Formed in a Welsh caravan park, The Tubs are here to strum and thrum their way to being one of the breakout bands of 2023.

London-based Welsh band, The Tubs, release ‘Dead Meat.’ the new single and title track off their debut album Dead Meat, out January 27th on Trouble In Mind. The Tubs were formed by "O" and George "GN" Nicholls, who were the main writers for the noise-pop band Joanna Gruesome. They are also one-fourth of the "evil" Sniffany & The Nits and the significantly less evil Ex-Vod. Although the bands' musical styles are different, The Tubs' jangle is masked by a similar derangement. We caught up with vocalist/guitarist Owen “O” Williams to find out more.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from, and something about the music you make?

I'm Owen, I'm from Cardiff. As well as The Tubs, I write songs for the bands Ex-Void and Cotton Crown. They're all pretty different stylistically, but I'd say I tend to try and write songs made up entirely of hooks. Sometimes I steal these hooks from other songs and put them under different chords/edit the notation until they bear no resemblance to the original.

What happened at the Llawr-Betws caravan park that made you want to form the Tubs?

We got locked into our caravan and had no choice but to form a new band.

There are a lot of great bands from Wales. How important would you say Wales is to the music you make?

I'm not sure really, but I do like Gorky's Zygotic Mynci a lot.

You have said these are “pop tunes about erotomania, groinal rashes, extreme acts of snivelling and heinous South London flat odors”, but you kick off the album with what I can only describe as a heart-breaking love song. Do you class Illusion pt.II as erotomania?? Or maybe all love songs are.

I don't think I'd class that one as particularly erotomaniacal to be fair, but yes, I guess all love songs have an element of delusion/mania/madness to them! Illusion Part 2 is probs the most earnest, sentimental one tho, yes. Despite all the stuff about groin rashes, I am very sentimental when it comes to lyrics. I also write fiction and make much more of an effort to be anti-sentimental in my prose, but for some reason I let myself be really cringe and dramatic and needy in my songwriting.

You’ve cited traditional British folk and Canterbury folk-rock as influences, but I couldn’t help but feel Jonny Marr’s jaunty guitars and Morrisey’s less jaunty lyrics symbiosis of The Smiths came to mind. This isn’t a question but more an observation. Guess I’m just trying to say that your new album, Deadmeat, is a really beautiful cathartic album. ‘Round the Bend’ has become a bit of an anthem for me right now. I probably shouldn’t admit that. But thank you.

That's really nice, thank you. Yes, The Smiths is there. They've always been huge for me, despite Moz's efforts to tarnish the legacy.

What was it like working with Trouble in Mind?

A dream!! It's nice working with a label who genuinely get the band and totally understand where we're coming from. They're also very tolerant about our tardy email responses.

Can you tell us more about how you approach writing songs?

So like I say - I nick a lot, both from other bands and other projects of mine. I also like just allowing tons of different influences in, I guess, to be pretentious about it, it's sort of a post-modern approach. By the time I started writing songs as a teen, I already had the Internet and access to a giant library of music from the past, so I've always taken a kind of pick-n-mix approach to songwriting. I guess I'm aware that it's impossible to make genuinely new, novel guitar music, and so I tend to lean into anachronism.

What inspires your music?

With the tubs, it's often like phrases I find funny or stupid things my friends say.

What advice would you give anyone trying to achieve a similar sound to you?

I think if someone was actively, specifically trying to sound like the Tubs, I'd be kind of confused, but I guess I'd say just steal our melodies and change the chords underneath.

Where do you guys stand on UFOs, and have you ever seen any?

I got a bit obsessed with those videos of UFOs the American navy released two years ago. Not sure what my stance is- I guess I was wondering why they were so small.

Ghosts?

I hope ghosts aren't real because they're scary.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it is important to you.

Jackson Brown- Late for the Sky. When I was a teenager, as well as liking NME indie etc. I also listened to a lot of like Americana soft rock ballads. That album is still perfect and heartbreaking and reminds me of being very hormonal.

What do you hate right now?

My perverse OCD imp mind.

What do you love right now?

Driving down the motorway with my other band Sniffany and the Nits, playing car games.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?

When we were 18, my band Joanna Gruesome organised a show in a swimming pool in Oxford.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?

Maybe My Bloody Valentine or The Taylor Stewart Group.

Is there a particular place in the world you would love to play a gig one day?

Japan.

What comes next in The Tubs story?

We release our album!!!

What upcoming 2023 music releases are you most excited about?

I have no idea what's coming out, lol.

Is there any new music from 2022 you have been enjoying?

I really like Organ Tapes from London. New Trust Fund too.

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

No, I think that's it, thank you!!

Start Listening To: The Tubs