Bilk. at Rescue Rooms

Image: @therichbitsh

After seeing local legends Paste post on Instagram about their last-minute support show at Rescue Rooms with rock & rollers Bilk., I was beyond excited to see three brilliant bands light up the stage at one of Nottingham's best and biggest venues. I also had a chance to catch up with them afterwards for a bit of a chat.

Paradise Circus

Standout tune Fly really reminded me of The La’s, one of my favourite bands. It had a jangly 80s sound to the guitars and a catchy melody that worked perfectly with the rhythmic bass playing and incredible drumming. Their drummer really amplified their sound to another level with ridiculously good fills and overall playing. The choruses sounded huge as the band was tight as a unit too. Someone called out “Oasis” mid-song, and the singer shouted back “Shyyyne,” which was a pretty funny moment. The frontman was actually very confident throughout and made great effort to connect with the crowd, who were slowly filling the room and seemed to really enjoy their sound. Some of their songs got heavier, which was interesting. I liked that they mixed up the styles they played as well. Paradise Circus opened the show brilliantly with great technical playing and professionalism, ready for Paste to blow the stage apart!

Paste.

Over the last couple of years, Paste. have become one of my favourite bands to see live in Nottingham. They consistently deliver a massive blast of their own unique-sounding hardcore grunge rock, with the heaviest breakdowns that always feel just right! When Paste. get heavy, they hit you with their sound like a sledgehammer. That sonic sledgehammer effect was especially strong tonight as they played one of their biggest stages yet, with Luke from Marvin’s Revenge handling sound and making it extra beefy through the speakers. This was their third Rescue Rooms show and certainly one of their best ever. Kicking balloons and joking with the crowd between songs effortlessly, frontman Dan Dibbs seemed in his element as he put his absolute all into the performance alongside his incredibly talented bass player and drummer, screaming his lungs out at times in a way that would make Kurt Cobain proud. This was an incredible performance that got me even more excited to hear their debut album Start to Finish, which comes out next Friday, 28th February!

Bilk.

Bilk. brought an energy to the stage reminiscent of The Libertines in their prime. Their punk attitude and Ramones-esque speed with which they powered out their tunes was highly infectious, sending the crowd into a moshing frenzy, everyone singing along to their massive choruses, which sounded even fatter and more impactful thanks to how tight the band is. The harmonies were impressive as they played so fast, with frontman Sol Abrahams sending out a consistently electric vibe for the entire show. This is the kind of band I hope to see—they clearly had a great time playing their proper rock and roll tunes at breakneck speed, and their fans were going totally wild. Bilk really blew the roof off of Rescue Rooms with huge tunes like Go, RnR, and Spiked, all of which sounded incredible live and revealed another side to the songs that I hadn’t heard before. Singer Sol massively impressed me as his vocal style blended elements of Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues with rappers and MCs. His lyrics flew past at the speed of a machine gun, with the power of a rocket, telling stories of debauchery and good times on the road, as well as deeper subjects such as the story of how the band began in the bluesy distorted album track Band Life Blues from their new LP Essex, Drugs and Rock & Roll, which brought a great change of pace to the set and showcased the band’s wide range of sounds. As the band walked off from their last song, the bass player swung his guitar over the amp with loud feedback, before the crowd erupted into cheers of “encore!” The band returned to blow the place to smithereens with a two-song final blast of rock and roll madness, with Sol walking off the stage and right up to the barriers to shred guitar in the face of his fans, before they ended in rapturous applause. Bilk came, saw, and conquered Rescue Rooms, delivering a set that proved the spirit of rock and roll will never die!

Image: @therichbitsh

Bilk. Interview
Interview with Sol Abrahams, Frontman and Lead Vocalist
Interviewed by Sam Shaw, NottsRocks

Sam Shaw (NottsRocks):
I'll just start off by saying, how did it feel to be on that stage tonight?

Sol Abrahams (Bilk.):
Bangin', man! Rock and roll shit as usual, you know what I’m sayin’? We go up there, play the tunes, very, very simple—it's not over-complicated or anything like that. You go up there, have a good time, the crowd jumps around like mad, and then you walk off and have a drink. You know what I mean? I love this shit, so it’s standard for me.

Sam Shaw (NottsRocks):
What would you say is your inspiration for your music?

