IN THE LATEST OF HER REGULAR FEATURES ON THE RISING STARS OF THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE, JODIE HUGHES INTERVIEWS THE INTERESTINGLY TITLED FLYING ANT DAY

I’VE been aware of Flying Ant Day for many years now, having been shown their music by my dad.

Even as a child their witty lyrics and upbeat bluesy music was something altogether different to anything I had heard before.

I caught up with vocalist John from the Stourbridge-based band after their set at The Firefly as part of Worcester Music Festival.

First of all, how did Flying Ant Day come about?

I’ve been in bands for 30 years, similar with the others really. Some of us had been in previous bands together at different times.

The last band came to an end and out of the ashes came this. It didn’t take us long to get into it.

You released your album Lemmings in 2017. What were the influences behind that album?

Musically, many and varied! You get a reference to TV Smith in one song. I’ve always been a (Bob) Dylan fan, and I like jazz.

Some kinds of music I don’t really listen to, like metal and rap, but practically everything else is in there. Rock and roll I grew up with as well.

What is your song-writing process like?

I write all the words, apart from Do The Flying Ant which Boz wrote. It doesn’t take long to knock something into shape because it’s very simple music.

A lot of the songs I like the best are just three chords. They just come up with some chords and I flick through the folder to find something that will fit.

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A lot of your lyrics are quite humorous. Which is your favourite song that you have written?

I do like black comedy. I’m not sure I could pick a favourite – I have favourite lines and sometimes you make yourself laugh.

A lot of the writers that I admire, like Leonard Cohen, get called miserable, and I just can’t see it. I think he’s really funny. So maybe I’m trying to do something like that in my small way.

Finally, what has the band got coming up nearby?

We have the long awaited follow up to Lemmings coming up – we recorded 99 per cent of it ages ago and it just sort of sat there. That will be called Do The Flying Ant!

You can catch Flying Ant Day in Worcester on November 8 at the Sociable Beer Company, or at Stourbridge Cricket Club on December 14.