Electric. If I had to choose one word to describe Bayboards’ second London gig, it would be electric. Punchy vocals partnered with mind blowing drums, and all tied together with hearty guitar riffs.
Inside the venue, funky lights and disco balls infiltrate the atmosphere. People with beer in hand swaying side to side listening to the pre-show playlist. Bayboards are not a band afraid of interacting with fans as they weave through the crowd and approach people who have come to spend the evening with them as they take over Highbury and Islington’s ‘The Grace.’ To begin with, we witness some of the world’s newest musical talent as support acts Joshua Ziggy and Kohzee rock the stage, instantly captivating all of the crowd with their soulful voices and mesmerising bands.
When it’s finally time for Bayboards to emerge from the crowd again, the energy amplifies and it is clear that they are a band that can control a crowd. They launch into ‘Ghost’ and the crowd becomes putty in their hands as it is clear that everyone is enchanted by the vibe. Beer is waving in the air, hands accidentally intertwine as everyone bops them up and down, clearly impressed by the opening song. The next song is one of the most important that Bayboards have, ‘Mother Nature.’ This is a song about how we are ruining the planet, and tackles one of the most pertinent topics of the modern age, climate change. Sometimes it is possible to approach these issues in music, and fail miserably, but this is something that Bayboards do not do. They are to the point and succinct, and everyone immediately understands what they are trying to say. We are, as lead singer Ben stated at the beginning, ‘fucking up the planet.’
As the set continues we hear some recently released songs, such as ‘Innocence’ and ‘Deep Blue Sea.’ Despite being released so recently, members of the crowd have clearly been fascinated by Bayboards’ ability to write lyrics as they sing the songs word for word. Bayboards are not just a band, but they are a band that brings people together. People of all ages at the front dancing, moshing, and having fun with each other.
Towards the end of the set, we hear undoubtedly the most powerful song that Bayboards have released, ‘Poison Ivy.’ This is also a song that was released not long ago, but it has a certain timeless charm that can be hard to achieve in modern music. This song tackles another pertinent issue in society, mental health. They use an extended metaphor of poison ivy growing in your brain to illustrate the complexity that is associated with struggling with your mental health.
Photo taken by Eleonora.
It’s obvious to anyone who’s seen Bayboards live that their success will not stop here, so we caught up with lead singer Ben to discuss the band’s journey so far - as well as their plans for the future.
Q: Tell me a bit about your band
Ben: So we all went to the same primary school and we’ve known each other for years. Javan has always been an amazing drummer who got on with everybody, Will has always been a mysterious guitar wizard and me - I’m just lucky to have met them really, I enjoy writing with them.
Q: What has been your favourite musical moment that you’ve shared together so far?
Ben: When we performed Poison Ivy at our hometown show in Manny [Manchester]. The whole crowd was singing the song back to us, it was the first time that has ever happened to us and it was wild.
Q: On that topic, what is your dream venue to play at?
Ben: Our dream venue is to play on the moon, or maybe on top of a lorry going full speed down a motorway. That would be pretty cool.
Q: Obviously you guys make incredible music, but no musician is born without musical influences. Who are some of yours?
Ben: I love a lot of the old stuff like The Doors, T Rex, The Clash, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and even older stuff like Elvis, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran - all of them cool Rock ‘n Roll stars.
Q: You have a few songs out that deal with pressing topics, such as mental health and how we’re ruining the planet. Is it ever hard putting such vulnerable songs out there for people to see, or is it more therapeutic for you?
Ben: Putting songs out there regarding mental health is definitely a personal thing to do. I’ll be going through a tough time and then a song like Poison Ivy will just pour out of me. It’s a confusing process. I just hope the song helps them or just connects with them the same way it does to me. In terms of our song Mother Nature, we’re not by any means telling people how to live their life or anything like that. Writing that song came out of a place of fear, switching on the news, seeing the Amazon forest burning down, and no one giving a toss.
Q: To conclude, what are some of your musical plans for the future?
Ben: Do bigger gigs, make bigger songs and be a bigger band.