We always say that we have a bag full of rock and roll stories to tell. We are saving them for our autobiographies when we are old and famous, but we can share a small anecdote about how we became acquainted with a London based Bedroom Tax. It was early 2019 and we arrived to do our regular PR in Manchester. In the afternoon, we stopped at our favourite place, Jimmy’s which at that time was still located at 12 Newton Street in the Norther Quarter. The place was absolutely empty except for us and a group of young guys, who to our surprise, were very musical and were having a small rap battle at the table next to us. We asked them if they were local and they said they were from London and just visiting Manchester. Our next question was also answered with a no – they weren’t in a band. But they looked like one, we insisted. They laughed and said, you should know about our friends – they are called Bedroom Tax, please look them up. Of course, we did and we really liked what we heard. Then came the pandemic and Bedroom Tax seemed to disappear off the radar. When they send their newest single for us to review, we knew we wanted to have a few words with them. We sat down with Sean Guy, their bassist and songwriter to discuss massive changes in their line up and their music, new single and new goals.
Bedroom Tax
Official bio: Formed in 2018, Bedroom Tax is a band based in East London that started their journey as an exhilarating 4 piece fusing UK rap with punk elements, since maturing into a 6 piece with a more sophisticated and layered sound with the addition of two new vocalists and a violinist post-lockdown. With the release of the ‘Hardly Working’ EP in 2019, they took to the road making appearances on the London gig circuit at venues like Paper Dress Vintage, Amersham Arms and The Dublin Castle, building strong engagement around London and on social media. In May 2022, after emerging from lockdown with a new sound, Bedroom Tax joined forces with producer JB Pilon (Buffalo Recording Studio) and mastering engineer Jan Trafas (Abbey Road Studios) to produce new material including debut single “KIN” which is available on all digital platforms from 12th August 2022. The band are lining up a series of shows from October, as they begin showcasing more new material.
Josh & Gideon rehearsing at Blue Studios in Dalston
Bedroom Tax are:
Gideon Parirenyatwa – vocals, songwriter
Sean Guy – bass, guitars, drum machine, songwriter
Nathan Abbott – drums, drum machine, percussion
Paul Monham – guitar
Josh Collins – guitar & vocals
Blake Noir – vocals
And additionally Natalia Willow – violin on debut single “KIN”
Bedroom Tax is evidently the London scene’s best kept secret. Please introduce yourselves to the world.
Sean Guy: Bedroom Tax is a band that started life as a four piece fusing UK rap with punk, which has since matured into a 6 piece tapping into alternative hip hop, baroque pop and R&B. We’re based in East London – writing in Hackney Wick, rehearsing in Dalston and recording in Limehouse. We try to keep things fluid but keep a focus on creating a punchy sound with honest lyricism.
The band`s name can be seen as controversial. Do you consider yourselves a political band?
Sean Guy: When we were starting out, our songs were definitely more acutely political, we were younger and the sound was definitely raw. I think over time, we’ve matured a little, some of our new songs definitely nod to social commentary but in a more subtle way. There’s also a lot of tunes which explore relationships and people, and I think Bedroom Tax also has quite a nice ability to tap into cheekier storytelling. It’s quite a sexy name.
Sean recording original demo of KIN
As you mentioned, when we first met you in 2018, you were a four piece. What prompted you to expand your line up?
Sean Guy: Over lockdown I started writing demos in my home studio in Hackney Wick, exploring new layers and styles. It’d start with a drum machine, acoustic guitar and bass and then I was able to incorporate trumpet, keys and violin from various people recording takes to the demos remotely. We came out of that period with a completely new sound and wanted to find people to join us on that journey. The approach taken to recording demos, led us to being introduced to our incredible violinist, Natalia, while Gideon’s development with different vocal arrangements opened up the avenue for Josh and Blake to join as singers.
It’s an absolute pleasure for us to debut your new single “Kin”. Can you tell us something about the song? Is there any story behind it?
Sean Guy: The track doesn’t have one specific story behind it, almost an amalgamation of different events which shape your current outlook. “KIN” addresses the notion of triumph, that even the most disdainful times aren’t what define your character, but how you approach hardship. Looking back can be a tough habit to break, but looking back also gives you a sense of clarity. The realisation that struggles of life still persist but you have to vibe and progress.
session musician Natalia recording strings for KIN
The song was recorded and produced during lockdowns. Was it hard to compose music when the world was in a stand still?
Sean Guy: “KIN” was recorded in May, but the groundwork for the new sound was obviously happening over longer period of time. A huge silver lining of lockdown was that it gave us a chance to spend time crafting ideas and learning the basics of music production on GarageBand. Gaining the ability to record and mess around with demos on a laptop really helped with writing and exploring new layers. Before, we used to turn up to a rehearsal room with a guitar, a bass and drum kit and just bash out the punky songs we had, which whilst fun wasn’t very cohesive to maturing and progressing the sound. Since then, we’ve been smarter about the time we have together at band rehearsals, we’ll focus more time on each song.
Three years ago you issued your debut EP “Hardly Working” which is quite rare to find nowadays. Do you have any plans to release it in any form?
Sean Guy: We decided to take down the EP from streaming services, which we hugely regret. Around late 2018, we decided we were bored of the sound and wanted to explore new ideas, and hastily pushed the button to take it off. Our mates always badger us for links to the old songs. There are one or two cult classics in that EP that we might resurrect though!
Blake recording vocals at Buffalo Recording Studio
And talking about releases – when can we expect more songs or new material from you?
Sean Guy: We’ve already got 2 more singles ready to go actually, not to mention a big batch of unrecorded demos in the pipeline. In May, we basically took three new tunes into Buffalo Recording Studio and they’re all strong enough to lead as singles, so we’re going to roll them out over the next few months. You can expect the next one some time in October!
Audiences in the capital have had the privilege to enjoy your concerts for a while but we feel like other cities would also want to see you live. Are you planning to tour this summer or autumn?
Sean Guy: Autumn gigs are definitely something on our long list of priorities. We’ve absolutely loved playing in front of people and it also gives us a fresh set of ears for the tracks that are in the works. We love the idea of fewer but bigger events, tying it in with other mates playing/DJing. In terms of going further afield, we love the idea of taking our sound somewhere lively. Glasgow, Warsaw, we’re easy.
If any booker or journalist wants to get in touch – what’s the best way to contact you?
Sean Guy: We’re always chatting to people on Instagram and tiktok @bedroomtaxmusic, but email is solid – bedroomtaxband@gmail.com
Imagine you can impose a bedroom tax on any politician. How is paying extra and how much?
Sean Guy: Tricky one! If Boris and Carrie take that wallpaper from Number 10 to their new place then they’re getting a hefty bill purely for the poor taste, enough to cover a South American tour for us! (laughing)
Bedroom Tax on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/bedroomtaxmusic
https://www.instagram.com/bedroomtaxmusic
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0qAcL2ZecFFad3sBbgmtx7
https://twitter.com/bedroomtaxband
https://soundcloud.com/bedroomtaxmusic
“KIN” is out independently on 12th of August.
Rita and Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 