Riscas are an up and coming indie rock/pop band hailing from beneath the sunny skies of Birmingham. They’ve released jumbo indie tunes packed full of sing-along lyrics and catchy tunes, songs such as ‘Panic Like Tom’ and ‘Right Kinda Day’. Not to mention, they’re building a massive fan base in their home city and the future is really starting to look blindingly bright for them. I saw them perform at The Sunflower Lounge in January 2017 and they put one hell of a show, pitch perfect and energetic. I got to chat with guitarist Tom Barker regarding all things Riscas…
Question. The band name Riscas, what does that mean and what does it mean to you as a band?
Riscas: We sat the word ‘Risca’ on a hoody and simply added an S, ever since then it's become unique to us. It makes it easier for us to appear on Google
Q. How would you describe your music?
R: We'd describe our music as catchy with a tropical twist
Q. You dip your toes into quite a few genres, but what would you say is the main genre you aim for?
R: As a band we all listened to different music and never set out to make music in a specific genre, we just make what we want to hear.
Q. And your frontman’s (George) voice seems so well trained, has he ever taken vocal training?
R: George performed in the west end when he was younger so I'm sure he got some kind of training, but it always seems to have come naturally.
Q. ‘Panic Like Tom’ is probably your most famous song, what is it about and what does it mean to you?
R: ‘Panic Like Tom’ is about looking at life and remembering to not sweat the small stuff, sometimes you need to look at yourself and think 'hey, calm down.' It's one of the first songs we wrote as a band so it'll always mean allot to us.
Q. Does making music generally come quite easy to you or is it a struggle?
R: It just comes naturally, one day we'll come together and it'll all just happen in a burst. We just wait for it to happen really.
Q. Before going into the studio do you have a pre-conceived notion of what you're about to create before going in or just let it flow and jam once in there?
R: We usually go in with the finished song and end up chopping and changing bits, it's a real team effort between us and our producer Ryan
Q. Who are your biggest influences/motivators?
R: Our biggest influences and motivations are all so different and we all draw influences from Reggae and hip hop to Stadium rock and Dream pop, but as a collective we get allot of inspiration from other bands we play with along the way.
Q. If you had to take only 3 albums to a desert island what would they be and why?
R: Jamie T - panic prevention
So I'd stop panicking.
Bombay Bicycle club - so long, see you tomorrow.
Because it's just brilliant and I'm gonna need that motivation
Sonic youth - Goo
Because I'm an edgy guy.
Q. And what music are you spinning the most recently?
R: Lately I've been listening to allot of Trudy and the romance after seeing them and being absolutely blown away. We've also been listening to allot of Spinn and Mahalia.
Q. What's next for Riscas?
R: More music, more shows and some surprises along the way.
Q. And finally, what's the end goal with the band?
R: We just want to carry on doing what we love.
R: It just comes naturally, one day we'll come together and it'll all just happen in a burst. We just wait for it to happen really.
Q. Before going into the studio do you have a pre-conceived notion of what you're about to create before going in or just let it flow and jam once in there?
R: We usually go in with the finished song and end up chopping and changing bits, it's a real team effort between us and our producer Ryan
Q. Who are your biggest influences/motivators?
R: Our biggest influences and motivations are all so different and we all draw influences from Reggae and hip hop to Stadium rock and Dream pop, but as a collective we get allot of inspiration from other bands we play with along the way.
Q. If you had to take only 3 albums to a desert island what would they be and why?
R: Jamie T - panic prevention
So I'd stop panicking.
Bombay Bicycle club - so long, see you tomorrow.
Because it's just brilliant and I'm gonna need that motivation
Sonic youth - Goo
Because I'm an edgy guy.
Q. And what music are you spinning the most recently?
R: Lately I've been listening to allot of Trudy and the romance after seeing them and being absolutely blown away. We've also been listening to allot of Spinn and Mahalia.
Q. What's next for Riscas?
R: More music, more shows and some surprises along the way.
Q. And finally, what's the end goal with the band?
R: We just want to carry on doing what we love.