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“We should really have practised this kind of thing by now.”
There’s something effortlessly wonderful about The Big Moon. Whether it’s the fact their music is a delectable blend of Pixies-esque garage pop, that they appeared out of nowhere with a bang or their infectious love for being in a band and all that it entails, they’re pretty fucking special. And we definitely want to be in their gang.
“When you start being in a band it’s very much ‘Ahh cool - people like this. Ahh wow - people are coming along to see us! And then this other cool thing happened, and then this!” It’s a pattern that the Mooners are sure to experience more and more of, after bursting onto the scene early last year with a true ‘Eureka Moment’ and following that with a number of acclaimed releases, it’s the seeds of a blossoming garden that’s been confirmed with latest single ‘Cupid’. They’re definitely not just another guitar band.
Coming together in London after lead singer and lyricist Juliette “Jules” Jackson put up an advert for similarly-minded musicians, it’s resulted in one of the most exciting and instantly relatable bands of recent times, morphing a down-to-earth grittiness that’s both polished and packed full of sweet harmonious hits.
“We could only come from London - it’s hard for bands if you’re from anywhere else in the UK, which a lot of interesting bands are, as everyone goes through the city and naturally it seems to be the big show everyone talks about, even though maybe it shouldn’t be.” Bassist Celia Archer looks back on their formation as a real moment of fate, and one that saw everyone connect in perfect harmony with the music that influences them.
“When I started playing I could kind of tell what music we all like - but I don’t think we consciously look to sound a certain way. Knowing what she likes, the songs makes sense, but it’s never derivative. We all like totally different music, so there’s a huge range to the venn diagram of our music taste, it all feeds into how it comes out on stage”
It’s perfectly encapsulated in ‘The Road’, their debut and only EP so far, packed full of menacing charm, swagger, sweet pop hooks-a-plenty and a real statement of intent as to who The Big Moon really are. Naturally it has set the internet alive with comparisons galore.
Not for the first time, The Big Moon have taken on the biggest stages, with huge recent support slots for bands such as The Vaccines and The Maccabees, the latter really striking a chord with the Londoners. “You play with bands like The Maccabees, who’ve been going now for like ten years, and you’re in these incredible venues with people yelling along to songs that have been out for such a period of time, with huge emotional moments. You can’t help but want that.”
In a twist of fate, The Big Moon now find themselves family with the Elephant And Castle heroes, having recently signed to Fiction Records who’ve been “incredibly supportive” with their mission to the stars. “It gives us that support to do the kind of stuff that we haven’t been able to do up to now, there’s so much stuff you have to do aside from turning up to play a gig, it spreads the load about a bit,” notes Soph, while Celia sees the influential label as that reassurance which can take them to the next level.
“It’s good to ask these people what they think of certain things - not because we’re suddenly going to just jump and do what everyone says, but it’s when someone says something and you’ve had that feeling in your gut for ages - and if they’re saying it and they’re someone we respect and admire then it tells us to listen to that feeling in our gut more!”
