Essex Foursome Anorak Patch have been the subject of murmurs across the music press for a good few months now as one of the best bands who we are yet to catch live.. not a bad turnout for a group who are yet to leave school.
Released via Nice Swan (Sports Team, English Teacher, Malady), Anorak Patch’s debut EP By Cousin Sam channels an unshakeable sense of confidence throughout. Vocalist Effie Lawrence flashes glimpses of Ellie Rowsell’s bubbling angst on ‘Paris Will Be Paid For’, whilst EP closer ‘Polly Filler’ is a murky, tempo-bending grunge anthem.
There is an innocence to the lyrics throughout By Cousin Sam; a freeing and endearing manifestation of the members’ youth. If this rawness can be retained whilst organically developing a sharper eye for direction, then it feels as though this EP could signify the starter pistol for a band who can climb up festival rosters for years to come.
We had a chat with guitarist Oscar to discuss school, venues + Space Raiders.
Nice Swan Recordings is a great match for the new EP, how did your linkup with the label come about?
After ‘6 Week Party’, we got a lot of attention from managers and labels and things like that. It was this long search that never really went anywhere. Eventually we got in contact with Nice Swan and they fitted what we wanted so we went with them.
By Cousin Sam feels primed and ready for some sweaty headline shows, what venues do you have your eye on for this time next year?
Probably more arts centres across the country. They’re always fun to play and are often in old churches where the architecture is very nice. But I feel like the size venue doesn’t matter as much as people might think, as long as the audience is enjoying it that’s all you can ask for really. One of our favourite venues is The Windmill in Brixton, its not very large but the audience is always so welcoming of us – it makes us enjoy it more.
Is Delilah a real person? How does she feel about her new theme tune?
Delilah is not real person, it’s just a name that fit the syllables for the chorus. You might find that you can relate to Delilah and the lyrics but it’s not based off of anyone.
You must all be juggling education alongside the band, has homework taken a back seat for the foreseeable?
It’s not so bad to juggle the two. We practice at weekends but we’ll play every night of the week so I suppose that balances it out a bit. But there’s probably still an emphasis on the band and playing live.
You’ve previously called to nationalise the distribution of Space Raiders – does this extend solely to SRs, or would other tuck shop mainstays fit the bill?
Space Raiders are a special kind of crisp – and snack in general. They’re one of a kind, so only Space Raiders can be nationalised.
Where can we catch Anorak Patch in 2022?
At the moment, we are writing so unfortunately only on streaming platforms for the time being. However, in the second half of the year we will be gigging much more regularly
