Benefits are back! They’re gonna bring their angry electronic rock to our place and they are, more and more, becoming absolute legends of the live music scene. Well we had to meet ’em…
Hey Kingsley from Benefits! Thanks for joining us for a chat. You’re heading back out on the road, including a stop off at Bodega on 24th April. Anywhere in particular you’re excited to revisit or anywhere you’ve never gigged before that you’re looking forward to visiting?
We’re excited to visit ANYWHERE! It’s just nice to be out of the house really. Feels like this winter has gone on forever and we tend to only gig when it’s warm enough to wear shorts so here we are. We always look forward to Nottingham and can’t wait to come back. The Bodega is an incredibly special place to us – at our first show there three years ago we cheekily invited Jason from Sleaford Mods to come down and halfway through the set I looked out and recognised the silhouette of his big jacket. An intimidating but exciting experience!
You’re just about to release your 2nd studio album, Constant Noise. There’s been a lot of build-up to it through your social media channels and single releases. Are you excited? How are you coping with the famous second album nerves?
I think we’re pretty calm about it all to be honest. We know we’ve made the best thing we could make so now it’s just a waiting game, can’t really change anything! Robbie usually says that it’s like being a passenger on a plane, there’s nothing you can do apart from wait for it to land. Might as well put your feet up and read the inflight magazine or get drunk. With previous albums I’ve been a quivering wreck but it’s my daughters birthday the day before the album release, I’m more nervous about that.
Have you had chance to play any of the tracks off your new album yet, or will this tour be a bit of a live exclusive?
We did a few dates last autumn where we road tested most of the album so it’s fine, don’t worry, we know what we’re doing now. We played in Reykjavik, Rotterdam and Rennes and they didn’t complain, everything is going to be alright.
You’ve been compared to lots of different artists and bands from a myriad of genres. Can you put your finger on the one or two influences that kicked off your musical journey? Does it still run through the music you make?
Is this a question about Queen? I’d honestly love to give you a cool answer. I’ve read so many interviews where musicians give amazing answers to this question. Robbie could give you a cool answer maybe I should ask him. This is not going to be a cool answer. My dad had a couple of Queen records, and I played them relentlessly as a kid – I think I thought he actually was Freddie Mercury as he had a moustache at the time. They were my gateway drug for so many other bands, bless em. Still love them though. Bowie is my ultimate hero, the one true constant in my musical life. An unmatched talent, the greatest.
Once you’ve finished your tour, what next? Are you treating fans to festival appearances over the summer? Any other plans you can tease for us?
Yeah, we have a few festivals over the summer in the UK and Europe, anything to top up the tan. Our ideal tour would be shows around the Balearics between June and August if any promoters are reading this.
If you were cast away to a desert island tomorrow and you were allowed an unlimited supply of crisps but only of one flavour, what flavour would you pick?
Very, very tough question. I’ve had crisp debates a few times over the years and it’s a complicated and controversial subject. You need to be careful not to confuse maize based snacks like Nik Naks, Wotsits or Cheetos as crisps. All fine snacks, but not crisps. As a rule, if it doesn’t look like a proper crisp, it’s not a crisp. Me and Robbie are both into spicy crisps in a big way so anything that looks like it could cause a serious burn would be preferable. If you can’t see the colour of the crisp under the coating of dust, that usually means they’re good. If anyone wants to discuss the merits of crisps over maize based snacks or vice versa, I’ll be at the merch desk on Thursday 24th April.
An absolute honour, Kingsley. Thank you so much for chatting to us!
Benefits play at The Bodega on 24th April. Although tickets are gerrin’ low, you can still transform yourself into a lucky ticket holder here.
