Quick-fire questions: 10 minutes with Floodhounds
If someone said, “Nothing good ever came out of Sheffield“, they would be lying—vehemently. Not only is that a completely uncalled-for line, but it’s also categorically untrue. The latest outfit to prove that fact would undeniably be Floodhounds, with their immensely catchy melodies and raucous guitar riffs that somehow coast the line between post-punk and dark wave.
Floodhounds are everywhere. No, really—they’ve played all across the country, delivering both headline sets and support shows while immersing themselves in the festival circuit. Having played the Isle Of Wight, Liverpool Sound City, Brighton Alt Escape, Live at Leeds, and Tramlines, there’s no stopping this energetic Yorkshire assembly as they embark on their biggest chapter yet.
Comprising Jack Flynn, Lauren Scanlon, and Anna Melidone, Floodhounds’ latest explosion includes the single ‘Near-Life Experience’, a power anthem that urges you to break free from cycles of discouragement and enter a new realm of passion and curiosity. Although seizing the day is easier said than done, the blasting sounds of the next best thing will surely ignite a spark in anybody.
“Lyrically, the song delves into the struggle of feeling numb and disillusioned but reminds you to break free of that apathy and hold on to the moments that make you feel alive,” Flynn explains, demonstrating Floodhounds’ innate ability to tap into authenticity while promising an abundance of optimism and hope. “Hopefully, some of that energy blasting through the speakers can reach out to drag you up out of the haze,” he continued.
Whenever we ask musicians a handful of quick-fire questions, it’s always revealing and sometimes controversial but never dull. From dinosaurs and ghosts to Elton John and The Beatles, we asked Flynn some of the all-important questions…
Quick-fire questions with Floodhounds:
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Jack: “I’d choose something with completely the wrong vibe for a funeral—it would be way more entertaining that way! Maybe just a 60-minute Prodigy mixtape. That would take people by surprise. We’ve all been obsessed with the Prodigy lately, to the point where we’re doing snippets of ‘Omen’ and ‘Run With The Wolves’ at gigs, but a heavy guitar version would be so much fun.”
Which album changed your life?
Jack: “Elephant, The White Stripes album with ‘Seven Nation Army’. It’s such a guitarist’s album. It’s beautifully simplistic. It has raw, unfiltered caveman aggression and potency, which was so exciting, punky, and energetic and reinvented garage rock.”
Do you believe in ghosts?
Jack: “I seem to spend my entire life searching for things like missing guitar picks, which then turn up in mad places, and poltergeists have started to seem like a reasonable explanation.”
What song are you most proud of?
Jack: “‘Psychosemantics’. The production really elevated our sound and brought us up to a new level compared to our earlier work. The main riff is so simple but with a sinister heaviness without taking the song into a world of metal. My favourite part is the cinematic spy movie chords running through the whole piece and the weird synthy extras we snuck in under the surface.”
What do you hope people take away from ‘Near-Life Experience’?
Jack: “It’s a riff-heavy, body mover with one hell of a breakdown, so I hope they can visualise what it sounds like at live gigs and that, despite the ‘So Dead’ of the chorus, it’s actually about seizing the day, making the most of what you’ve got and try to hold on if you are feeling like you are becoming numb to the daily grind.”
What is your ultimate comfort movie?
Jack: “Jurassic Park because dinosaurs never get old. Even though I guess they are.”
What is your most controversial cultural opinion?
Jack: “I can’t stand Blink-182 or pop-punk in general. Lauren and Anna love a bit of pop-punk. I just could never pull off Vans and big cargo shorts, so I’m afraid the entire genre must be put to a stop. However, they did challenge me to write a pop-punk song, which I deliberately spent less than 20 minutes on. Annoyingly, it is a banger, so maybe we will record that one soon.”
What movie makes you laugh the most?
Jack: “It’s probably a predictable answer, but it’s Spinal Tap. It’s just so good. It’s decades old and should be completely out of date, but those quotes are still going to be echoing around practice rooms for years.”
What musician turned you on to music?
Jack: “Kurt Cobain. I got Nirvana: Best Of when I was a teenager. I had no idea who they were but found them so exciting. Catchy but nasty. The holy grail. And similarly, both Anna and Lauren are huge Foo Fighters fans, so for them, it’s Dave Grohl all the way. We even got Anna a ceremonial quasi-religious candle with the prophet Dave Grohl on it for her birthday one year.”
What is your favourite album from 2023?
Jack: “We are all obsessed with Tigercub’s The Perfume of Decay. It just had some absolutely outrageous, filthy, dark, sinister fuzz rock and riffy guitar music. Perfect!”
What are you most looking forward to?
Jack: “We’re Supporting The Family Rain at Sidney & Matilda. We’ve been fans of theirs for ten years, and they’ve been a huge influence on us. We’ve also got a few festivals like Y-Not, which is going to be awesome. And we’re planning a tour for October: We’ve already locked in a few dates and will be adding more. It will be exciting to play a bunch of shows around the country.”
What is the best worst song ever?
Jack: “It has to be Elton John’s lockdown performance of ‘I’m Still Standing’—aka ‘Im Dill Danding’. It’s an incredible song with the most unhinged pronunciation and performance.”
With an hour to kill and no plans, what are you doing?
Jack: “I’m also a photographer, so all my spare time is hoovered up by a huge backlog of edits. Currently, it’s Bad Nerves, who I shot in New York recently. They are incredible! That’s the kind of pop-punk I can get behind. So good.”
Are The Beatles overrated?
Jack: “Anna and Loz say yes. But I say HELL NO! I’ve been trying to persuade them to watch Get Back ever since it came out, but unfortunately, they can’t find a spare 12 hours. But how else will they realise what an important part the role of a constant supply of tea and toast plays in the creative process? I also got to visit Abbey Road recently, and for a Beatles nerd like me, it was like the promised land. I got to play [John] Lennon’s piano, and it was so cool to see all the vintage gear just stacked up in the corridors like it’s no big deal.”
