Kimbo Nice: David Lewis

Kimbo Nice are a Bristol-based four-piece currently on a creative high. Their new single ‘David Lewis’, premiering exclusively through Yuck! Magazine, is one of a number of new releases in the pipeline. Deeply ingrained into the fabric of the Bristol music scene, the band are going from strength to strength, delivering a new brand of blues infused wave pop. We spoke to the boys ahead of the release…

You guys are based in Bristol, is that where the band begun?

Yeah we jammed together for the first time towards the end of February 2018 in Bristol. None of us are from here originally but all reside here doing various lines of work alongside the band. What was the motivation for starting the band and making music together? Ali (Vocals) and James (guitar) had a little bedroom project going called ‘Noontide’ but decided it would work better as a full band and recruited some friends to be a part of it.

You have a really bluesy sound, was this something that you had planned or did the sound originate and develop organically?

When we first started out I guess we strived for a bluesy, shoegazey, smooth-groove kind of style, it was what we were listening to a lot at the time. Our sound has since developed organically, we jam and go off in whatever direction it takes us, inspired more recently by great artists such as Modern Lovers, Baxter Dury, Talking Heads, Viagra Boys, The Growlers, Modest Mouse and The Cure.

What tends to influence you guys as a band? Music, art, books?

All sorts, music, art, film, fashion, travelling, skateboarding, books. A little bit of each of our personalities comes out in the music we play. The songs are driven by Ali’s lyrics, he religiously scribbles down the goings on in his life which form the bases of our songs. Whilst the rest of us try to provide a musical platform for him to do his thing.

We love the band name! Where did it come from? Am I correct in saying it’s a reference to the late MMA fighter, Kimbo Slice?

Oly (Bassist) has a huge list of band names on his phone, he is a sucker for puns and plays on words that boy. He listed about 7 off the top of his head during our first practice and we all had a little chuckle at ‘Kimbo Nice’, so it just stuck. If you’re after a band name, hit him up.

You guys are releasing a number of singles and videos in the upcoming months, can you tell us more about this project that you’ve been kind enough to involve us in?

This single is called David Lewis, it talks about the monotonous tiresome nature of having to work a shitty job as a young adult, the to and from, being late, trying to encourage yourself its not too bad only to then have to go through it all over again the next day. James (Guitar) took on the video duties for this one, with a loose ‘day in the life’ style approach and constant appearances from Ali’s alter ego David Lewis. It’s the first of a collection of singles and videos we have in the works, we recorded David Lewis with Dom Mitchison of Malthouse studios.

Mentioning Bristol again, what is it like to be a part of such a creative scene? We’ve spoken to the likes of Katy J Pearson, Beak, Jack Cooper and the guys at Breakfast Records in the last few months and they all spoke of it’s positives for creative people, is that true for you guys?

Yes it’s true, Bristol is lovely and inspiring, there are some insanely talented artists across all creative platforms that live here. Having arty friends mean art shows, galleries, screenings, being extras, models, performing living room house party shows, all sorts, it’s so fun. Music wise, Bristol offers a buffet of genres most nights, we feel sorry for our poor livers.

Finally, something we ask every band - Have you got any funny stories from your time spent touring or just any funny band tales in general?

Ali once fell asleep during practice, mid song/jam, he was on the sofa in our old rehearsal space, microphone resting on his chest, breathing heavily. Long days, longer nights. Fair to say we ditched that tune.