Haven’t caught The Howlers on their tour? Get to know more about the so-called East London Cowboys, how they met and what’s next for them, below…

RECORD WEEKLY’S INTERVIEW WITH THE HOWLERS

Hey guys, how’s it going?

We’re very well thank you, I hope all is well with you!

Congratulations on the release of ‘Nothing To Lose’. How has it been received so far?

Good, we think! If we’re honest, you never really know these days; music comes second to if people find you funny or whatever on TikTok, which is sad really. But we think it’s been received well. We never, ever get Spotify support, so we don’t expect it, and each release, we go into working as hard as we can.

So, let’s take it right back to the beginning — how did you meet?

We all kind of met in London while at uni or in the ‘scene’. Me [Adam] and Guus were knocking about town as spotty students and Tom was already in a band, performing around London, so we knew each other that way. It was kind of a really good transition when we needed to replace our old drummer. I gave Tom a ring and got him involved. Things are so much more comfortable and just everything clicks more. Weirdly, when we started the band, Tom was our first choice but he was so busy at the time.

And how did you all individually get into music?

Adam: Music was part of my formative years. I’d go to soul clubs in town and cut a rug, dart around on my scooter and it became a part of me. I love the sub-cultures that music opens up to you, like sometimes I look at people and think, “are you not bored?”, but it’s always been a part of my life. My dad and my grandparents would always be singing tunes round the house while making dinner or in the shower, so it’s sort of in my DNA. I also found out my mum used to play guitar and performed in my home city’s cathedral — dark horse is my old ma! She’s forgotten all the chords now, mind.

Guus: Essentially, through my dad’s exquisite taste in German/Austrian Schlager music, taking me to gigs ever since I can remember. That, and my parents’ love of classic ’60/’70s guitar music, meant that I was hitting pots and pans from the age of three. And then, at four, I got a toy drum kit and I was off! Their love for music meant I was always exposed to it and it kind of took off like that, eventually leading to me picking up the guitar and the bass.

Tom: In the most rock ’n’ roll way possible, through my school choir. It just so happened that a local metal band (sorta like Metallica on ‘roids) were the backing band for the choir. I just remember the drummer knocking seven shades out of the kit all the way through Joseph’s Technicolour Dreamcoat, and it awoke something in me as an anything-is-possible nine-year-old.

Which bands and artists have been the most influential on your sound?

We all have really diverse influences, which is how we end up sounding how we do from Zepp to The Supremes to Dan Auberbach; there’s a reason we sound like ‘The Howlers’ and like nothing else.

There are far too many bands out there trying to fill the shoes of other bands, be that artists trying to be Oasis copycats or artists trying their utmost to be so post-punk that they have the power to reincarnate Ian Curtis. It’s all a bit faux at the end of the day. There’s a lot of soul influences in our music; if you listen closely, you’ll hear that in the percussion or the bass.

What are your favourite things about your local music scene?

Its diversity for sure. London is a beautiful melting pot of culture, influence and everything else that goes into art. But we would say that London is so fragmented, as there are so many scenes that it becomes a bit cliquey. And if you’re not in one like us, then who are you? And that’s when we go, “f*@k that”, and we just do our own thing.

You’re about to embark on a tour, but are you able to tease what’s next in the pipeline for you?

It rhymes with Schdebut Schmalbum.

Take it from me, you’re going to want to keep your eyes glued to The Howlers’ website, to catch all the latest from them. Their social handles are there for you, too

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With thanks to Shannon at Zeitgeist Agency for organising the interview.