AMPED – THE ASSIST - NORTHERN EXPOSURE

Black Country lads The Assist are one of the most exciting upcoming indie bands to emerge from the Midlands this side of the 2020’s. Upbeat indie pop for the working classes, The Assist are the collaborative efforts of brothers Mikey (vocals) and Ryan (guitar) Stanton joined forces with bandmates Jorge Poole (bass) Ben Faulkner (drums) and Luke Jones (guitar). Having formed almost a decade ago, the Walsall five piece have already built a strong dedicated following. Last year they released their debut album Council Pop followed by an acoustic version early this year.

Having supported the likes of Happy Mondays, Blossoms and The Twang, The Assist are no stranger to the bigger stages and it’s no surprise that the band entered this years Amped Competition (which will see the winning act prized £5K and a place on Lakefest’s main stage line up). Despite making the Semi Final at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club last month, the quintet never quite made it through to the grand finale in Cheltenham in July. However, they will still play Lakefest’s Amped stage with the rest of the competitions semi-finalists in August. We caught up with the guys to hear all about it.

How would you describe your sound in three words?

Erm Council Pop

Shortlisted from 543 artists down to just 25 – how did that feel?

its an amazing feeling to be commended for our music. We strongly belive in what we are doing and to be selected from so many artists is a great achievement.

Most competitions have only one winner, were you shocked to find out there was also an opportunity to play the Amped stage?

Yes, the standard of music was so high, i felt that it made sense to take advantage of the fact that we had the attention of so many strong artists. Everyone was aware of how big of an opportunity this was and it’s great that no one will leave feeling disheartened. The stage will be one to watch i’m sure.

You are playing the Amped stage – what can festival goers expect from your set?

They can expect a lot of energy, our live show is something we pride ourselves on.

Who is one band/artist you want to catch at Lakefest?

Clean bandit

Who stood out for you at the semi final?

Khaki Fever

Of all the bands competing who would you like to see win the prize?

I would like to see Barstaff win they really bring something different.

What else have you got planned as a band this year?

We are currently in the process of tracking our second record. it’s a very consuming ordeal so it’s important that we manage our time well given that we all work full time jobs too. A full body of work isn’t really something you can pop in and out of so we really want to take some time away to create a productive environemnt to write in. The demos are sounding wicked though.

One track of yours that everybody should listen to?

Day dream