I understand that you have an LP coming out this year, can we expect any songs from the LP to be played at the show on the 11th April?
Absolutely! We're really excited for the LP release this summer - you'll almost certainly hear "Helll Sailor" which we released as a single last year plus some more album cuts. We actually completed the recording quite a while ago now, so we need to refresh our own memories a bit! But we are always restlessly tinkering away on new ideas, so any regular Bulbs gig attendees can expect a smattering of new songs too that we're excited to give a first outing live.
2. Have you ever played at JT Soars before? If so, what can someone who has never been to the venue expect?
We have played a couple times before supporting excellent bands The Unit Ama, and on another occasion Belgian noise rockers It It Anita (we thoroughly recommend checking out both!) First time JT-ers can expect a welcoming and inclusive environment that's also properly cosy - a classic DIY, intimate space where you're mere feet away from the bands performing.
3. Leading on from the previous question,
What can someone who has never seen you live or heard your music to expect?
A smorgasboard of VOLUME. RIFFS. SWEAT. A singer with itchy feet who does not like to be confined to one spot for too long...High quality and cutting between-song-repartee. We all listen to a broad range of music as individuals/music fans, and as such I think we each bring a little something different to the table that seeps into our overall sound. Consequently we have found we don't necessarily fit comfortably into a clear genre definition, but we usually just tell people "noise rock" as a starting point, however there's definitely punk/alt-rock/sludgy/weird elements in there too.
4. Have you seen any of the other bands that are performing tonight live? If so, what was that like?
We had the pleasure of playing with Moon Bullet at the Old Bus Depot last year - a really eclectic sound and energetic performance with a magnetic frontman - excited to see their performance translate to this smaller setting. We haven't seen Ponyland before but we're excited for the double drum kit set up and to see if it will even fit in JT's!
5. You released a teaser of the track Dogholic last month on your Facebook page, could you tell us about the song and whether we can expect the song to be played at the show ?
We enjoy playing Dogholic so much, we just couldn't keep a lid on it any more. The song is about dogs being the opiate of the masses and is the closest thing we've got to a dancefloor filler. Dog lover or not, we expect to see you loosening up those limbs when it inevitably appears early on in the setlist.
6.Given the recent closures of local venues, what do you think can be done to support them to prevent this from becoming the norm? +
This is a tough one. Chameleon, The Maze, Running Horse, Golden Fleece, Junktion 7. These are all places where Dim Bulbs or some of its members played gigs shortly before they either temporarily or permanently shut their doors. So perhaps the answer is don't let us play your venue! 😉 Alternatively, let's make the most of the venues we have, play and attend gigs, get the word out there that Nottingham still has an awesome scene and we might lose it if we don't use it!
7. From memory, how drastically do you think the landscape of live music has changed for you?
Some of the permanent closures mentioned in Q6 were dedicated genuine grassroots mus+++ic venues, and they are now becoming a rarity. That's certainly the biggest change over the last few years. It's becoming more and more difficult to go and watch (or perform!) original live local music. It's becoming a real crisis - not just in Nottingham but in the whole of the UK.
8.With the cuts of cultural funding for Nottingham how have you found it as an artist to adapt and how have you dealt with this?
I think it just forces you to be even more "DIY" and resilient - try to organise stuff yourself - rally round like-minded bands, individuals and promoters/venues, and if there's the passion and love for what you do there (which there certainly is), then you're going to find a way to do it anyway. But it's definitely getting harder and the prospect of anybody quitting the daily grind to focus solely on music seems like even more of a distant pipe dream these days. But we love what we do and it gets us out of the house - plus playing/watching music is great for your mental health too! Follow Dim Bulbs here , hear them here and keep your eyes peeled for their EP Gift Over which will be out via I'm Not From London Records on Friday 19th July - Watch this space!
See them perform live tonight (Thursday 11th April) at JT Soar with Moonbullet and Ponyland , tickets £10 - Bring your own booze!