We’re really glad they got a buzz off the song.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram! It’s a social media minefield! Where do you find it is best to interact with fans?
We tend to use Facebook and instagram the most, as they seem the most engaging. Especially with Facebook considering many people will spend a lot of time there, it’s a great place to reach new ears and let people know whats going on.
You are sharing the tour with fellow Dancing On Tables (Read our interview with them here). How good a combination musically is that for you?
We believe it’s a great combination, although our styles are pretty different i know both bands enjoy telling stories and engaging with audiences on an emotional level. We’re all really good mates and i think we’re mostly looking forward to just having a laugh on the road.
Do you have anything else to plug at the moment?
We have a new single that has not been announced yet which will be coming out around Easter, so keep your eyes peeled …
Moonlight Zoo plays Tooth & Claw, Inverness on the 17th of March.
Tickets available from this link.
