01Profile
A The Meow Meows Photo
The Meow Meows
Keyboardist — Brighton
03Interview
Name, Where are you from?
Alex D. Hay, Essex boy assimilated into Brighton.
What do you do?
I play keyboards in The Meow Meows and a few other bands, and make music for media.
Describe your style in three words?
Generic Brighton Thirtysomething.
How should your music be listened to?
If it’s by The Meow Meows, ideally jumping around like a twat at a festival or small sweaty venue that stinks of cider. If it’s some of my production music, it's best listened to whilst reclining in a high-backed chair in your office in one of the more eye-wateringly expensive parts of London or Manhattan whilst deciding on a suitably large figure to offer me to compose for your upcoming global marketing campaign or feature film.
What do you miss about home when you're on tour?
Other than my girlfriend and dog, nothing. We’re never away for very long and I feel like I have to see some of whichever town we're in, cos I might never get the opportunity to come back.
What British music icons inspire your sound today?
For The Meow Meows, we can all agree on The Specials / Beat / Selecter / Madness as a starting point. With a large dollop of The Clash stirred in. Personally I love Iron Maiden, singer Danny Girl has been a Bowie-worshipper her whole life, and our bassist Ian would get upset if I forgot to mention how much he adores The Smiths.
The Meow Meows are a Ska n Soul outfit from Brighton, the 9 piece play a happy amalgamation of 2-tone, garage and punk - with all influences worn heartily on their sleeves. their latest album 'Go Boom!' was released in August (2016) and can be purchased via their website.
02Playlist
04Playlist Notes
What was the first song you played on repeat?
The older boy next door taped Guns n’ Roses “Appetite For Destruction” for me and it changed my world. I rewound “It’s So Easy” over and over as I just couldn’t process that you could actually use the word 'f***' in a song. It had just never before occurred to me it was possible. I played it at a low volume so I wouldn’t get in trouble with my mum (or the police, who to my eight-year-old mind would also take a dim view of it).
A song from your favourite album?
It’s so hard to pick one album and it’d probably change depending on the day, but right now 'Doolittle' by Pixies. 'Monkey Gone To Heaven' is perfect.
Song you wish you had written or music icon that has inspired you?
Anything by Cardiacs. Let’s say 'The Everso Closely Guarded Line'. Tim Smith is a compositional genius up there with Bach or Beethoven. I really hope he gets his dues in two centuries’ time.
The Song with your favourite lyrics?
Another Smith, Elliott, wrote the best sad lyrics. 'Between The Bars' is an unbearably poignant song about frittering your life away with alcohol. At the other end of the spectrum, 'Alan Is A Cowboy Killer' by Mclusky for the never-to-be-topped opening line 'All of your friends are c****, your mother is a ballpoint pen thief'.
4 songs you can’t stop listening to right now?
Jobseeker - Seaford Mods
People Are Twats - The Lovely Eggs
No Man No Right' - Sonic Boom Six
Ratatat - The Skints
Because all of these songs rock. And they’re all by current British bands who show that you can be passionate, political and pissed off and still retain a sense of humour - which is underrated in music, and modern life in general.
03Interview
Name, Where are you from?
Alex D. Hay, Essex boy assimilated into Brighton.
What do you do?
I play keyboards in The Meow Meows and a few other bands, and make music for media.
Describe your style in three words?
Generic Brighton Thirtysomething.
How should your music be listened to?
If it’s by The Meow Meows, ideally jumping around like a twat at a festival or small sweaty venue that stinks of cider. If it’s some of my production music, it's best listened to whilst reclining in a high-backed chair in your office in one of the more eye-wateringly expensive parts of London or Manhattan whilst deciding on a suitably large figure to offer me to compose for your upcoming global marketing campaign or feature film.
What do you miss about home when you're on tour?
Other than my girlfriend and dog, nothing. We’re never away for very long and I feel like I have to see some of whichever town we're in, cos I might never get the opportunity to come back.
What British music icons inspire your sound today?
For The Meow Meows, we can all agree on The Specials / Beat / Selecter / Madness as a starting point. With a large dollop of The Clash stirred in. Personally I love Iron Maiden, singer Danny Girl has been a Bowie-worshipper her whole life, and our bassist Ian would get upset if I forgot to mention how much he adores The Smiths.
The Meow Meows are a Ska n Soul outfit from Brighton, the 9 piece play a happy amalgamation of 2-tone, garage and punk - with all influences worn heartily on their sleeves. their latest album 'Go Boom!' was released in August (2016) and can be purchased via their website.
04Playlist Notes
What was the first song you played on repeat?
The older boy next door taped Guns n’ Roses “Appetite For Destruction” for me and it changed my world. I rewound “It’s So Easy” over and over as I just couldn’t process that you could actually use the word 'f***' in a song. It had just never before occurred to me it was possible. I played it at a low volume so I wouldn’t get in trouble with my mum (or the police, who to my eight-year-old mind would also take a dim view of it).
A song from your favourite album?
It’s so hard to pick one album and it’d probably change depending on the day, but right now 'Doolittle' by Pixies. 'Monkey Gone To Heaven' is perfect.
Song you wish you had written or music icon that has inspired you?
Anything by Cardiacs. Let’s say 'The Everso Closely Guarded Line'. Tim Smith is a compositional genius up there with Bach or Beethoven. I really hope he gets his dues in two centuries’ time.
The Song with your favourite lyrics?
Another Smith, Elliott, wrote the best sad lyrics. 'Between The Bars' is an unbearably poignant song about frittering your life away with alcohol. At the other end of the spectrum, 'Alan Is A Cowboy Killer' by Mclusky for the never-to-be-topped opening line 'All of your friends are c****, your mother is a ballpoint pen thief'.
4 songs you can’t stop listening to right now?
Jobseeker - Seaford Mods
People Are Twats - The Lovely Eggs
No Man No Right' - Sonic Boom Six
Ratatat - The Skints
Because all of these songs rock. And they’re all by current British bands who show that you can be passionate, political and pissed off and still retain a sense of humour - which is underrated in music, and modern life in general.