I was only vaguely familiar with Superreal’s existence, until I saw them play at the UK Unsigned Rock event in Birmingham on May 26th, then I was witness to how good they look on stage and how infectious their music is; good ol’ guitar driven rock with a punky edge. They were certainly one of the very best bands (out of 9) to play that night, so I decided to track them down… Singer/Guitarist John answered a few questions for us…
1. How are you?
Good thanks, just busy rehearsing and writing for our upcoming gigs.
2. Where did Superreal get its name from?
Well, a regular at my local called Mark, was charged with the task of thinking up a name for us. He came back to us a couple of weeks later with about 30 ideas, each with their own logo design. We liked Superreal, and like the logo with the stars in. If anyone needs a band name, he’s definitely the man.
3. How did it all start?
Now that’s a long story, the short version is: Me and Chris (Guitarist) have been in a band together since we were 18, but we started Superreal in 2000, with the same drummer (Scott) from our first band and a new bassist (Dan). Then Scott moved to America and got married, so after months of searching, enter Zammo. Then Dan left to go to uni, so then we found Bex. We have now been in the same line up for about 5 years.
4. Has your sound changed much since you first started out?
Not too much, we have just got better at performing it. In the start I was writing the songs, but now it is very much more a group effort.
5. What’s been the highlight of your time with the band, so far?
Probably supporting Ginger from the Wildhearts, and then being asked by him to play with him again.
6. What are the band’s goals/aspirations?
Basically, be in a band for a job. This doesn’t involve shit loads of cash, but enough to survive would be good.
7. If you could tour the world with any band, who would it be?
Foo Fighters would be good, I heard Dave Grohl is the nicest bloke in rock.
8. Who would you have in your ideal festival line-up?
If we include bands that obviously can’t play, it would be (in no particular order):
The Clash
The Ramones
The Beatles
Cheap Trick
The Wildhearts
Nirvana
Queen
Green Day
Metallica
The Stray Cats
The Living End
Terrorvision
Everclear.
Oh, and us….. I could probably complete 20 stages, but that would be good enough for now.
9. What one song do you wish you had written?
The one that sticks out in my mind is “If you want my love” by cheap trick. The confess it’s the best beatles song that they have written, but it’s a work of genius.
10. What are your plans for the rest of 2006?
Gig, record and pick up more fans and experiences, but most of all have fun doing it.
Thanks to John for the interview.
For more info & to hear some Superreal tracks, check out:
www.superreal.co.uk
www.myspace.com/superreal