Scribble Victory are an acoustic-folk/pop band from Derby. Made up of Jamie Thompson (vocals and guitar) and Tomas Ward (percussion and backing vocals), the band have a unique sound which transcends multiple genres. We caught up with the band to talk about their DIY roots and their future plans.
How did you guys meet?
We went to school together. We met when we were like 10 or 11? But we weren’t close until about year 9 when I moved house, which was close to where Tom lived. We bonded over Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Final Fantasy 7 and Andrew WK. We started a band with some other people when we were 16/17 and then when that ended we did our own things for a number of years. I asked Tom if he wanted to join Scribble Victory in it’s current form last October/November. The rest, as they say, is history.
Did you find it hard to get recognised whilst starting up in DIY fashion?
I guess we’re still at the DIY stage and it is hard. I think self-promotion is the most difficult aspect of being in a band and wanting more people to access your music. Social networking doesn’t have the same clout that it used to. Facebook wants you to pay for promotion and Twitter is over-saturated with tweets about cats.
What advice would you give to other bands hoping to get noticed?
We’re not really in the position to give advice really! But, I’ve found that you need a certain amount of money to invest in promotion, whether it’s merchandise, recordings or even petrol/bus fare to get to gigs. Being in a band isn’t a cheap endeavour, so you should be prepared to make a financial loss initially. You can cut costs by contacting local art students to design your album artwork, music technology students to record your album or even film making students to film your music videos. It’s a nice way to build up a community as well as expand your fan base. Ultimately, though, playing as many gigs/open mic nights as you can in as many different cities as you can WILL help. Network with other people in different cities too. It can open so many doors. Just be prepared to talk to everyone at gigs, don’t be afraid to ask questions and listen to what they have to say. This seems to be working for us at the moment.
How’s the local scene in Derby?
There are some amazing bands in Derby. The best thing about being in a band in Derby is there are a lot of like-minded people around and we’ve met a lot of cool people. Most of the people we know in Derby are musicians or artists. There’s a nice community bubbling under the surface and I like that.
What’s the reception like in your home town compared to other cities?
I think Derby struggles to get people out to gigs on week nights. We’ve played gigs in other cities and that doesn’t seem to be as much of a problem. Unless you’re in a band, I don’t think people in Derby are very aware of artists/bands or are sometimes wary of going out of their way to try something new. I’d personally say that we get a better reception from other cities. But then again, that’s not to say Derby is rubbish. There are some great promoters, venues and nights that are well publicised and happen all over the city and we’ve played some of our best gigs in Derby. This is just my personal experience of it.
Apart from Derby, which other cities do you enjoy playing?
I really like Nottingham at the moment. There’s a lot of buzz about that place at the moment. Leicester has been really kind to us too.
How did you feel about the chance to play at Y Not festival and what was the experience like?
We started out this year with a goal of playing Y Not this year and I’m so happy we managed to get on. It’s the biggest crowd we’ve played in front of and the reaction from the crowd was really positive. It’s a great festival and I’d recommend it to anyone. Tom lost his voice though because he spent the first 2 nights screaming and shouting. So, when it came to our set on the Sunday, I had to sing solo.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
We’re releasing a single called “Stalemate” for download on the 9th September and that’s going to be accompanied with a music video. Then we’re going to release a downloadable EP called Confidence on the 10th October. Other than that, we’re going to travel to cities old and new to keep preaching the gospel of the Scribble. The best way to keep track of us is at: www.scribblevictory.com.
Awesome questions… Awesome band… Awesome website. It makes me feel so happy to be alive when I see people supporting the local community like this. Thank you all.