Q&A: Former Champ

In this weeks Q&A, Former Champ members Claire and Craig share the story behind Former Champ’s latest EP VOL 2. They delve into the friendship and creative freedom that shape their sound, and the experiences of bringing their music to new audiences. From recording sessions in a tiny, sweltering studio to festival gigs and their plans for an upcoming album, the band talks about balancing fun with a fresh, unfiltered approach to making music.

Check out our Q&A below:

It sounds like Former Champ came together pretty naturally through friendships, shared gigs, and even some plastering work! How has knowing each other so well outside the band shaped the music you’re creating now?

Craig Angus: We are a tight group of homies.

Claire McKay: The fact we are so close and can be so open with each other really makes for a better creative process. We also have a lot of craic, which I think seeps into the energy of the music and the live shows.

CA: I have a creative partnership with Andy and Claire that goes back for years now, and the main benefit is that it gets easier to say “this isn’t for me” and also to take that sort of feedback on the chin. You have faith in the instincts of the collective, and that’s the only way the collective works. And then Ryan and Zack are both people I knew I wanted to be in a band with, at some point.

Each of you has come from different musical projects, so what’s been the biggest change coming together as Former Champ? Has anything about the way you work together surprised you?

CM: My writing style is to always go for the most immediate pop choices, but working with musicians who think outside the box has made things way more interesting.

CA: I’m used to being the vocalist in whatever I do, so I’ve adjusted to writing songs I have no intention of singing. And I’m adjusting to people actually liking the tunes. And all of these things being connected in some way.

The band started taking shape during lockdown. Do you think that time influenced the sound or feel of Former Champ? Do you think things would have been different if you’d formed that band at another time?

CA: I think it just gave us the space to talk about it, really.

CM: Having time to experiment and refine our sound and think through how we wanted to release music and connect with people was really valuable.

CA: The best stuff I did during lockdown was the stuff that was fresh, new challenges with new dynamics.

You recently played at Left of the Dial in Rotterdam. What was that experience like, bringing Former Champ to an international stage? Did the crowd react differently from audiences back home?

CM: As a performer, it’s always very freeing playing to a room of complete strangers in a different place—especially if they are into it (luckily they were).

CA: Those shows were actually over a year ago and were two of our earliest gigs. We were just grateful Left of the Dial liked the songs and were up for having us play. It’s such a good festival. I’m a bit of an evangelist for what they do.

The band are fresh from performing at Tenement Trail. Is there a different approach the band takes to performing in Scotland compared to abroad?

CA: Maybe more so the different approach is playing festivals like TT, where you have a tight changeover, can’t use the gear you normally use, and the vibe of the venue is often a mystery until you’re on stage and playing. My experience of playing abroad varies a lot too. A crowd in the Netherlands and the Nordic countries is totally different from a crowd in Spain. All good experiences—just really different cultures.

CM: I don’t think so. Every show requires a bit of thought in terms of ‘what set is going to work best,’ ‘will people be up for a quiet tune in the middle of a festival slot,’ but I think we really do always aim to play the absolute best show we can.

The next EP from the band, VOL 2, is set to be out in the world this Friday. Is there a specific story or anecdote from the recording sessions for VOL 2 that stands out to you? Something that captures the vibe of the project?

CM: Very hot August in tiny Green Door Studio, cold Modelos from GG Brothers, full band crammed in tracking live to tape, hit the Polish Club after a hard day’s graft.

CA: It was so hot. The vibe was quite shirtless, out of necessity really. I’d just bleached my hair for the first time. Andy bought me the Jaws cereal.

With VOL 2, what feels fresh or different in this EP compared to your previous EP? Is there anything you’re excited for listeners to pick up on?

CM: We recorded in a very similar way as we did for Vol. 1—live to tape at Green Door with Ronan Fay. But going back in a second time, we all knew what to expect and what we wanted to do better. We show a softer side on closing track “23.”

CA: We had always planned for the first couple of releases to have an aesthetic consistency; we just made a few subtle refinements, the sort of things that come from experience.

A couple of the tracks from the EP have already been released—like “Hold On.” The themes in Hold On—like slowing down and appreciating the moment—seem to resonate with a lot of listeners. Do you set out to write with a specific message, or do these ideas just come through in the process?

CM: Craig and I definitely consider lyrical themes and the overarching story when we’re working on songs and how they’ll all speak to each other as a set.

CA: If anything, I overthink themes and stuff like that. I’m trying to soften that approach a bit because not everything has to have, like… meaning as such. Sometimes stuff just feels right, sounds right. But the mission statement for this band in a writing sense was definitely like Paul Westerberg and all the pathos in the Replacements tunes. These are pop songs first and foremost—they are never going to be perfect short stories like Raymond Carver or whatever—but they do start from that place.

Now for the hard-hitting questions: who’s the best in the band at splitting the G in a pint of Guinness?

CA: I think this is me. I would fancy my chances in a contest. Clarky is the direct competition here, I think.

CM: Despite being the band’s only true Irishman, I suck at this challenge. A pint of Guinness is to be savoured. I vote Clarky, though.

Now that VOL 2 is out in the world, what’s next for Former Champ?

CM: Recording the album, more gigging, more trips to the Polish club.

CA: We are writing a lot, as always, and we’re going to Ireland to put a few more tracks down in January. I’m very excited about what we’re working on.