Many people in the Marlborough area will remember the Christmas Lights Switch On of 2015 and appearance of the three-piece pop band Scouting for Girls. In case their fans outnumbered security staff and caused a mini-riot, their arrival was kept secret until the last moment.
Before their new Marlborough gig on the first evening of the first edition of the town’s new music festival – Marlborough Rising – marlborough.news has been asking them a few pertinent questions. Stand by for some fun.
Scouting for Girls will be on stage in the Priory Gardens marquee from 9pm on Friday, September 7. (See the marlborough.news What’s On entry for details and booking.)
The band – Roy Stride, Greg Churchouse and Pete Ellard – was formed in 2005. Two years later, their debut EP It’s Not About You sold out and became the most successful limited edition EP in chart history.
On that winter evening in 2015, Scouting for Girls not only sang on the High Street stage, but also shot sequences for their Christmas video – featuring their very popular number Christmas in the Air (Tonight). You can still check if you can spot yourself on the video.
Drummer Pete Ellard drew the short straw and answered our too-trad questions. This was NOT a face-to-face interview – they’re way too busy for that – so we are really not sure how often Pete’s responses were suitably tongue in cheek!
What, we asked, were the standout moments of their Christmassy visit to Marlborough – nearly three years ago?
“I met Father Christmas! That was amazing!! Got the bike I asked for as well, so I must of been good! And just the town in general. It’s a lovely part of the world.”
That year it was ‘Christmas in the Air’ – with some special Marlborough lines in the lyrics – in June this year you released a nicely indie World Cup number – England I still believe. Why?
“Well there was no official song this year and our singer thought it was our year. So we just went for it, and the reaction was great.”
You’re often pigeon-holed as a ‘whimsical’ or ‘playful’ indie pop/rock band – does that still fit or have you morphed into something else?
“It does still fit. We like to drop the odd speed garage number in or a death metal toe tapper. But it’s still mainly happy indie pop.”
You seem to tour non-stop – how many summer festivals have you been to so far this year?
“We’ve done about 75 gigs this summer, which is quite quiet for us. Our music kind of lends itself to that summertime festival feeling.”
Is touring still the best way to keep fans involved? Do you still make good use of My Space and so on to spread the word about your music?
“Streaming sites have given us a massive boost when It comes to getting our songs out to a wider audience, which then really gives us a boost in festivals and tour numbers. It’s a good busy time for us in music at the moment. We still speak to Tom on MySpace! He’s such a laugh!!
You’ve talked about a new album for 2019. How’s it going?
“We’re constantly working on new material. It’s all there, it’s now just a case of the three of getting together and seeing what works best as an album.”
What’s your most often requested number?
“Probably number 7 – it’s very lucky apparently. Or sometimes She’s so Lovely.“
The band appealed to many young fans with A Level Pain which had the refrain ‘I’ll never use Pythagoras’. Somewhat unwisely, we asked: have any of you ever used Pythagoras again?
“AGAIN?!! I never used it in the first place! I thought it was a trendy pie shop!”
It’ll be a great gig – probably with some pretty awful jokes! And be prepared for some foot tapping to numbers from the album they released last October – Dancing in the Light - check out its lively video.
FOOTNOTE: Some in depth research in the archives has revealed that this will in fact be Scouting for Girls’ fourth appearance in Marlborough.
They did a gig in 2012 at Sound Knowledge and in 2013 played outside what was then Azuza.
Singtastic with Marlborough Community Choir – Vanessa Lafaye’s legacy lives on
