We caught up with the boys from Flyte as they rounded up a tour with Bombay Bicycle Club.
Drawing on the off-kilter funk sensibilities of Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem and Orange Juice, London four-piece Flyte, create songs that are infectiously melodic, and their exuberant live performances have seen a strong word of mouth buzz grow.
Where do you guys love to hang out in London?
We often meet up at the British Film Institute on the Southbank. We’ll make a plan for the month ahead and then find ourselves somehow sat watching some obscure pretentious Romanian film by way of conclusion.
How and when did you begin to make music as a collective?
Well we all grew up together playing in various different bands. But once school finished we receded into an obsessive, somewhat reclusive state, refusing to play live or even properly releasing anything. As you can imagine varying levels of insanity then ensued. It wasn’t until we came across Sam at the beginning of 2013 that Flyte was truly formed and we stepped back out into the open. He was singing in his mesmerising way down in the underground and we ground to a halt to listen to him play away for hours. We then calmly informed him that he would joining our band. Then that was that.
Are there any in-house bustups or compromises over the direction of sound on particular tracks?
Thankfully no drama to speak of as of yet but give it time. Give it time.
Best gig you’ve played to date?
Playing Brixton Academy on the tour with Bombay Bicycle Club was fairly spectacular
Favourite place to eat in London?
The Stockpot in Soho
Favourite place to dance?
At home in the kitchen
Tell us more about the single ‘We Are The Rain’?
Well with the track and with the video we wanted to celebrate the tacky and the corny. Family photographs in shopping centres, school discos, fake tan, package holidays. There’s romance in all these things.
And what can we expect from the full length record? Who has been working on it with you?
You can expect a lot of variation stylistically. But at the core of it all we’re out to make a short concise pop album. There should never be too much faffing about on a debut, we like to keep it pure and simple
Are you playing any festivals this summer?
Yes we’ll be doing our first UK festival tour this Summer. To mention a few- Wilderness, British Summertime Festival, Blissfields.
‘We Are The Rain’ is released on April 28th via ParadYse Records.
Flyte are also playing the Gigwise Stage, Above Audio at The Great Escape on Friday 9th May, Liverpool Sound City on 1st May and Live at Leeds on 3rd May.
For more info check here.
Words: Shane Hawkins