Trails Discuss: The Boileroom & UK Live Music
With Guildford venue the Boileroom facing the possibility of closure, TMMP caught up with local rock legends Trails to discuss the Boileroom and the state of the UK’s live music scene.
This interview is part of a larger TMMP feature which can be read in full here.
What is your general opinion of the Boileroom?
The Boileroom is our home away from home – a great venue that we love playing and love going to. As a band we cut our live teeth there, and as punters we’ve seen too many bands to count – from The Bronx to Reel Big Fish – and so many of our friends’ bands and other bands on the UK touring scene.
What would happen if the Boileroom were to shut down? What impact would that event have?
Guildford would lose a big point of alternative culture, 90% of the times I go out in Guildford it’s to the Boileroom for a good old fashioned rock show. It’s not the only venue that puts on live music but it does sound the best and has the best Read more…
Sometimes the old ways are the best.
Good things come to those who wait. At least, they do if you’re a music fan; for musicians, good things only come to those who put in endless hours, days, weeks, months, and years of gruelling and brutal hard work. Bearing this in mind, Crooked Trees‘ emergence from the often precipitous world of Kickstarter crowdfunding is a very good thing indeed. 
The Boileroom team sure know how to throw the quietest (or at least best-soundproofed) album launch parties in town. 
When I first heard of Trails (via the title of their tune SHT FKR), it seemed somewhat tempting to write them off as silly, immature kids and move on ASAP. I didn’t, though – and I’m glad I chose the less obvious path. Far from being the Blink 182 / Bloodhound Gang crossbreed I’d expected, an actual listen to SHT FKR showed me just how Trails really work. There’s plenty of fun-having, yes, but Trails definitely stay on the right side of the line between humour and playschool-level childishness. The real order of the day here is straightforward rock awesomeness with a bit of flamboyance and serious attention to songwriting detail.