London – There were many raised eyebrows in the summer of ’14 when founding lead guitarist Billy Bibby parted company with Catfish & The Bottlemen just as seven years of serious dues-paying were about to culminate in the release of subsequent hit album, The Balcony. Bibby seemed uncertain of his immediate plans beyond some song writing and testing the new tunes out acoustically, but a year later reappeared to front a new band, Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles. A debut EP, the aptly titled Bide Your Time, followed in February and the four-piece of Bibby on lead vocals and guitar, lead guitarist Rob Jones, bassist Matt Thomas and drummer Mikey Pearce hit the road.
While it might sound like a stage name, the alliterative Billy Bibby is the one he was born with, while bass player Thomas came up with the moniker, The Wry Smiles. It’s always the quiet ones! With a new single “Are You Ready” just released and UK dates underway, Billy Bibby took time out to talk to Best New Bands.
Firstly how did you start out on your musical journey and was your family a big part of this?
Well, my first real memories are standing in the living room with a VHS on of Cliff Richard and the Shadows and as soon as I saw Hank Marvin with that red Fender Stratocaster, I fell in love with the guitar and wanted one just like his. My Granddad was a carpenter and a few weeks later he came in with a miniature replica of a Strat like Hank’s that he’d hand made. The only thing was it wasn’t red so I asked him politely to paint it red and I still have that guitar to this day!! [The white Strat pictured alongside the replica in red also has a history - it's the one Billy Bibby used in the early days of Catfish].
What sacrifices have you had to make since you started playing seriously?
I’d say a lot of people think because you’re doing the thing you love that it’s easy to make a job out of it and that it’s not a real job which is definitely partly true because if you’re playing guitar and singing for a living then who can complain? It’s a great life to live and I’ve been fortunate to be a full time musician for a few years now. But yes, there are a lot of sacrifices that you have to make to get to that point and things like working part time and having just enough money to be able to go on tour and practising in the rehearsal studio everyday and basically living in each other’s pockets as a band when you’re all skint and trying to be noticed by people can be tough at times hence why a lot of bands don’t make it. It’s so worth it though, and as long as you remember why you went into it in the first place, I’d say that’s the way to do it and continue to be happy and successful.
Do you prefer playing live to recording, or are they equally fun/satisfying?
For me I don’t think anything beats playing to a live audience. The buzz on stage is incredible. In a different way though, recording is great too, but only at the end when you’ve finished it and listen back to the final piece on the big speakers!! No, I don’t mind recording at all. I like the process but nothing on this planet beats playing to a live audience. Not even scoring the winner in the FA Cup final!
What is it about a live audience that gives you a particular buzz?
I think it’s just the fact that you’re seeing what you’ve spent ages rehearsing in the studio pay off because the movement from the crowd and the singing of the words back to you is a special feeling that only a musician/singer who’s been up there and experienced it can describe first hand.
How do you go about writing songs?
It 95% starts with the music first. I like to get some chords down and then sing the melody of it that I think will have enough hooks to draw in the listener. Then the lyrics go over the top of it. If I know what kind of thing I want to write about, that can dictate what kind of music I start trying to write though.
Do you think of yourself as a prolific writer or someone who takes time to work on songs and rejects as many, or even more ideas, than end up as final songs?
To be honest there are some prolific songwriters out there that write hit after hit and never fail to deliver. There aren’t many of them though, and when someone says they’re a prolific songwriter as if it’s something to be proud of I don’t think it always is to be honest. I am by no means prolific because I basically try to make sure that every song I write is carefully thought out and every part of it is written with the intention to be as real, authentic, and to the best of my ability. If I struggle to write a song, I go out and do something that hopefully gives me some inspiration to start writing. Yes, I’ve written songs that mean almost nothing to me and sometimes they really can work, but a song written about something real or an experience that either I’ve had or a mate’s had is bound to go a long way with fans who see through the bullshit of making stuff up for the sake of writing a song all the time.
Are there any places you’d love to play that you haven’t played as yet?
