BRING THE NOISE FESTIVAL | INTERVIEW | CAPTAIN CROCODILE

Captain Crocodile is an upcoming alternative band based between Liverpool/Sheffield. Its the perfect combination of lofi psychedelia, encapsulated within a shell of alternative rock and shoegaze; taking inspirations from bands such as King Krule, Alice Phoebe Lou, and Fontaines D.C., the Cros’ sound is reflectively drowned in slushy psychedelia.

Could you introduce yourselves, who’s in the band, what’s your sound, and how did you come together?

Captain Crocodile is an upcoming alternative band based between Liverpool/Sheffield. Its the perfect combination of lofi psychedelia, encapsulated within a shell of alternative rock and shoegaze; taking inspirations from bands such as King Krule, Alice Phoebe Lou, and Fontaines D.C., the Cros’ sound is reflectively drowned in slushy psychedelia. The band consists of principal songwriters and producers Jack Norrie & Raye Osterloh, as well as live band, Aaron Stafford, Emilliano Del Toro, Rohan Kapoor and Ethan Slack-Wynn. The band formed in 2022 during all of our stays at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, where we bonded over mutual interest in lofi alternative music.

What’s happening for you right now? Any new releases, upcoming gigs, or exciting projects in the works?

We have a new EP titled ‘Soft Crust’ coming out on the 25th April, coming off the back of 2 very well received singles ‘Adore U, and ‘When Im Gone’, this ep takes a more lofi, and slowcore direction. We also just finished our mini north UK tour to support our previous EP, ‘Moon Presence’ which saw 3 sold out shows in Sheffield, Leeds & Liverpool. We plan to do a full UK tour soon, as well as continuing to release consistently as we have done for the past year.

Looking back, how has your music evolved since you first started out? Are there any key moments that shaped your sound or approach?

I think our sound has changed quite a bit since our first singles. I don’t think we ever wanted to tie ourselves down to any specific genre, we all listen to a wide array of different genres and styles of music, and whatever we are into at the time influences what we are writing. Saying that, I think we are starting to find our distinct musical style now, through a mixture of songwriting and production style, and I can credit it to the bands’ continued commitment and passion for the project.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an independent band, and how have you navigated it?

The issue with being an independent band these days is that it isn’t just writing and performing music, we have to be our own PR people, our own record label, our own social media manager, asset creators, tour managers and booking agents, all for very minimal budget. The Croc is lucky that we have an experienced and talented team of musicians and artists who continue to help manage all the tasks that need doing – it’s like running a full time business, on top of all the jobs that we work outside of it.

When creating new music, what’s your songwriting and recording process like? Do you have any unique rituals or methods?

Myself (Jack) and Raye usually work together and form the base of the song, including the fundamental structures, harmonies and melodies/lyrics. It’s then produced and the demo is given to the live band, they will embellish it, and the embellishments are added to the final mix that we then send off to our good friend Dean Honer for mastering.

If you had to describe your upcoming (or latest) release in just three words, what would they be?

Crushing lofi psychedelia

What made Bring the Noise stand out to you? What excites you most about playing (or being part of) the festival?

We find the whole event really exciting, it’s a way to showcase the emerging grassroots scene that the UK has to offer, while highlighting some class established acts like Stone, Bilk and Pastel, it’s so many bands all in one great package. We are most excited to be able to headline stage 3, and to have all our fans and friends from other bands come down and see us perform.

Sheffield has a rich musical history; how do you see your band fitting into or challenging that legacy?

We feel like Sheffield has a very diverse and accepting music scene, from Richard Hawley, to Artic Monkeys and Bring Me The Horizon – Sheffield doesn’t discriminate by genre and that’s why we love it. We strive to be our own thing, and this cities music scene actively support that.

The indie scene is constantly evolving. Where do you see it heading, and how do you hope to contribute to its future?

We see it heading in a more aggressive post-punk way, with bands like English Teacher, Mount Kimbie and King Krule becoming stable indie bands, the scene is shifting in a more alternative and oblique direction. We try to have our own distinct sound, but we feel like it fits nicely in this upcoming niche.

If one band on the line up could cover one of your tracks who would it be?

I’d say STONE, they are probably one of the closer orientated bands genre wise and we are from the same city, I feel like they’d do our songs justice.

Captain Crocodile headline stage 3 at Bring The Noise Festival at Sheffield’s Network on the 26th April. Tickets are available here: https://www.skiddle.com/festivals/bring-the-noise/

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