Trampolene
Trampolene’s Jack Jones chats to Getintothis’ Amos Wynn ahead of their Liverpool show.
Welsh rock and rollers Trampolene are to play Liverpool tonight ahead of support slots with Liam Gallagher and the release of their debut album.
The Swansea band have gone from strength to strength over the past twelve months, with some big shows under their belt, including support slots with some of British music’s biggest names.
As well as this they have also released their debut album, which has earned itself an array of praise and positive reviews.
With so much going well for the band, lead singer Jack Jones, says it is all ‘happy days‘ at the moment as they continue to look towards the future, with the aim to build on what they have achieved already whilst not forgetting where he has come from.
Their debut album, Swansea to Hornsey, was released last September, a process that Jones compares to ‘giving birth; only without the umbilical cord.’
He said: “It was amazing, for years and years we have been writing so it feels like a miracle that it now exists. It’s a massive relief that it is out and has been an emotional experience.”
With band mates Wayne Thomas and Rob Steele, Trampolene‘s album is streaming across the world right now, something they’re all finding hard to come to terms with…
“It’s a bit weird going on Spotify and we are on a big rock ‘n’ roll playlist; it’s what we worked hard to do and always dreamed of.
“Sometimes I put my music on shuffle and it’s my annoying voice playing back at me. We were in a hotel bar one night and we came on, so that was kind of surreal – I’m sure I saw a few people leave.”
The album cover has caused controversy, having been the victim of a Facebook ban due to it having a picture of Jones and his sister when they were children standing naked playing with traffic cones outside their house, Facebook also threatened to remove the bands account over the ‘nudity’ infringement.
“I had a bone tumour in my leg when I was little so had to wear a cast, so I got really hot. I was too scared to walk around naked to cool down, but my sister did it with me to stop me being nervous. The cover is a classic working-class shot and you can’t see any naughty bits on it.”
The back of the album is a picture of Jones and Thomas in Hornsey; he added: “It shows the journey of the album with pictures”.
To promote the record the band have been keeping themselves busy by on the road as Jones says: “The last few shows have really blown our minds, the crowd knowing the words and singing back so passionately is just really humbling.”
Jones tells us gig-goers have been enjoying the shows, “usually people go mental for the fast songs but even when we play some slow ones we don’t lose momentum. Everyone just sings with their heart on their sleeves, it has made a real difference.”
One gig that sticks in Jones mind is a recent show at Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff, describing it as an ‘amazing night’ and that if you can pack it out the crowd are guaranteed a show ‘they will never forget.’
“It was completely insane and the sweatiest hotbox you could ever imagine, beer was just dripping from the ceiling. I couldn’t see past the first three rows until I managed to stand on a speaker and just saw a massive mosh pit and people having a brilliant time, it was absolute madness. Appearing in Wales is amazing as they embrace us as one of their own, that makes the difference.”
After that gig, Jones went back to Swansea and spent the night back at home.
“My mum woke me up in the morning with a cup of tea and a cooked breakfast. I couldn’t help thinking this is the life even though I used to take it for granted. It’s really grounding going back as it helps you remember where you come from.”
Jones admits that the local community is ‘shocked’ by what the band are achieving but are backing them and telling them “to go for it.” “All our friends and family have come together and are really helping us out.”
Check out Getintothis staffers album recommendations for April and May
The band has enjoyed gigs in Bristol and Brighton as well, with the hope that it continues and “just keeps getting better and better, Bristol seemed to be a quiet night until we walked out at the venue and it was full of crazy people wanting us to play music. It is a big shock to meet new people who know who you are and all of your songs.”
Amongst the gigs on the current tour, they visited Liverpool, saying they went for a walk to The Cavern and “took our hats off to the four lads that changed the world.”
Their next gig in Liverpool is at EBGBs on Wednesday night. Having enjoyed a great night performing at the Magnet in the past, Jones says playing in Liverpool is “almost like visiting the holy city, it’s a special place and has a magical feel about it, which lots of northern cities have.
