Bristol favourites Getdown Services have released their long anticipated album Massive Champion through Breakfast Records today. The band have made quite the name for themselves, from being a must-see on Bristol’s live music scene to being festival headliners across the UK and selling out tours internationally. Their quick wit and lovable charm on stage have quickly turned them into must-sees.
I remember seeing them playing small basement stages when they were just starting out, almost dazed by their presence on stage, how confident they were and how much they clearly cared for each other. The crowd always went nuts as soon as they took their shirts off, which would inevitably happen earlier and earlier on in the set. There were many mosh pits and a lot of spilled beer.
It’s no surprise to see them do so well. When WAX chatted to Breakfast Records earlier this summer, they mentioned how much Getdown Services speak to a general frustration across younger people in the UK, as house prices soar and income stagnates. Getdown will take this mood and turn it into a dry joke that the crowd can dance to.
When I spoke to the band in 2023, I felt that Getdown Services mastered the art of staying relevant whilst never taking themselves too seriously. I still think that is part of what people love about them, and something they master again on Massive Champion. Still, they have grown since then: the new album seems to have a second layer of self reflection that lends it a new depth. When I spoke to Josh about the album, he says: “The writing process for the stuff we made in the first few years came from an impulse to lash out on the things in quite a childish way. This album is sort of about reflecting on that.”
We spoke more about the new album, how their busy touring schedule has influenced their new music and what they loved about Bristol’s music scene.
You say the new album is an “ode to childhood”. How does a childhood feature into your writing and do you think a childlike approach can be helpful for creativity?
I think childishness is present in everything we write we just never realised it before. The writing process for the stuff we made in the first few years came from an impulse to lash out on the things in quite a childish way. This album is sort of about reflecting on that. If our earlier stuff was us kind of impulsively being childish, this new album is probably us trying to understand our childishness more.
As long-time friends, and on the theme of childhood, do you think you’re able to tap into an intimacy that helps your songwriting process?
I think the fact that we’ve known each other so long helps us shut the world out and just get on with trying to make something we’re proud of. There’s a lot of crap that comes up when you are in a band that has some unexpected success and it’s probably easier to ignore all that stuff because we know each other so well. The kind of friendship we have puts us in a bubble that definitely helps us stay creative in the way we want to.
Has your busy touring schedule had an effect on the writing? Does that life on the road feature on the songs in some way?
I think it’s afforded us a freedom to think creatively in a way that I don’t think we could when we were in full time work. We do have a busy touring schedule but it’s easier to come up with musical ideas as a full time touring musician than it was being a full time gardener. If life on the road has impacted my writing in any way it’s probably just that I’m not living so desperately poor / hopelessly anymore. I’m lucky enough to spend my time focusing on things I want to focus on and that is such an insane privilege. Hating your day to day life consumes a lot of energy and I was living that way for a long time before the band started. I definitely think differently about things because of that which means my writing is different. There aren’t any songs about hotels or driving or anything like that, though.
Your live shows have become iconic, especially here in Bristol. What does playing live mean to you as a band?
Playing live is great for so many reasons. We both have it in us to be really negative, cynical, judgmental and bitter people and I think the single best thing that playing live has done for us is it has helped us see past those traits. We have good clean fun with groups of strangers basically every night. And we’re lucky enough to do it completely on our own terms. Its amazing.
How has the Bristol music scene helped shape who you are and where you’ve gotten to?
There are a lot of great small venues in Bristol and a solid base of music fans who follow and actively support the local music scene in a way that feels quite rare. One of the best things about the UK is basically everywhere has a music scene of sorts and whilst everywhere claims their music scene isn’t gate-keepy or isn’t just based on clout or any of that stuff, starting in Bristol genuinely felt like we were being backed by people who just loved music.
What do you miss about Bristol when you’re on the road?
St. Anne’s woods. It’s lovely there.
Anything else you’d like to mention?
Do us a favour and listen to the album in full with headphones because that’s the way it works best!
//Words: Clara Bullock//Photography: Siôn Marshall-Waters and Caleb Byrne-Smith//