All the way from Madrid are the garage purists, The Parrots. From the same recording label as Hooton Tennis Club, H.Hawkline and Stealing Sheep – previous performers at the Fringe – this latest VIF band maintain a unsullied mid-late 60s sound.
Imagine: A party fifty years ago, 13th Floor Elevators and The Troggs have been talking a while and drunkenly stumble upstairs to find a room. A few songs are sung, a bed is broken and a few months later a baby is born. A messy custody battle pursues, the adolescent matures and 20 years later bumps into tall, dark and handsome, Black Lips, at a bar in Madrid. One thing leads to another (wow, garage bands have high libidos) and nine months down the line The Parrots are born.
We asked the guys some questions a few weeks before the Fringe and this was their response…
We’re super excited to have you guys coming over to the Isle of Wight. Have you ever visited before? Do you know anything about the Island?
Yeah, Diego stayed in Newport and Ryde for three weeks a long time ago, he loved it!
You’re based in Madrid but have now played lots of shows here in the UK, how do audiences and gigs compare between the two countries?
In the UK people go to shows with the idea of listening to the songs and watch a good performance, while in Spain people kind of want to get crazy and party as much as they can, but everyday they look more similar and now we can’t really tell the difference.
You’re signed to one of our favourite labels Heavenly Records, how did that relationship come about?
It was a long thing before we signed with them, but I think that made us feel more close and also sure that we wanted to sign with them. They came to a show and, being honest, it was a complete mess. Nothing came out as planned, no sound engineer so we had lots of problems. But it was fun and then they were again on the next show so we started talking and realised we wanted to do something together.
What’s next for you guys? Do you have any plans for a second album?
Yes, we just finished touring and we already have some new songs, so the idea is to use those and write a lot more so the next album comes very soon.
How would you describe your music in three words?
Mayhem, sangria and raw.
Are there any other Spanish bands you think we should be listening to?
Of course! Los Nastys, Joe Crepusculo and Favx.
