Our friends in Patawawa have been one of the busiest bands in the UK over the last two years!
In the build-up to their new single, ‘Forget About It’, they are donating 100% of the funds raised through iTunes purchases to the Coronavirus Relief Fund.
Our Founder Freddie Cocker checked-in with lead singer Sam Wilmot to talk about the single, the first Just Checking In Live they performed at and their plans for the rest of 2020!
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way first Sam. How are you all as a band and families coping with the lock-down and managing your mental health?
Yeah mate not too bad thanks! I’m trying to keep fit and doing more running.
I downloaded the fitness App Strava the other day and I’m trying to keep my mind focused. Setting little goals to achieve has definitely helped. With the new single coming out as well it’s kept me busy!
You’ve been pretty busy bees since you performed at our very first Just Checking In Live in January 2019. It seems like an absolute life-time ago now. What are your memories of that night and then tell us what you’ve been up to since then?
That was a great night! It was super fun and everyone there was really friendly. With a helping hand from Rory’s sick DJ set we danced all night!
What have some of the high moments been over the last 18 months or so as a band? I’m sure performing live on BBC Radio 6 Music on Tom Robinson’s show must have been up there!
We’ve been super-busy writing and recording our debut album whilst still continually gigging so it’s been a lot to manage. We were very lucky to go into BBC Radio 6 Music and do that live session a couple of months ago.
It was a really special night and one we will never forget!
You’ve released one single in 2020 so far called ‘Just Not With You’ (JNWU) which we hope will be on the debut album! You’ve also got a second single being released soon called ‘Forget About It’. Just tell us about both those record and their message?
You’ll be pleased to know Fred that JNWU will be on the album along with this new one!
We recorded it about 6 months ago now. The message of forget about it is that bad things happen, they happen to everyone and it’s okay to be down about it , okay to vent about it but we should always remember it will get better, which is weirdly really relevant at the moment.
We’d planned this release before COVID-19 but the song could 100% be written about it!
In the build-up to the launch you decided to donate all the digital pre-order sales from iTunes for the new single to the Coronavirus Relief Fund which is an incredible gesture. Who out of the band suggested the idea first and why was it something you wanted to do?
We just wanted to do something to help and I think collectively we agreed that this was something that we could do to try and help out in this terrible situation.
What has the response been to that announcement so far and what do you hope it achieves? Have you got a target number of pre-orders in mind?
It’s been great! We actually have no idea how many people have done it and we don’t have a target really, the aim was to just raise as much as we possibly can!
This lock-down we’re living in at the moment is obviously hugely difficult for a lot of people. Why do you think now more than ever that music can be a great tool to help us all get through it?
Music helps out people all the time in loads of different situations and this time is no different. I think this is a time where people really need new music so hopefully people can enjoy our newest output and it can bring them some form of happiness in these dark times.
What tips or tools have worked for you or the band that you could give our Venters reading this piece about how to cope with everything that’s going on?
For me personally exercise has been really useful. It makes me feel good and it’s always great to have goals and to try and achieve them.
I’m lucky really because the band takes up an incredible amount of time so it keeps me very occupied but obviously not everyone has that so I would definitely recommend starting up a new hobby if you can!
Finally Sam what have you got planned for Patawawa for the rest of 2020 (COVID-19 permitting of course)?
It’s finally album time for us so expect lots of new music and lots of shows!!
You can pre-order or buy Patawawa’s new single ‘Forget About It’ here.