Sol Abrahams (Bilk.):
Life, whatever I go through. Whatever happens, I just write about it. In that song Band Life Blues, I’m talking about how the band came together and all the rest of it, and how I got into rock and roll or whatever I’m going through. Whether it's shit with my girlfriend or anything else, I just write about life and things that happen. As for the music that inspired me, it’s all that punk stuff from the early days. Sex Pistols, Nirvana, Green Day back in the day, Oasis, The Smiths—just that kind of shit. Hip-hop as well, I like Eminem, Dizzee Rascal, N.W.A. I’m into all sorts. But my main influences are rap and rock and roll, man.

Sam Shaw (NottsRocks):
I love that blend of sounds you guys have in your music!

Sol Abrahams (Bilk.):
Yeah, well, a lot of bands just don’t have it, you know what I mean? They only listen to bands and guitar music, whereas I like different things. When I grew up, all my mates were into rap music, and I ended up sat in a shed with them, smoking weed, freestyling. So, that came out in my music. I was freestyling and spitting bars before I ever picked up a guitar.

Sam Shaw (NottsRocks):
That’s really interesting actually, so you started rapping before playing guitar?

Sol Abrahams (Bilk.):
Yeah, I did, man. I was rapping before, spitting bars over Dr Dre beats with my mates, smoking weed. Then I saw Kurt Cobain on TV and YouTube, which got me into Nirvana and Nevermind. That inspired me to pick up a guitar. And then, writing lyrics over the top of that, it just naturally formed. I feel like when you’re into rap music, you’re into rock music, and I don’t like to leave out any inspirations I’ve got. Band Life Blues is a song we played tonight, it’s on the new album, and I’m into blues music nowadays—BB King, Muddy Waters, etc. That comes out in my music too because I’m into it. I don’t try and limit my inspirations or write in any style to please anyone except myself. If anyone doesn’t like it, they can go fuck themselves. That’s my attitude with it.

Sam Shaw (NottsRocks):
So how did the band come together? How did it form?

Sol Abrahams (Bilk.):
I started it when I was 16. I started writing tunes in my bedroom, and my dad said, “Sol, your tunes are good, but you need to form a band and get out of your bedroom.” So, I linked up with a few people I knew. Then time went on, and I went through about six different drummers and two different bass players. Then I found Luke, who came to one of my earliest gigs. He was watching in the crowd, and then he put me onto Harry. Before you know it, it’s me, Luke, and Harry—the three of us. For about six or seven years, it’s been us three, and we’ve got great chemistry live. I write all the songs and lyrics. All the songwriting is me, the credits say “Sol Abrahams” because I write all the songs, but I take them to the boys, and they play them fucking well. Sometimes I had drummers before who were great at what they did, but they were trying to do too much, like jazz drumming. Whereas Luke and Harry get it, and that’s why we’re a great band. They’re fucking good musicians.

Sam Shaw (NottsRocks):
Where does the name "Bilk" come from?

Sol Abrahams (Bilk.):
So, “Bilk” means running off from a cab without paying the fare! My dad’s a London cab driver. He came back from work one day, and I asked him how it went, and he said, “Yeah, but some fucker bilked me.” I asked what that meant, and he told me. He said, “You’re looking for a band name, ain’t ya?” and then said I could use that. At the time, I had a load of pretentious band names, and I wasn’t stuck on anything. When that came about, I thought, “Bilk! I rate that.” And then, there you go. Haven’t looked back since.

Sam Shaw (NottsRocks):
What would you say is a standout show or memorable musical experience for you guys?

Sol Abrahams (Bilk.):
There’s too many to tell, man! Every time we go out on the road together, travelling about, there’s always some kind of fucking chaos that happens. We seem to attract chaos everywhere we go. I don’t think it’s the music, I think it’s us as people—or maybe me as a person. I always seem to attract chaos. Last month, someone held me up at knifepoint in Barcelona, tried to rob all my shit. There’s always some shit going down, but that’s the way it should be in a rock and roll band, I think. It’s meant to be exciting. If you play your gig and go to bed at 9 o’clock, it’s boring. You’ve got no stories to tell. I don’t really have any standout gigs; I don’t look back. I just keep moving forward, and that’s my way of life. I live in the moment. I don’t really look back at what happened yesterday, the day before, or last week. We play the gigs, we post about them on social media, and then it’s done. On to the next one.

Sam Shaw (NottsRocks):
It’s a good way to be, like a rolling stone!

Sol Abrahams (Bilk.):
Yeah, man! Just keep going like Bob Dylan—a rolling stone, aha!

