Quick-fire Questions: 10 minutes with Aerial Salad
It’s rare to stumble upon a band you’ve never heard of at a show and find yourself becoming a fan within minutes. In fact, it feels like an increasingly uncommon experience, as most support acts I encounter tend to fall flat—whether due to uninspired pastiches or unremarkable presentation. However, catching Manchester trio Aerial Salad mid-set while they were supporting Meryl Streek a couple of weeks ago defied this trend. Their infectious energy and compelling tunes made an immediate and lasting impact.
The group has been around for some time, steadily building a loyal fanbase with their raucous anthems. In April this year, they released their third album, R.O.I., the much-anticipated follow-up to 2020’s Dirt Mall. In the years between, not only did the world change but so did the band. Frontman/guitarist Jamie Munro, bassist/vocalist Wike ‘Wimbo’ Wimbleton, and drummer Mike Marshall used the time to refine their sound—an evolution that felt inevitable given the circumstances.
Their first release on punk tastemakers Venn Records, the record has seen the guitars ramped up to even more spirited levels, the rhythm section burnishing their dynamism and Munro’s lyrics even more potent, with a heightened political edge.
Fusing punk with flecks of Britpop, baggy, and other forms, Aerial Salad has a distinctive style that keeps you on your toes and promises a hefty load of punch. It’s shouty, catchy, and often makes you think about the present socio-economic malaise, with the band fervently ticking every box and tipping things off in the live setting.
After speaking to the affable Wimbleton after the show, I thought we better get the lads to answer our quick-fire questions. Not only does it turn out that they’re one of England legend Stuart Pearce’s favourite bands, but with answers mentioning everything from Simon Jordan to High Vis and The Long Goodbye, it’s clear there are many reasons aside from the music to get behind them. They’re a refreshing departure from the stasis currently burdening much of music outside of punk.
Quick-fire Questions with Aerial Salad:
1. What exactly is an Aerial Salad?
“What is an Aerial Salad? Us ya div…”
2. What’s the weirdest gig you’ve ever played?
Jamie: “We played a scooter rally in Germany – it was inside an Irish bar at a holiday resort. The whole thing was built into an old nuclear power plant. It’s called Wunderland— look it up, mad gaff.”
Mike: “Tottenham’s finest squat, T Chances. Within one second of being there, we knew the crowd was not there for us. We slept on a beer-soaked carpet, doubling as a drum rug that night.”
Jake: “There was this tiny Bavarian town with a punk squat/collective. Everything was tiled like a bathroom, no stage, the sound was just chaos, and there was a side room with an illegal African parrot they told us not to ask about.”
3. What song would you want played at your funeral?
Jamie: “‘Elephant Stone’ – The Stone Roses.”
Mike: “‘Bring Da Ruckus’ – Wu-Tang Clan.”
Jake: “‘Falling on a Bruise’ – Carter USM.”
4. Dream dinner party guests?
“Simon Jordan and Snoop Dogg.”
5. Best venue in the world?
“Carnegie Hall.”
6. What song do you wish you’d written?
Jamie: “‘Thriller’ – Michael Jackson. Think how funny it would be if we released it as our next single. With a full music video.”
Mike: “‘Swingin’ Party’ – The Replacements.”
Jake: “‘Save It For Later’ – The Beat.”
7. What are you listening to right now?
Jamie: “High Vis”.
Mike: “Charli XCX”.
Jake: “Grove Street”.
8. Best hangover cure?
“You can’t say it in a magazine…”
9. Best album of the year so far?
“Ours?”
10. Favourite joke?
“That guy on Instagram who sings the songs badly… if you know, you know.”
11. Most underrated guitarist of all time?
“Mark Day from Happy Mondays.”
12. Movie recommendation we probably haven’t seen?
Jamie: “Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles.”
Jake: “For the Safety of Theo.”
Mike: “The Long Goodbye.“
13. Best name for a goldfish?
“Goldflipper (he’s the fish with the Midas touch dununuhnuhhnuhnuhhhh).”
14. Do you have a sporting hero?
Jamie: “Frank Bruno.”
Mike: “Neville Southall.”
Jake: “Derice Bannock.”
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