The Coin Flip Interviews: Committee of Sleep

Stub caught up with Committee of Sleep ahead of their set at Headrow House. For those not in the know about the premise, the flip of a coin decides the questions put to the band. Heads, a serious one. Tails, something a bit weird. 

Tails: If your band existed in a different century, what would you be doing together instead of making music (i.e. court jesters, lighthouse keepers, involved in fermenting turnips in some way…it can be anything!). 

Oli: Let’s start on the century and work around that. I feel we would do well as Victorians as we don’t like talking about our feelings and stuff. Sam would be the chimney sweep. Jack would be the workhouse master. Jenny would be the northern one and we’d all be like ‘oh how terrible for her’. I would be an aristocrat who dies of melancholia because my chimney doesn’t get swept properly and I’m married to my cousin who is always sickly. 

Stub: That’s a very good answer! 

Heads: Stub quarterly is a celebration of the past, present, and future of the Leeds music scene. 

We want to know, first, who are your favourite Leeds band that are no longer with us (to clarify, disbanded, not dead).

Oli: Dim Imagery. Then I’m going to defer to Jack. 

Sam: Gang of Four? 

Jack: Everyone says Gang of Four. Scratch that. I think Mush. 

Stub: You would be the first person to say Gang of Four, but the second to say Mush. But that’s fine because Mush are fucking great. 

Sam: Meatboy. 

Jack: Yeah, Meatboy!

Secondly, who are your favourite Leeds band currently? 

Jack: Vehicle. Yeah? I think we are all in agreement, well I just force everyone to listen. 

Last part, your hot tip, who is the future of the Leeds music scene? 

Jack: Not Committee of Sleep.

Sam and Jenny: I was going to say Committee of Sleep! 

Oli: Who have we played with in Leeds that we really rated? 

Jack: Nicholas Grant Band. 

Oli: That’s a bit of shameless self-promotion there, but Nicholas Grant Band are pretty good. 

Jack: Nic Grant or Tulpa! I’ll stop there. 

Heads: If you had to be a tribute band for the day, who would it be? 

Oli: This is actually a close matter to our hearts. Me, Sam, and Jack have known each other since we were six. I moved to their school, and I was the weird kid. But then I learned to play bass because that was the only thing that no one else was playing. For a really long time Jack and I were only interest in doing Rage Against the Machine covers and we tried to recruit people who only want to do that. Then we got Jenny and Sam in and the rest is history. WAKE UP!

Jack: I would say Rage Against the Machine or Pixies, but I don’t want to say Pixies because people say we sound like them and we are ripping them off. 

Jenny: Ooo I don’t know. 

Oli: Jenny refused to answer this one. No comment for Jenny because she would say something like Biffy Clyro or something. Sam would say Placebo or Interpol.

Stub: I imagine Rage Against the Machine would be really fun. I was at the Brude new years eve this year and I had only ever listed to Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’ and it was probably my gig of the year. It was unbelievable.

**Collective search for the coin**

Stub: I believe the coin is under your ass.

Oli: I guess that means the coin beckons me. The coin decides. 

Heads: You recently did a recording with Contact Buzz. Tell us a bit about the recording and how it compared to your other recording experiences. 

Jack:  Well, we’ve never actually recorded in a studio. The EP that’s coming out was self-recorded and none of us can record. Recording with Jamie was therefore very nice as he knows what he’s doing. We are recording with him again soon. 

Oli: We really love Jamie and we just chatted about Guided by Voices the whole time and I just chewed his ear off about that because I felt like I had found a kindred spirit. 

Jack: And he’s got a good taste in crisps.

Oli: Yeah, a good taste in crisps. Bobby’s BBQ snacks is what kept us going and it was Jenny’s debut recording session. What did you think about it Jenny?

Jenny: I was freezing cold, and I got ill, but that wasn’t Jamie’s fault. 

Oli: That really wasn’t Jamie’s fault as we booked the room.  

Jenny: It’s no one’s fault, it was my fault for underdressing. The vocals were fun though! 

BONUS QUESTION: Top 3 Crisps.

**Collective thinking time and mulling over**

1. Salt and Vinegar Squares

2. Monster Munch

3. Lentil Crisps (general)

Tails: If your music was served as a meal, what would the waiter whisper before they revealed it to you and what would the meal be?

Jack: When we record, the recording is secondary with the cooking being the main thing. I would be chef most of the time. To start would be Sam’s epic sauce which is his trademark sauce that he makes. 

Stub: Can we know the colour of the epic sauce? What is its Temperature? 

Jack: it’s an epic colour. 

Sam: It’s chillies, garlic, ginger, butter…

**collective shushing***

Stub: ...and I take it multiple secret ingredients after that. 

Jack: Then under that would be a whole chicken. For desert would then be caramel shortbread of the Greggs variety. I think the waiter would probably whisper “You fucked up that take again Oli”. 

Heads: What where your first ever gigs that you attended. 

Oli: Wu-Tang Clan age 14. 

Sam: Mine was a Leeds band…Kaiser Chiefs. I was 8 or 9. 

Jack: Paul Stanley of Kiss when I was 7. That’s it. Best gig I’ve ever been to. 

Jenny: JLS

Sam: How old were you? 

Oli: 18.

Jenny: Noo, about 11.

Stub: We had an event at Wax Bar in January to celebrate one year since we started Stub and we played one Kaiser Chiefs song and we were really worried about it, but only one person shot a look at us, so it was absolutely fine. 

Tails: If you could only perform on boats made of bread, which loaf would you choose as your ship? 

Jenny: Something with cheese on it. 

Jack: Can I say Rudy’s pizza base? 

Oli: That’s not proper bread. 

Jack: Alright, a French one.

Oli: Un Baguette. 

Jack: Yeah, I think they would be good in the sea. 

Oli: You would want something with a crusty outside. 

Jenny: Yeah, that’s what I mean, like a tiger bread. 

Oli: Maybe a sour dough, a few days out of date, and it’s upside down. Best chance of survival I reckon. It’s also got a bit hunk of cheddar on top and beans. 

Jenny: It’s also got a waterproof base.

Jack: It’s also got pirates on top to help…

Sam: Conquer the seas. 

Oli: For plundering!

Heads: What’s next for Committee of Sleep?

 Oli: We have an EP out called ‘Ruling Overturned’…

**the interview was briefly side-tracked by the event organiser having to check tickets immediately. The band explained who they were and Stub showed their tickets to avoid being ejected from the venue**

Jack:…We are recording another EP at the end of the March. We are then playing with High School at Brude, then Manchester Pop Fest, and then we are probably just going to quit after that as it caused me too much stress. [the gigs have been an gone now, but keep an eye on CoS's socials for...hopefully...new gigs]

Oli: Then we will just doom scroll reels. 

Picture of the band by Kath Wildman.