Sam Shaw (NottsRocks):
Tell me about the creation of your recent album, Essex, Drugs and Rock and Roll.

Sol Abrahams (Bilk.):
I wrote this new album in two months before we went into the studio to record it. It came about quickly. I didn’t have any tunes for a while, and everyone was stressing—like the band, my dad, who’s our manager, and our record label—saying, “We’ve got no songs! We’re meant to get in the studio, but Sol’s got no fucking songs! What are we gonna do?” And then I just sat down, for the last couple of months before we got in the studio, and got my head down and wrote a load of songs. They came out of nowhere, and it just came pretty naturally and quickly, to be honest. Most of the songs on this new album I wrote in about five minutes—lyrics and music. I didn’t put too much thought into it because it comes from a place of realness. Everything you hear in my music is real life. It’s not bullshit—I’m not one of these fakers. There’s so many fucking fakers in this industry who just chat a load of bollocks, and then they get onstage and say, “Hi everyone,” and then they’re completely different offstage. What you see is what you get with Bilk. If I’m in a bad mood, you’ll be able to tell. If I’m in a good mood, you’ll be able to tell. I am who I am, and I feel like that realness, people will see it for what it is. I think our fans get it now. I just do my thing. There’s no egos, no pretenses, no act. I don’t put on a wig and go onstage. I’m Sol, and that’s who I am. I’ve had this mentality for a few years now: this is who I am. If you don’t like it, then fuck off. If you do like it, then bangin', you’re welcome to a Bilk show, and we can have a good time. That’s what it’s about, man—it’s about having a good time in the rock and roll spirit.

Sam Shaw (NottsRocks):
Yeah, it’s only my first time seeing you guys, but I can definitely see the big connection you have with your fans!

Sol Abrahams (Bilk.):
I rate the fans. They’re always safe, other than the occasional dickheads who start fights. But we don’t have that too much. It’s a very rare thing that we have any sort of bad energy or vibes in the crowd, to be honest. I had to kick two dudes out in Manchester for fighting at the back of the gig. I told them to get out and said, “If you wanna start a fight, take it to the boxing ring!” Gigs are for a good time, but on the whole, 99% of the time it’s always good vibes. Fans are just there to have a fucking laugh. They do mosh and jump around, but it’s not in an aggressive way—it’s in a freedom way. Everyone’s just free to have a good time and let themselves go. In today’s society, people are drowned by social media, staying indoors, depression, anxiety, mental health issues. People are worried and scared all the time, and I feel like rock and roll gives people a bit of life. When I sing about being a rock and roll star, you know, I’m a rock and roll star today, and that’s how I live my life. It gives me a sense of freedom, and other people come to the gigs and feel free as well, enjoy themselves as well.

Sam Shaw (NottsRocks):
Is there anything you’d say to up-and-coming musicians who look up to you and think “Wow,” and walk away buzzing after your show? Any advice you’d give?

Sol Abrahams (Bilk.):
The way I’ve always seen it is realistically, if you’ve got talent, and you can write a good fucking tune, and you work hard at it, then you’ll go far. I know I’m good at what I do. I know I can write a banging song. I know we’re a sick band. We’re the sickest band about at the moment—undoubtedly. Easy, you know what I’m saying? Other bands about now can’t even lace our boots. I don’t care about status. I don’t care about how big we are or what venues we’re playing. That’s all bollocks. It’s about who you know and all that. I’m talking musically—you come and see us, you get the feeling that you’re watching a fucking great band. I’m not talking about any other bullshit. When it comes to that shit, we’re the best band about, and I know that. I’ve known it for fucking time. So, if you’re good at what you do and you work fucking hard at it, which we do—we’re always grafting at it, always thinking about it every day—you know what I mean? On this tour, yeah, we played the Electric Ballroom in London, a 1,400-capacity venue, a massive venue. It’s just me, Luke, and Harry in the band, and then my dad and that’s it. We haven’t got a big team behind us, no roadies and all that—it’s just us four. The label we’re on, I don’t wanna get into that, but you can probably tell how I feel about it. It’s just us four doing all this hard work. The way I’ve always seen it is if you work hard and you’ve got talent, you’ll go far. Everyone in music seems to think you have to be someone special to go far. I’m just a bloke from Essex, from Chelmsford, who one day picked up a guitar and started writing music. Some people have real talent, but they don’t wanna work for it. If you have both, then you’ll go far. That’s how I look at myself, my situation, and I know we’re gonna go far because we’re the bollocks. Simple as that!