I first saw singer/songwriter Ryan March play a solo spot at a gig and was blown away by his passionate delivery, great songwriting and clever, relevant lyrics, I had tried to get him on the site right away but was told something bigger and better was coming!
That bigger and better is the band Friendly Thieves, 4 piece punk rock band.
Who are you and what do you do?
Ryan – I play guitar and sing.
Oliver – I play guitar. Together with Dan (drums) and Morgan (bass), we are Friendly Thieves, and we play music.
Where did the band’s name come from?
The name comes from an idea we had of a name that juxtaposes “good” and “bad” with each other which mirrors the theme of our music.
How did you get started?
Ryan wanted to take the acoustic songs he had written, and take them to the next level with a band.
What have you got going on at the moment?
Well we’ve just released a brand new song so the plan is to get as many people to hear the song and gig wherever and whenever we can before heading back to the studio later in the year.
Favourite music and why?
Ryan – Punk rock, from the original bands of the late 70s to newer bands like Against Me! & The Bronx.
Favourite book and why?
Oliver: Kurt Angle’s Autobiography, just because.
Ryan: Harry Potter books, because they’re CLASSICS.
Favourite film and why?
Ryan: School Of Rock, because it made me want to pick up a guitar and write songs.
Oliver: ‘Closer’, because it’s brutal.
Best experience in the business?
Ryan: My EP launch when I was solo, playing my first headline to show to a close to full Hobos, Bridgend was pretty special.
Why should Soundscape readers care?
Because we are doing something a bit different to most South Wales bands and we want to make honest, relatable music.
Tell our readers an interesting fact about the band?
Morgan was an understudy for Joey Fatone in N*Sync
What’s the best and worst things about touring?
Best: Playing shows to new audiences in new places.
Worst: We haven’t toured yet.
Most embarrassing thing to happen to you while in the band?
Morgan having to go on tour with N*Sync when Joey Fatone fell ill, forcing us to delay our launch!
What’s your writing and recording process?
Ryan writes the songs, we jam them in the practice room and see where they go from there – playing them over and over until we’re happy.
What inspires you?
Ryan: Real life, people and things that piss me off and make me want to make a difference.
Best thing about coming from Wales?
There’s always something going on somewhere, every night of the week.
Who are your role models/idols?
Ryan: Joe Strummer
Oliver: Ryan March
Whats the hardest thing about the current business?
Hard work doesn’t always pay off.
What are the Friendly Thieves future plans?
To make a difference and enjoy ourselves while playing to people who give a damn about what we do and the music we make.
Last question, one we ask everyone, who is your favourite Batman actor?
Oliver: George Clooney
Ryan: I’ve never seen a Batman film. (sorry)
You can download the bands first track for free from Soundcloud and the band are playing the Hobos stage at the Bridgend Mash Up tomorrow.
Friendly Thieves: Facebook
