As We Climb

Cambridge-based pop-rockers AS WE CLIMB have a new video out for their track ‘Razorblade Smile’ and we’re streaming it exclusively this week on Punktastic. Time to find more out about them, we say! Guitarist James Bull gives us the skinny:

Hi there, please tell us who you are and what you do in As We Climb.

Hi – I’m James I play the guitar in As We Climb.

Where in the world are you and what’s on the cards for today?

We are based around Cambridge, and we’re going to tell you a bit about our band and hopefully convince a few of your readers to check us out!

So what’s the As We Climb story so far?

We’d all been in bands before and some of us knew each other from playing gigs together in our old bands. So when the old bands fell apart we all got together and started this band.

We’ve had some really cool experiences so far, like supporting some big American and UK bands, making our first video and going out on our first tour.

Now you guys are based in Cambridge. What’s the music scene like there? Is there a good pop-punk/pop-rock scene?

Cambridge is obviously a student town, but the uni social life doesn’t really cross over into the city‘s music scene – so surprisingly there aren’t lots of opportunities to play student bars/unions etc. Most of the gigs revolve around four main venues which range from the backroom of a pub up to a large venue that gets big international touring acts come through it.

Cambridge has a very active indie scene but not a particularly strong pop-punk/pop-rock scene. I think bands playing our kind of music are looked down upon by the indie promoters and scene in general which kind of stifles it unfortunately.

How would you describe your band to someone who’s never heard of you before?

It’s rock music with pop sensibilities. We don’t go out of our way to be a poppy band and I think we can rock it with the best of them when we need to, but we are all suckers for strong melodies, big choruses and harmonies – so our songs do come out with a definite pop quality to them. We all got into this kind of music when bands like Jimmy Eat World and Saves The Day were crossing over into the mainstream. The albums those bands were putting out at that time were basically great pop albums but played by rock bands.

I think over the last 10 years or so, some of that aspect has been lost, particularly with the arrival of all the electronic and dance elements finding their way into this genre. Now we have bands in the scene that are effectively pop bands playing pop music without that rock frame of reference.

Punktastic is streaming your new video for ‘Razorblade Smile’ all this week. What’s the track about?

The song’s a cautionary warning about the kind of girls who’ll probably eat you alive.

How was your experience of shooting a video with ‘Razorblade Smile? What were the Hectic Designs guys like to work with?

It was great, this is our second video and it felt like a natural progression from the first. We knew this one was going to be a performance video, so we worked hard with Hectic Designs to arrange a really nice set and dress it with some really cool props, etc. We think it suits the subject matter of the song very well and that the guys at Hectic really understood what we wanted.

You guys are one of a growing number of bands that have your own smartphone app through BandApp. What does the AWC App allow fans to do?

It lets people know what we’re up to and what gigs we’re playing on their mobile. It’s also handy if there are any changes to shows (door times, supports etc), we can let people know about them, even if they’re already on their way to the show.

How beneficial has BandApp been to you guys as a band? Is it something you’d recommend to other bands?

You have to keep up with the new ways of marketing your band and it’s also nice to be on the iPhone without paying through the nose for it. We’d definitely recommend bands to check it out and see what it’s all about.

So what are As We Climb’s plans for 2011? Have you got touring plans for the Summer lined up yet?

We’re releasing an EP on June 6th called ‘Let It Show’ which will have six tracks on it and be available at all the usual places.

We can also reveal exclusively to Punktastic that we are going out on our second tour of 2011 with our friends Underline the Sky in July.

Check the Facebook in the coming weeks for more info.

Finally, your Facebook page says you’re influenced by “volleyball and bike rides”. Explain.

I have no idea who put that up to be honest, but sometimes when you spend all your time concentrating on music and song-writing, you do need to just take a break and do something completely different – so why not a game of volleyball or a bike ride? Haha!

www.facebook.com/asweclimb