I’ve played a lot of festivals, venues, and countries but there are still many more to be ticked off the list. One of them strangely enough being Glastonbury! I can’t believe I haven’t yet, but yeah that’s one I’d love to play one day. Barrowlands in Glasgow is another iconic venue that I’d love to play. Having watched Oasis there and many other bands only on TV it seems like the best atmosphere in the world!! The Scottish crowds are something else. Love playing in Scotland. Japan is another place I’d like to go and gig. I reckon it’d be cool there. They have good music taste to be fair. LA is also on the list of places I must tick off!
What are the band dynamics like? Are the other members contributing towards arrangements etc?
Well, we didn’t know each other at all until about 9 months ago. So at first I would just send them demos of the tracks that I’d put most parts on myself and they’d learn it that way. But it progressed into them writing their own parts for the songs that I brought in acoustically and they have evolved all the parts they play now into their own style, so that the band and I now have our own individual identities which is very important not just for the music, but as a band. I’m down as a solo musician with a band name behind me but I treat it like a normal band and we all hang around and get on so well so the dynamics are almost like as if we have been together for years now. It feels that natural. If you haven’t seen us then come down and you’ll see exactly what I mean! Rob Jones (lead guitar), Mikey Pearce (drums) and Matt Thomas (bass) are all very talented lads and I’m proud to say they’re in my band. Top, top lads and I’d pay just to see Matt flick his hair back whilst on the open E string!!
Taking that a bit further, do you see a song as an entity that you polish and perfect first and then reproduce live, or something that evolves and changes through live performances?
I try and so do the lads to make sure each of our parts and parts in the song are written and polished to the best of our abilities straight away. That doesn’t always mean the song is finished though. When you’re playing that song live there’s always going to be bits you notice that can be improved on or say if Rob (my guitarist) does something a bit different with his riff that improves it. That always happens which is why gigging the songs before you record them is the way to do it in order to squeeze out the very best of each instrument and song structure.
You spent a long time with Catfish & The Bottlemen building a really strong fan base. How hard was it to cut those ties and go your own way (as Fleetwood Mac might put it!)?
Yeah, it was very hard. I didn’t play my guitar for a few weeks and did take a bit of time off. I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do after Catfish. As soon as I picked up my guitar though and started writing songs I knew I could start making something again. I played the songs acoustically on a little tour of the UK with my bro (my Tour Manager) and the response I got off people was amazing. So as soon as I got that valuable feedback from normal punters I went on the search for a band that could do the songs some justice!
Are there any new bands out there that particularly excite you?
I’m really into Nothing But Thieves at the moment! I’d describe them as having that Muse type vocals with big songs but more of a down to earth type Muse if you get me? They also have a slight Radiohead vibe in some songs as well I think. Top, top band anyway and would love to see them live one day! James Bay is a top bloke who seems genuine and a solid songwriter with a cracking voice that could hold its own in any era I’d say. My early influences are Elvis Presley as I grew up listening to all my Dad’s records of him on the vinyl record player he had and he still inspires me massively to this day! I’m also a sucker for The Drifters! They’ve got some classics to be fair.
What would you most like to be remembered for musically speaking?
I’d just like to be remembered as someone who stayed true to himself and wrote music that people will be singing for many, many years to come! Timeless songs if you will. Well, that’s the top achievement. As long as I’ve been fairly successful and for people to say ‘yeah Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles bring back some good memories to when I was…etc…’ That’ll do alright for me!
Finally what are your plans for the rest of 2016 and beyond?
It’s pretty simple really… watch the Euros first and foremost! Then rehearse, gig, record a single, gig some more, record an EP, rehearse, gig a bit more and so on until we finally get to 2017 and repeat the method…
The new single from Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles “Are You Ready?” is out now. The band has a string of live UK gigs between June – September. Look out for further live dates on Facebook.
Photo of Billy Bibby by Desh Kapur Photography
Tony Hardy
Tony’s great passion in life is music and nothing gives him more pleasure than unearthing good, original new music and championing independent musicians. His association with Best New Bands brings great opportunities for this. He also writes for Consequence of Sound and is a judge for Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition.
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