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Music has gotten very serious lately, hasn’t it? With the resurgence of post-punk and the rise of ‘sad pop’, the musical landscape is crying out for some light relief. And at a time when there’s enough to be serious about, the power of music as a form of escapism feels more essential than ever....

Enter Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard: fun-loving, double denim-clad, old-fashioned Welsh rock ‘n’ rollers. Navigating their way through the doom and gloom of our current zeitgeist, the four-piece have emerged from Cardiff as beacons of optimism.

Straddling the past and present, their sound drags all the bravado and glitter of '70s glam rock kicking and screaming into 2022. Add in witty lyrics and a charismatic Welsh frontman, and you’ve got the formula for one of the most exciting bands right now. Ahead of their upcoming album Backhand Deals, we caught up with frontman Tom Rees to find out where this lust for life comes from, and the power of humour. 

Tom joins us from the band’s studio in Cardiff, which on a freezing night in January, has no central heating. “It’s like living in depression-era America, huddled around a burning trash can. It’s fucking baltic, but it builds character!”, he says with the very optimism that runs throughout the band’s music. 

It’s not a blind optimism, though. Behind all the silliness, Buzzard's songs don’t shy away from the big issues. In fact, they are the basis of much of A Passionate Life, their latest EP. ‘New Age Millennial Magic’ — which will also appear on their forthcoming album — is a scathing look on consumerism and climate change (half the world is dying, it’s already begun/but I can shower for hours, it’s just so much fun), whilst ‘Break Right In’ (another Backhand Deals track) takes aim at the “lizards and pigs” and “fools who keep suppressing our good time”. 

“We believe that you can have something to say as long as you caveat it with some level of humour”, Tom says when asked where this political satire comes from. “Everybody wants to have the I-told-you-so moment, like predicting how civilisation is going to burn down. But I think because civilisation could very well burn to the ground at any moment, we’ve just got to have a bit of a party, haven’t we?”

There are plenty of bands who claim to ‘not take themselves too seriously’ and ‘just want to have a good time’. But perhaps no-one means it more than this band. Their triple-barrelled name and ridiculously titled songs are enough to show that there isn’t an ounce of pretence in Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard. They quite literally do not care what anyone thinks.

“Using humour also serves the purpose of reminding everyone that we’re just a fucking band at the end of the day. Everyone is very serious at the moment, but humour is a good way of dealing with all the shit going on”. 

Not everyone always agrees. “There’s been times when our humour hasn’t landed well, definitely”, Tom laughs. “But I do think it’s largely a Welsh thing, the whole taking the piss out of everything. If something bad happens to someone, we just take the piss out of it or the person it’s happened to. I just think humour is a really cathartic thing — and we need a bit more of it at the moment”. 

Speaking of Wales, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard are spearheading the current surge of talent coming out of their city (Cardiff) at the moment, alongside others like band favourites The Bug Club (Tom “literally doesn’t listen to anyone else”). So, is the Welsh capital overtaking London as the new indie hotbed? 

“When I was first starting out in bands there was a real thing about people moving to London”, Tom explains. “but I think the whole London thing has definitely died a death. I like going to London to feel like I'm a big important person for a day; going to meetings, running to catch the bus — I love all that. But really, I just love the community spirit of Cardiff. That idea of contributing to a space and enjoying the benefits, musicians supporting one and other. I think there’s something really special happening in here right now”. 

As well as their Welsh accents, perhaps the most defining thing about the band is their affinity for the past. Specifically, for early '70s glam rock. “We definitely have more of a connection to music of the past than what’s going on at the moment”, Tom agrees. “But we also try to pair this ode to the past with enough contemporary referencing to make sure that we pull those influences into the present”.

This push-pull between the past and present is perhaps most evident on previous single 'John Lennon Is My Jesus Christ', a ridiculous (yet very catchy) ditty namechecking Tom’s icons, from Bolan to Bowie. “The thing with this tune is that by just mentioning the names of these people, it immediately drags it into a contemporary space. Nobody would have written that song in the '70s, because it would have just been a bit fucking weird. Like you were trying to get John Lennon’s attention. It wouldn’t have been cool”. 

Such preoccupation with the past and iconography, begs the question as to whether Tom strives to reach icon-status himself one day. He certainly has the flamboyant style, striking stage presence and compelling personality for it. He even has a podcast (“I just love to chat shit!”). But Tom shakes the idea off with a laugh, “I’m far too stricken with imposter syndrome to be that kind of icon. I’m always questioning whether I’m really supposed to be here”. 

“I think that if anyone sets out to be an icon, the whole sentiment in itself prevents them from being truly iconic. Like I doubt Prince woke up one day like, 'you know what I’m going to try and be an icon'’’ It’s this self-awareness that makes Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard so refreshing. They’re fully aware of their influences, and proudly wear it on their sleeves, but that’s not to say that they are completely defined by their influences. “Over-characterising yourself can really limit you. When people ask us to describe our sound, I just say that we’re a rock band, simple as that. Not many people would define themselves as a ‘rock band’ anymore. Now it seems kind of cool to say that”. 

Despite their modesty, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard are clearly more than just ‘a rock band’. Whatever depression is sweeping the musical landscape at the moment, they’re fighting against it. At times it may seem like there isn’t much to laugh about, but these four '70s-obsessed Welsh lads and their catchy rock ‘n’ roll tunes have exactly the right dose of humour, optimism and double denim to change that.

Backhand Deals arrives 25 February via Communion Records.

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