Influences, pot noodles and gigs
Words: Simon Paterson
Images: The Levis
The Levis are an up and coming four-piece indie/garage band from Derbyshire. With 22,000 streams on Spotify in 2019 and listeners in over 62 different countries, it’s time for us to champion and support them as they strive to achieve their dream of Rock ‘n’ Roll stardom.
Listening to their track ‘Clear Skies’ it’s clear they have been influenced by early 90’s Britpop, and the noughties Sheffield scenes. With melodies reminiscent of Catfish and the Bottlemen and Milburn. So, who are the Levis?
Leading the charge on vocals and guitar is Max, bringing up the bass is Toby, banging the drums is Jack and adding the melody on guitar is Tommy.
So, how did you all meet?
Max: me and Toby have been mates since school, we both weren’t really interested in playing music at school at all and we both hated music lessons.
Toby: I just used to mess about in lessons to be fair!
Max: then, in our last year we just decided to start a band. We taught ourselves how to play guitar and bass with YouTube videos.
Simon: I laid a wooden floor in the house with my mate’s tools and the power of YouTube videos. It’s the way forward!
Toby: then we found Tommy through Instagram 'Cos he’d been posting all these guitar videos, I just asked him if he wanted to come and play with us in Max’s garage without ever meeting him or owt, and he did!
Max : Jack is Tommy’s brother and is mint on the drums, so just made sense to get him in the band as well.
How would you describe your sound?
Tommy: I’d say it’s like raw indie garage rock, we’ve all listened to bands like the strokes and the cribs for years so we’ve got a similar sound to them.
Max: yeah a lot of the simple guitar riffs are inspired by that late 70s post punk sound with bands like ‘Television’ I’d say.
Toby: simple catchy tunes. It works.
It’s 1am, you have just finished a gig in Chesterfield town centre, and you are starving. Where do you go to eat and what do you order?
Max: gotta be LFC, think that’s the only place me and me mates have ever gone after a night out in chesterfield, got to give my mate max hartshorn a mention in this if we’re talking about LFC, cos he loves that place.
Jack: maccies all day!
Tommy: i’d buy a king curry pot noodle from big Tesco
Toby: the Best Kebab Pizza, and get a sloppy Donner with garlic mayo and chips
Simon: The body is a temple and all that lads, I get it!
Which do you feel is the best song you have written and why?
Max : if we’re talking about all of the songs, I’d probably say our new tracks that we haven’t released yet. Out of the released songs I’d say ‘underrated’, it got played on BBC introducing…
Jack: undderatted, has to be!
Tommy: favourite, is probs honey I’m alright, the guitar riff after the chorus is banging…
Toby: open your eyes 'Cos we’ve played it for ages, and we open all our sets with it.
If you could support one band on tour in 2020 who would it be?
Max: the Strokes or the Cribs
Jack: the Strokes
Tommy: would have to be the Strokes
Toby: the strokes Cos the first song me and max learnt to play together was someday
Simon: Not fans of the Strokes then!
You can catch the lads playing the following gigs in January and February:
25th January – The Leadmill, Sheffield
4th February – Café Totem, Sheffield
29th February – Suckerfest, Sheffield
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