Music

Five bands that shaped our sound: Safe Side

Colchester five-piece Safe Side are celebrating the release of their new EP, Blossom, today – recorded at Southampton’s The Ranch ( a go-to for Milk Teeth, Creeper, Boston Manor).

Here, Safe Side members reveal the artists and records that influenced their pop-punk sound – scroll down to see who they picked.

Safe Side - Resolve

Gallows

[Danny]: “Gallows are definitely up there for me. Discovering them while I was a teen personifies why I love punk rock. I was mesmerised by their stage show, I’ve never seen any band have it off as hard as them. Plus they still managed to not screw the songs up! I guess I see a part of Frank Carter in myself, although I’m not a frontman, I like to give it my all and shock people in a sense. I’ve been told I look angry on stage so it kinda adds up. In The Belly Of a Shark, is an obvious song choice. The Riverbed was a favourite of mine too, I remember when they used to start the set with that, was such a good opener.”

Limp Bizkit

[Danny]: “Who doesn’t love a bit of Limp!? I remember when I was 10 or 11 listening to Results May Vary; that album holds so much emotion and helped me through a weird period. I think at the time I was nervous of the future because I was shortlisting secondary school choices and thought that everything was going to change and that the real world sucked. If only I had known what life would really be like a decade later. It’ll Be Okay and Livin’ It Up from Chocolate Starfish… were favourites of mine too.”

Lower Than Atlantis

[Danny]: “A lot more recent but I just love these guys. I started to catch on just after Far Q was released and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’d still say that’s my favourite record of theirs. Though all of their albums have been great. If you haven’t checked them out you really should. Mike Duce is an absolute genius with lyrics; he’s so honest but writes in such a fun way [and] I can relate to a lot of their songs. One line that sticks out for me is ‘every band I’ve ever loved have broken up and every girl that I was thinking of never gave a f**k’.”

Good Charlotte

[Chris]: “I wouldn’t say Good Charlotte have influenced our band’s sound directly but they have influenced me growing up. First hearing The Young & The Hopeless when I was younger was a breath of fresh air. They had a punk attitude and a more popular image and the songs were great. It perfectly fitted who I was that time and I really connected with it.”

Oasis

[Chris]: “Growing up in the UK, who hasn’t been introduced to Oasis? I was bought a cassette player and What’s The Story Morning Glory for my 6th or 7th birthday and wanted to become a musician almost from that exact point in time. It was a catalyst for me and I asked my parents to buy me a guitar. You can’t deny the song writing ability. Champagne Supernova is one of my all time favourite songs.”

Sound like your kind of thing? Check out more from Safe Side on Twitter @safesideband.