After the release of their debut single ‘Come Get Some‘, we chatted to London-based punks Counterfeit all about what it was like to make their first ever album, how nervous they are about playing Islington for their live debut, and how frontman Jamie Campbell Bower is adjusting to life in a punk band.
MOSH: You guys have just released your debut track and announced your first live show – what made you decide now is the right time to introduce Counterfeit to the world?
JCB: It was important that we didn’t rush to put music out there for the sake of it, so we’ve taken our time to make sure we are happy with every little detail that we’re putting out, and it’s been good to work to our own time schedule. Over the past year we’ve all gone through pretty dramatic changes, and now feel genuine as a band. Everything’s clicked, and we’ve worked really hard.
MOSH: How excited are you for people to finally hear your debut track ‘Come Get Some’?
JCB: It’s always a little nerve-racking when releasing anything, because your balls are on the line in terms of being honest and open, and you’re opening yourself up to criticism. But at the end of the day, we’re writing music for ourselves because its what we all love to do, but if people can relate to our songs and enjoy them, even better.
MOSH: Since the track’s premier via Kerrang! reactions have been pretty positive, how do you feel about how people have warmed to ‘Come Get Some’ so far?
JCB: It’s been great to get positive feedback and hear that people are already digging the song. We’re just stoked that people are into it and want to hear more.
MOSH: Now we’ve all had a taste of you we’re looking forward to hearing more, so what can we expect from your debut album?
JCB: You can expect a raw, uncensored view into our minds. We’ve been lucky enough to avoid having labels pulling strings behind the scenes, which seems all too common nowadays, so what you’re hearing is really us and what we feel about what’s going on around us. It’s certainly on the darker side of the spectrum too, and a little aggressive maybe, but not inaccessible. We just hope that people can relate to the message as a whole, because it definitely resonates with us.
MOSH: You guys say you put “blood sweat and tears” into making the record – what did you find to be the most challenging part of making this album?
JCB: I guess from a practical point of view it’s been fitting it into our busy schedules. We all have jobs on the side we’re juggling just to keep ourselves going. Our management Check On Talent have put a lot of faith and investment into us. We owe it to them to put 110% effort into this. No pain no gain, right!? From an emotional point of view the lyrics are so brutally honest and personal you’ll see for yourself why it’s been so challenging. The truth can hurt.
MOSH: Are you guys all big lovers of punk music, or is this sort of sound we hear from Counterfeit a new direction for all of you?
JCB: It’s not so much a new direction but a sound that’s unified our musical interests. We all listen to a plethora of music genres, ranging from the extremes of pop to metal, which has enabled the recording process to become a fresh and creative battleground. I mean, it’s crazy, we can go from listening to the Motley Crüe to Chopin to Gallows to Periphery to GG Allin to Alexisonfire. The album itself is littered with exotic ideas and we hope that people will dig our sound as much as we do.
MOSH: Jamie, Counterfeit is very different to anything we’ve ever seen from you before – what made you move away from Hollywood in favour of a punk rock band?
JCB: I’ve struggled to present myself in an open and honest way since my early teenage years. I suppose I’ve always felt slightly outside the “norm”. Don’t get me wrong I love what I do as an actor but there was always a part of me that felt like I had to pretend. I think thats the nature of acting in general. Pretending. That can lead a young man to question who he really is as a human being. I’ve always loved the darker side of art, and of life in general, and was brought up around a vast array of differing music types. I was lucky. I think this is an opportunity for me to be real and that is liberating yet somewhat terrifying. Glassy guitars and heavy drums just always sat well with me. I wouldn’t say this has been a conscious decision to “move away” from anything, just now with experience and life under my belt I feel it necessary to exorcise the demons that have dwelled within me since birth.
MOSH: Would you say your feet are firmly set in the music world these days?
JCB: I would say I’m straddling. Perhaps mounting them both simultaneously. I’m crap at doing nothing and try to push myself as much as I can. Those who’ve known me for a long time can testify to the fact that music and acting have always gone hand in hand with me. I’ve always written music, I’ve only just found the “sound” that I was searching for. I’ve tried to surround myself with musos and those who inspire me and have always championed bands and artists that I dig and it just feels like it’s the right time.
MOSH: You guys are set to make your live debut in December at Islington’s O2 Academy, how do you feel about performing live for the first time?
JCB: Bricking it. I’ve played in a few different groups since growing up and have had some killer shows but this, like I said, is the first time I’ve really been true. The record and the live set are not an easy listen. There’s some pretty brutal and honest shit in there so I expect to drain every ounce of who I am and give everything. I’ll probably cry. Not very rock ’n’ roll but hey, it’s the truth.
MOSH: What should people expect when they head out to the very first Counterfeit show next month?
JCB: NOISE. At the end of the day we’re a guitar band and I’m pushing every single musician onstage to find the anger that exists within them and let rip. It’s gonna be mental. I will probably break myself but that’s okay. I’m a fan of pain.