One gig Jones cannot wait to play is at The Harley in Sheffield at the end of April, describing it as “a home away from home, a lot of family on my mum’s side live in Sheffield, so when I go it does feel like a home show.”
Jones says he finds it hard to pick a favourite venue, ‘each has their own little quirks, each one is so brilliant, and without venues like these, there would be no first step to help you jump up the ladder. It is all about grassroots. Any place we go where people turn up feels like a special gig to me, it doesn’t matter where it is.”
Over the past twelve months, Trampolene have enjoyed some huge gigs, supporting the likes of Liam Gallagher and The Libertines.
“Supporting Liam was a mind blowing and crazy, him making his comeback has been huge and has put a lot more attention on guitar bands.” The three-piece will again support Gallagher when he appears at Finsbury Park in June.
The band also have some festival dates lined up for the summer, with slots at CwmafanFest, Kendal Calling and Cotton Clouds. They have been given a boost from The Libertines, with Jones having played alongside Peter Doherty as lead guitarist in the past.
“It is amazing when someone like that believes in you and helps you out. I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself anyway but having them help us out does help build your confidence and Peter has been amazing with me.”
Looking towards the future there are not many places left for Jones to visit, saying “I’ve travelled all around the world, but would love to visit Japan after the album performed quite well there upon release.”
“It’s weird thinking that people over there are listening to us. We did a gig in Swansea and few people from Japan flew over to watch. It was amazing they travelled from Swansea to Hornsey and sent us photos of their journey.”
Among his musical influences, Jones believes coming from Swansea has a big impact, believing “everyone’s hometown, no matter where you come from has an impact. It impregnates your cell and gets inside your body, the only way to get it out is by writing about it.”
“It was only when I moved away from Swansea that I started to think about it and write about it. Life is a certain way for wherever you grow up, whilst other places have their own way, so stepping out of your comfort zone is certainly an eye opener and helps you grow up as you lose your safety net.”
As well as being influenced by his hometown, the Trampolene singer is also inspired by poetry. Being a recognised poet himself, Jones cites Dylan Thomas as an influence on the band’s music. “I’m inspired by all sort of things, my dad was a big fan of Oasis when I was growing up and my mum loved the Manics, so all of those things affect me. She also liked Tom Jones, I’d love to meet him one day.”
Jones journey into music began after he was expelled school after being caught jumping on his art teacher’s car.
“I was doing very bad in school, so one Christmas my dad bought me a guitar. With it he left a note saying, ‘I heard school isn’t going so well so maybe it is time to think of an alternative career,’ I needed my mum to read it for me because I struggled to myself. After that, I just starting dabbling with it.”
At the age of 14 Jones met fellow bandmate Wayne Thomas, describing it as ‘a classic love story.’ “He used to come round my house every day instead of going to school, he basically lived in my house. I remember him having really hairy legs and wanting hairy legs myself.”
The band took their name from the Julian Cope song, Trampolene. “I’ve listened to his music and read his book, and it really changed me. He comes from a similar background, living in Wales but having English parents.” The reason he chose that song is that “it is spelled wrong and I’ve been spelling things wrong all my life, we think about everything like that, probably too much. I also wanted something with three syllables as well and heard it used in ‘Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite’ by The Beatles.”
With one record out, the band has already started working on a second, as well as having a compilation of all their EP’s. “There is a lot of pretty cool things happening for the band. I would like to take us all the way to San Jose and travel all around the world. I want big shows, big fans, a big family and a big life. If that happens, great, if it doesn’t, great, as long as I give it my best shot.”
The three-piece have made a great start in making a name for themselves and with the philosophy of “if I don’t do it who else will,” Trampolene can bounce much higher.
- Trampoline play EBGBs on Wednesday April 18.
Trampolene are on tour through the next two weeks, stopping in Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Blackpool, Sheffield and London. Tickets are available here
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