Lynks has grabbed the music world by the balls in the past year or so, boasting a live show that looks pretty much like nothing else.
For initiated die-hards and confused newcomers alike, a Lynks gig is a guaranteed good time: serving up an unparalleled sense of fun. It’s not-quite pop, but not-quite anything else. Far from serious, whilst delivered without the cynicism of a novelty act.
Last week, Lynks continued to keep us on our toes, by sharing their MEN trilogy.. which is not-quite an EP. The MEN trilogy was completed by its final piece, ‘Perfect Human Specimen’, which sees Lynks’ electro europop fused with some radio-friendly 80s energy.
The video for ‘Perfect Human Specimen’ dropped today and is well worth 3 minutes of your time – talk about a triple threat.
We love the sax solo on ‘Perfect Human Specimen’, is this the first teaser of a new Lynks sound?
Ah, I wish I could say you’re in for a Lynks brass album a la Sons of Kemet but sadly not. With PHS I just wanted to make the whole thing as camp as sonically possible. So that solo was a product of the wonderful Morgan Noize stopping by my studio and really giving it some 80s zhuzh. I think my instructions were “make this the confetti cannon/disco ball/glitter drop moment”. Morgan smashed it.
You stole the show at Wide Awake Fest, Lynks + Charlie Steen [Shame frontman] is the combo we never knew we needed. How did the collab come about?
Me and Charlie are actually v old friends. We were at school right by each other and before he went off and became a rockstar we were just a couple of awkward adolescents drinking K cider at cringeworthy house parties together. But we’d chatted about doing a tune together and I had this instrumental break in ‘This is the Hit’ which was just screaming for a feature, so I asked him and he bloody delivered. Recorded the whole thing in about an hour!
Which came first? The outfits or the bangers?
Bangers obvs. I only learned to sew in lockdown!
We noticed your name became more streamlined a year or so ago, was there beef with the deodorant makers? Or is Lynks Afrikka still your full legal name?
It’s purely Lynks now I’m afraid. Lynks Afrikka worked great when I was just doing drag shows in the UK and everyone got the reference, but once you get played in Europe and the US where people call the spray “Axe Africa”, the joke doesn’t make that much sense. You’re just a strange caucasian gimp with ‘Afrikka’ in your name. A bit weird that – so the name change was a bit of a no-brainer really!
Your set feels so different to anything else doing the rounds, but who do you consider to be your peers in regards to other artists on the circuit?
Ooooh… Well there’s Confidence Man who I reckon we’ve definitely got some shared DNA with. Maybe second cousins? Then Grove has got that whole delicious heavy electronic queer chaos THING down, so we can be related too I think. Then getting a bit more stratospheric, I’m very inspired by M.I.A., Peaches, GaGa and the like… But they’re a few hundred miles ahead of me. For now, if we’re at all related I can be their little nephew they only see at Christmas and funerals.
What does the rest of 2022 have in store for Lynks?
Wouldn’t you like to know?? Well festival season obvs. Then hmm… I’ve put out 3 EPs so I wonder what’s the next step after that… Nothing comes to mind right now… I guess you’ll just have to wait and see eh??
