INTERVIEW: Josh Gallop – Phoxjaw

Since forming in 2016 Bristol based grunge rock upstarts PHOXJAW have been achieving considerable praise from the likes of Kerrang and Scuzz TV. They have given us a taste of their capabilities with their two track single effort earlier in the year as well as most recent single Lottery released in October. We caught up with guitarist Josh Gallop from the band to get a bit more behind the scenes insight and what we can expect from them in the future.

How would you describe your sound?

Josh: We’d probably say noisy, heavy, grunge infused alt rock, but we do have a few songs that break the mould and show a lighter side to the band. 

Who are your biggest inspirations/influences?

Josh: At the moment BLOODY KNEES, CITIZEN, FULL OF HELL and THE GROWLERS are on repeat for us but bands like DEFTONES, QOTSA and METALLICA are big influences to us consistently since we’ve been playing. Seeing those bands playing for over 30 years and still having the success they have is inspiring. 

Do you have a main song writer or do you all get together and jam ideas?

Josh: Ideas usually (but not always) start with Danny and myself demoing ideas for melodies / riffs at home on the laptop, then when we have a rough structure we’ll bring it to the room and that’s when the real creativity starts and everyone else has their input. 

How has the response been so far for your already released material Lottery and Victorian Dolls?

Josh: It’s been way better than we expected. Releasing a vinyl for our first release was a special moment for us, and also the way that Lottery has been received was amazing, going out much further than we ever thought it would. That track has opened a lot of doors for us. 

It must be pretty flattering to see such support from the likes of Scuzz TV and Kerrang so early into your careers?

Josh: Yeah it’s been great, we’ve all been playing in different bands since we were all 15 and it’s the first time any of us have had stuff played on these channels. We all used to listen to Scuzz and Kerrang when we were younger so to be played now is really amazing. 

The current UK rock scene is thriving, does that provide any added pressures?

Josh: I don’t think so I think it just makes us work harder, be smarter with the way we approach writing & live shows. Just really push ourselves to have a strong identity of our own. 

If you could put together your dream tour package who would it feature?

Josh: METALLICA, DIE ANTWOORD, BABY METAL and PHOXJAW opening.

What can attendees expect from your live performances?

Josh: A Chaotic, loud show, full of energy with strobe lighting, occasionally we’ve been known to smash some china dolls or wrestle each other in luchador masks.

What plans do you have for 2018?

Josh: We are releasing our debut EP in March with our next music video coming out just before. We will then be embarking on our first UK tour hitting some places we’ve not played yet. We will be releasing a few live sessions we’ve done with Ignite radio, and some in store stripped back shows in record shops around the country. Also currently booking up festivals for summer 2018 so it’s gonna be a very busy year for us. 

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