Interview with The Extons: ‘It’s a bit Biffy with the melody and then we let loose’

Norfolk indie rock band The Extons are gearing up to release their next single, ‘Social Media’ early next year.

The band comprises Will Barnes (vocals, guitar), Adam Garwood (lead guitar) Peter Catlin (drums) and Ciaran Liam (bass). They all attended the same school, albeit in different years. Barnes and Catlin used to play at weddings together and Catlin and and Garwood have been friends for many years. ‘Ciaran is the baby in the band,’ Peter said. Will interjects: ‘Yeah, we wanted him ‘cos he’s the only one with the cowboy hat!’

‘Social Media’ is about ‘thinking that the social media thing should make your life better but it doesn’t’, Barnes said. Sonically, Garwood describes it as ‘a mix of ‘Grown Ups’ (their single from 2017) and 80’s drums’. Catlin looks at him: ‘I wouldn’t say that. For me, it’s a mixture of ‘Grown Ups’ on the beat but it’s the contrast between the first three quarters of the song and what comes after. It’s on the beat, then we take it in a different direction, it’s sluggish at the end.’ Garwood is nodding: ‘Yeah, we hit the fuzz pedal and change the tempo,’ he grins. Barnes weighs in: ‘It’s a bit Biffy with the melody and then we let loose.’

They’re working on a batch of songs that will have a slightly different feel to their singles that were released last year which, in themselves, are very diverse, sonically. Catlin looks at Barnes: ‘You said you’re starting to get more ‘gravel’ in your voice now.’ Barnes agrees. ‘We don’t stick to one sound, our new songs sound different to each other,’ Garwood said. ‘They still sound like us but they’re more structured, there’s a bigger breakdown. A lot of our early material was structured very similar,’ he said.

‘There’s a cool kind of hint of vagueness’

Their most recent single, ‘Dance Boy (Something To Believe In)’, kicks off with a deliciously synthy intro that is pure 80’s and builds in the vein of 80’s classics with a big, singalong chorus. ‘I wrote the lyrics,’ Barnes said. ‘When I write, it’s a pile of different stuff. I’m terrible at explaining how I write songs,’ he confessed. Catlin jumps in: ‘With ‘Dance Boy’, it’s all Will’s lyrics but nothing’s too literal, there’s a cool kind of hint of vagueness.’ He looks at Barnes: ‘It’s your choice of words, they’re not predictable.’ I say that I agree and that I love lines in their songs like ‘No Hope’: “I’m still tantalised, always catching feelings out of white lies”, which are really memorable and Garwood agrees: ‘Some people write lyrics that are almost like a poem’ – he looks at Barnes – ‘but sometimes I read your lyrics and I’m like, what, mate?!’ Barnes laughs. ‘It’s like that recent song that Dave Grohl did with Mick Jagger (He’s referring to ‘Easy Sleazy’, which was released in April). The lyrics are terrible but the song is brilliant, like a dad band song!’ Garwood joins in: ‘No-one has lyrics like us (laughs) and here we are slagging off Dave Grohl!’

Interestingly, they say that ‘No Hope’ has been the most important song for them as a band: ‘It’s probably the song that’s done the most for us as a band,’ Catlin said. ‘It was largely responsible for getting us on BBC Introducing in Norfolk and the Reading and Leeds festival slots. We were driving to the Isle of Wight and Maya Jarma started playing ‘No Hope’ on the radio.’ Garwood nods: ‘It was the craziest time, having your song on Radio 1!’

Earlier this month, they provided support for Wigan superstars The Lathums for a night in Cambridge. ‘It was a great night, it’s always good to play in front of a packed out crowd, especially in a city we class as our home town,’ Barnes said. ‘It was awesome for The Lathums to invite us down.’ They also shared the bill with Norwich’s brilliant indie rock band The Islas in 2018. Locally, they recommend alt rock/punk band, Sleemo. ‘They’re proper heavy,’ Barnes said enthusiastically.

Typically, Barnes comes up with the starting points for the songs: ‘I usually have the lyrics and the chord progression and a lot of the other stuff in my head,’ he said. ‘Usually, I have to help Pete, he’s not very good at drumming,’ he joked.

‘Originally, I wrote it about someone acting like a child in the relationship’

Each of their five singles to date is very different sonically, which means you never know what you’ll be getting next. ‘Grown Ups’, which erupts with a fuzzed up riff, has a distinctly Cure vibe to it. ‘I guess it’s a love song but not like Taylor Swift,’ Barnes joked. ‘Originally, I wrote it about someone acting like a child in the relationship when they should be behaving like a grown-up. The lyrics are quite sarcastic. It was written about a friend’s relationship drama at the time, we’ve got the line: “You word it all so perfectly, is that what kept you up all week?” It’s easy to think you know it all when you’re young and you always try to act much older and cooler than you are. Typically we’ve all acted childishly at times when we’re meant to be working things out as adults, as we say in the song: “We fight like children and we let on we’re grown ups.”‘

In the studio, the tracks can evolve into different beasts as well: ‘In a rehearsal, listening out loud, they can become really different,’ Catlin said. ‘With ‘Dance Boy’, that came together really quickly, it happened more naturally, that big discoey vibe.’ Garwood agrees: ‘It just felt really good, although we’ve only played ‘Dance Boy’ at two shows,’ he said. Barnes interjects: ‘It’s not fun to play,’ he admitted. ‘There’s the extra pressure of all the backing parts.’ Catlin nods: ‘A lot of the gigs can be hit and miss with the quality of the sound system etc.,’ he said. ‘If you’re short on time or things aren’t right, ‘Dance Boy’ can be a bit high risk. There are bits that can add atmosphere, Adam carries the lead guitar line.’ They often close with ‘Come On Out’, which hasn’t been released as a single yet, although there is a clip of them playing it on YouTube. ‘It’s got a big ending,’ Garwood said. ‘We’ve played shows to just a couple of people – my mum and dad (laughs). The song draws people in, the way it slows down at the end.’

If they could pen a song with anyone, they all have plump for somebody different. ‘Kate Bush,’ Liam said promptly. ‘He just loves her,’ Garwood said. ‘You could go with Bowie,’ he pondered. Catlin goes with American musician and producer, Danger Mouse, and David Byrne from Talking Heads. ‘Lyrically, I’d say John Lennon would be the most interesting person to work on a song with,’ Barnes said. ‘His songs have meaning and they hit you hard, unlike most of today’s Top 40 music. It’s not gonna be Taylor Swift, Dave Grohl or Mick Jagger after what we’ve said, is it?,’ he laughed.

(Photo from left to right: Ciaran, Will, Adam and Peter.)