Quick-Fire Questions: 10 minutes with Pushpin
Thursday is the best day to discover new music at Glastonbury. Before the mainstages open, the up-and-comers reign supreme, scattered around the site like treasures to find. On stage at The Hive, four-piece art-pop band Pushpin had us hooked this year and have kept up that way ever since.
Impressive vocals, groovy basslines, violin details, and adventurous compositions — that’s our memory of seeing the band live, and on their latest recorded tracks, it’s all there on perfect display. As they handle a sound reminiscent of nostalgic 2010s indie with a fresh edge, the result is something intoxicatingly familiar yet new and exciting—arguably, the ultimate combination.
Now firmly out of the field and in the busy festival period, Pushpin have been hunkered down in the studio working on their new self-titled EP. Taking all the energy of their live show and levelling it up with the ever-exciting possibilities of recorded music, it’s the band at their very best, pushing their sound to interesting new heights.
As they quickly gather a cultish following on the London live scene, frequenting hallowed venues like The Windmill, George Tavern and Moth Club, now is the time to get on board so later down the line, you can brag about being a fan before everyone else. But we wouldn’t expect you to simply sign up for that without at least a little bit of background information. So before you dive in, we gathered the need-to-know knowledge about the four piece, like their favourite pubs and thoughts on encores.
10 minutes with Pushpin:
If your band was a cocktail, what cocktail would it be and why?
Adam: “The Cavendish Arms in Stockwell does a cocktail called ‘The Doberman’. It’s bourbon, coffee liqueur, triple sec and orange juice. It’s like drinking engine oil; I love it dearly. Also, it’s named after a dog. We love dogs.”
If you could take credit for writing any other song in the world, what would it be?
Laurence: “[LCD Soundsystem’s] ‘Dance Yrself Clean’. We saw it at Glastonbury together on the first night this year as the sun was setting, and it was a perfect moment. Lots of musicians on stage, all doing their weird and wonderful things and having a great time together. The dream.”
What’s been the best gig you’ve played so far?
Ed: “We’ve done so many lovely gigs over the last couple of years, including playing all around the country and a few festival appearances, including Green Man a couple of years ago. I think the most special thing we’ve done, though, was playing at Glastonbury this summer. We did four sets over the weekend, carrying our stuff around the site to and from the various stages. It was our first time at Glasto for three of us as well, which just made it such an amazing experience.”
And what’s been the worst?
Arthur: “At the very, very start, when we had no idea what we were doing, we once played a gig in Camden to my dad and two drunk men who talked half the time and then walked out. That wasn’t great.”
What is your favourite album of 2024 so far?
Adam: “We must pay homage to Brat, of course. But in terms of sheer number of plays, I have absolutely loved Ritual by Jon Hopkins. Ambient music with just the right amount of bite. Laurence and I heard it at 1am in a field at Glastonbury, and it was just bliss.”
Ed: “I’ve been enjoying the Peggy Gou album from this year a lot (so many bangers), as well as the most recent Mount Kimbie. It’s been fun to see them go more down the indie rock route while retaining what makes them so unique. Sadly, I didn’t get to see either of them at Glastonbury.”
Laurence: “In Waves by Jamie XX. I love his first album and his remixes, and the production on this one is incredible. Listen to it on a long walk with headphones.”
Arthur: “Animal Collective just released Sung Tongs Live, and it’s weird and messy and incredible. I have religiously watched their Pitchfork Live recording on YouTube, so I’m very happy to have something from that tour I can download to my phone. Also, it’s from 2019, but in case you missed it, Holly Herndon’s Proto is kinda the coolest album ever.”
What’s the best pub in the world?
Adam: “Shoutout to Westlands Club Burton upon Stather.”
Your new song is called ‘WAWAWAWAWA’, so when was the last time you had a good cry?
Arthur: “Every day when I put on the Avatar: The Last Airbender soundtrack.”
If your music existed in a cinematic universe and soundtracked a certain film, what would it be?
Ed: “Everything Everywhere All At Once. It’s so colourful and maximalist and very heartfelt. Arthur and I watched it at Peckhamplex just after we finished the EP and cried together about it. So, in a way, this also answers the question about when we last had a good cry.”
Are you pro or against encores?
Adam: “I think encores do serve a purpose if they’re done properly. If a set is a structured performance, the encore lets you play something that sits outside of that a bit, whether it’s a silly cover or an older song that you like but maybe doesn’t quite fit in the set.”
Can you shout out another up-and-coming band on the scene that you love?
“In no particular order: Kitty Fitz, Preen, lilo, Speedial, Wednesday’s Child, Linfa Kear, Tapir! and Morgan Noise (their new single slaps). We’ll be playing with Speedial and Wednesday’s Child at our Moth Club show on 16th November.”
If you were the most famous band on the planet and could have your every request granted, what would be on your rider?
Adam: “Beer that’s not warm.”
What is your favourite venue to play?
Arthur: “The Windmill, it’s our home away from home. Big shout to the wonderful Tim Perry and to the world’s best cyclist, Remco Evenepoel.”
Laurence: “We played Rough Trade Nottingham this summer when we supported Aussie legends Smol Fish. Lovely venue and staff. We wrote our name on the wall just next to our faves, Porij.”
What would be your dream venue?
Laurence: “We recorded a lot of the brass and woodwind parts of the EP in a church in Penge. We were doing an interview with John Kennedy last week, and he suggested we do a one-off EP gig in the same church with a huge brass section. The dream.”
Give us the sales pitch – why should people listen to your EP?
Adam: “In terms of the hours of recorded material that has gone into the thing, you are getting very good value for money.”
Arthur: “We put a lot of ourselves into it. Hopefully, it will make you feel good, then a little bit moody, then good again, and then at the end, you might cry.”
Are The Beatles overrated?
Adam: “Are they a Windmill band?”
Ed: “No.”
Arthur: “The Abbey Road medley wants to have a word.”
