Worcestershire Music scene: Jodie Hughes meets Kick The Clown

I have seen Kick The Clown play several times now, and each time is more energetic than the last. They have really made a name for themselves locally as vibrant, loud and brutally honest lads with their politically charged lyrics and unapologetically punk sound.

They know how to captivate an audience, inciting mosh pits and chanting from their loyal fans. Made up of vocalist George Ormerod, guitarist Matt Tyler, bassist Dan McLaren and drummer Joe Cummings, this is a band you don’t want to miss.

I spoke to them at their most recent headline gig at Paradiddles Music Café and Bar about what it all means to them.

What was the beginning of Kick The Clown like?

G: Dan and I went to Tanzania together and spent a day bonding, and I was listening to Slipknot on his phone on the coach back. He then came up to me one day at school and was like “do you want to start a band and be the vocalist”, and I was like “yeah let’s do it!”.

We needed a drummer, so we asked Joe who I knew through my brother. We didn’t have Matt originally, but we knew of him from school so he eventually joined. We played the Christopher Whitehead Language College battle of the bands, then went on to play Severn Sounds Festival and Minifest.

What was the inspiration behind the first song you guys ever wrote together?

G: Office jobs, which none of us had! I was going to sixth form in Birmingham at the time, and every day I would walk past this office block where people would be typing at their computers till 6 o’clock.

I just thought, this is really tragic! There were about 30-40 people wearing the same shirts and ties just typing away, doing accounts or making presentations, and it just really depressed me, so I wrote a song about it.

How do you think your sound has developed since that first song?

G: I think we’ve matured a lot. I like to think we’re better than we were. Being in a band has made us all discover new music, listening to a broader range. Matt listened to only Blink 182, Dan listened to Iron Maiden and a bit of Metallica, and Joe listened to more ska music.

I just listened to a lot of old punk music. But we’ve now interacted with a lot of different bands and our awareness has grown massively, which has helped our own music mature.

You’ve done a lot of gigs, but what are you most proud of?

M: Probably playing the O2 Institute 2 in Birmingham.

G: For me I think it’s when we supported The Dickies, but that’s because I’ve always liked them.

D: We did a gig at The Marrs Bar in January 2018, and about 150 people turned up.

G: We were expecting about 50-60 people. Actress and Bishop in Birmingham was great. We were soundchecking to basically just our parents, then we started and about 70 people turned up all of a sudden.

We also did a gig in Stourbridge at the River Rooms, and we sold enough tickets that the original headline band let us headline! There were a lot of people there who didn’t know us at all. That was the most memorable for me.

As a young band, how important is it to you to have venues such as Paradiddles who give a platform for younger bands?

D: I don’t know what we’d actually be doing if we couldn’t get gigs.

G: I don’t think we’d have been going for as long as we have if we couldn’t get gigs at places like here or The Marrs Bar. The industry doesn’t always want to give the time to young bands.

D: That’s where it’s at though.

G: Exactly. I’m speaking on behalf of the fact that we make punk music, but there is a lot happening politically at the moment, and young bands have a lot to say. They’re making that music, but the people in power aren’t giving them that time.

A lot of music being made these days doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves, so it’s great that a lot of venues are giving bands aged under 21 the opportunities. Younger bands are more dedicated than people get credit for.

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What can we expect from KTC in the coming months?

G: We’re recording a new EP in Birmingham.

D: We’re recording it ourselves so that’s stressful.

G: Hopefully a lot of gigs in Birmingham because Dan is going to uni there. We’d also love to headline some more places here in Worcester.

You can catch Kick The Clown at The Marrs Bar in Worcester on December 23 when they support Time of the Mouth for Uncover’s Christmas special.

They are also in Birmingham at Muther’s Studio on November 22, and, if you’re as far afield as Manchester, they play Jimmy’s on November 24.