YOTA

Name, where are you from?
Jeff Wootton - Manchester, England.
Laz or Josh. Pick your poison. From the Big Apple aka NYC.

Describe your style in three words?
Jeff: Who I am.
Laz: Smooth, modern, and different.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Jeff: Chuck Berry 2004 at Manchester Opera House. I was totally mesmerised watching this innovator duckwalk off stage in front of security at 78 years of age. It was pretty out there.
Laz: I’d say Kanye’s 'Life Of Pablo' gig at the forum. He was on an elevated stage, over the crowd performing songs that helped shape me as an artist. Not to mention that’s where I met Jamie for the first time. My favourite Kanye song, however, is 'All Of The Lights'.

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
Jeff: The Clash / I think YOTA and the clash would have been a good bill - we are similar in stage presence and stage attack mode!
Run DMC - DMC performed with YOTA at our gig in east London - we share the same mentality in performance.
Laz: Definitely Nirvana and RUN DMC. Nirvana because they brought rock and roll music to pop. RUN DMC were the very first Hip Hop band/collective to breakout into mainstream pop. I love Nirvana’s 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and RUN DMC’s 'My Adidas', these songs are just timeless bangers in my opinion.
Both of these bands mastered the art of writing and delivering catchy, feel-good songs that are still loved today.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
Jeff: Punk. Rock n Roll. Hip Hop.
Laz: Hip Hop, Skaters, Thugs, Nightlife and Hipsters mainly.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Jeff: Musically speaking I mean there’s loads - Mozart, Sam Cooke, Joe Strummer, Bob Marley, Hendrix... 
Sam Cooke probably - the greatest soul voice of all time - wrote all his own songs - a true originator of soul pre-Motown - I got into him really early on while learning guitar - check out Sam Cooke Live At The Harlem Square Club - the musicians and soul. Bobby Womack was a kid protege of Sam - he told us loads of amazing stories on the Gorillaz tour.
Laz: Aaliyah. Just so we can make a quick song. RIP.

Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
Jeff: Royal Albert Hall, it’s beautiful, historic and there’s just something about it, you’re never too far from anyone in the audience from the stage - it’s kind of like one big front room playing to family - it’s always special.
Laz: My favourite venue has to have been Twiggy Garcia’s old flat In Brixton. Had such good sound and venue authenticity haha.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Jeff: Gavin Clark - Never Seen The Sea. Gavin was a dear friend who passed a few years ago.
I urge you to listen to 'Never Seen The Sea' and watch the Shane Meadows documentary about Gavin which is online. God bless you mate x
Laz: Definitely Valee. He’s such a master of melodies and flows. Many songwriters and rappers are even adopting his rhyme patterns.

YOTA (Youth Of The Apocalypse) are a collaborative project started by Jeff Wootton (Gorillaz guitarist) and Jamie Reynolds (Klaxons), alongside full-time members Joshua Lazarus, Seye Adelekan (Gorillaz), Jay Sharrock and Twiggy Garcia.

They have so far released three tracks from their debut mixtape - due for release in 2019 - and have been building a reputation with their live shows, including being joined onstage by Noel Gallagher during their headline show at XOYO, London back in June 2018.

Noel also joined them on Soccer AM where they debuted the latest track (co-written with Gallagher) 'Gire On My Mind'. Listen below.