\u201cIf I have time off from gigging, luckily, I can kind of come and go,\u201d he says of the day job, though it\u2019s something there\u2019s increasingly less time for. \u201cWe did a US tour in February, which was amazing, a Record Store Day thing for Dash The Henge in London, a War Child fundraiser, then The Great Escape. Now a bit of rest. Then it kicks off again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo yeah, my head\u2019s all over the fucking place!\u201d<\/p>\n
Warmduscher have always resisted neat categorisation, crafting a sound stitched from wildly diverse influences. Last year\u2019s Too Cold to Hold<\/a>, their fifth and arguably best record, adds yet more texture, throwing in new ideas like South African Gqom. Whatever it is, it works, and it\u2019s best experienced live.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new songs are going across great,\u201d Clams enthuses. \u201cEspecially \u2018Cleopatras\u2019, I\u2019d say that\u2019s one of my favourites. It\u2019s weird, because before we made it, I didn\u2019t know how it was going to go over live.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n That willingness to experiment is part of the band\u2019s DNA. \u201cI find it\u2019s pretty seamless. It\u2019s funny because when we first started, I remember one writer saying something like, \u2018I don\u2019t know how to take them, it\u2019s like listening to a mixtape,\u2019 but we persevered. This is now the fifth album, and we can flow into different genres. There are so many different influences coming from each of us. When we get together and start playing, it becomes its own sound.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019re not the first to label Warmduscher a \u201cparty band.\u201d Nevertheless, Clams squirms slightly at the term. It\u2019s a reputation born of their wild live shows, and one that stems more from the surface-level danceability of their songs than from the actual subject matter of Clams\u2019 lyrics.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a party band,\u201d he concedes. \u201cIt is true. But the nature of what I do and what you\u2019re picking up on is absolutely right. I like to celebrate the misfits! I came from a very small town. I never thought I\u2019d be a musician, but I thought I could work in music. That trip took me to New York via Seattle, via Cape Cod.<\/p>\n \u201cI always came across these stories from the music industry and nightclubs. My sister lived in New York in the 80s and was a wild character. I was influenced by all these people with colourful backstories. I\u2019m talking about stuff that\u2019s a little bit edgy. It\u2019s not necessarily fun. That\u2019s always what\u2019s inspired me. And nine times out of ten, those stories are not love stories, they\u2019re character pieces. It\u2019s kind of tragedy, you know? But in a good way. So I celebrate that. I celebrate that aspect of life. I celebrate street culture, nightclub culture, mystic culture.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love the city of Manchester. It reminds me of New York\u2026 YES have been with us since day one. We owe them a ton.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This celebration of subculture is exactly what makes Warmduscher such a compelling band. Their return to Manchester Psych Fest this summer promises to be just as brilliant as their 2022 set at The Ritz. By the time they arrived onstage that night, audiences had filled the venue since midday and the place was melting.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you get labelled a party band, promoters have you in the later slot. People are sweating all day long, everyone\u2019s tired, but we try to put in a hundred and ten percent every time.\u201d<\/p>\n That they did.<\/p>\n And when we let slip that they\u2019re set to headline the Projekts Skatepark stage \u2014 the outdoor-but-sheltered space under the Mancunian Way that became a fan favourite last year with wild sets from Fat Dog and Lambrini Girls \u2014 Clams lights up.<\/p>\n \u201cReally!? I didn\u2019t know this. No way! Ahh yes! Our drummer Bleucifer is a fucking great skateboarder. I\u2019m psyched. I always wanted to play the one in New York. We tried to put something together at a skatepark in London, but it didn\u2019t work out.\u201d<\/p>\n Clams isn\u2019t the only one excited about this year\u2019s festival. Warmduscher top a stacked 2025 bill that also features The Moonlandingz, Deadletter, George Clanton, The Bug Club, Gong, Chastity Belt and W.H. Lung. More than 80 artists will play across the day, and it\u2019s well worth digging deeper into the lineup \u2014 we recommend checking out Crygoseyer, Slow Fiction, The Orchestra (for Now), Sex Week, Dutch Interior, and Manchester\u2019s own Dove Ellis.<\/p>\n The festival has grown dramatically, bringing thousands of gig-goers into the city and becoming an important date for many of Manchester\u2019s grassroots venues, which are packed out all day.<\/p>\n \u201cThese venues are essential,\u201d says Clams. \u201cThat\u2019s how everyone comes up \u2014 unless you\u2019re already picked to be massive by a major label or whatever. But if you\u2019re someone like us, who started as a DIY band, small venues like these are essential. If you don\u2019t have them, things are going to get worse. It\u2019s so hard as a musician.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese venues are essential\u2026 If you don\u2019t have them, things are going to get worse. It\u2019s so hard as a musician.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cFor people like us who\u2019ve played the game, we\u2019ve played in front of 15,000 people, we\u2019ve played in front of one person. We\u2019ve played the main stages, but we\u2019ll go back to grassroots venues \u2014 you can give your fans something back, offer cheaper tickets, a more intimate environment, and help out the venues. It\u2019s essential, man. I don\u2019t know any band that started without a grassroots venue.\u201d<\/p>\n Manchester has been an important city for Warmduscher. \u201cI love the city of Manchester. It reminds me of New York,\u201d he says. \u201cMarc Riley really championed us. I love The Pink Room (YES<\/a>) \u2014 they\u2019ve been with us since day one. We owe them a ton.\u201d<\/p>\n As for what\u2019s next? \u201cWe\u2019re starting on album six. Touring through France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania\u2026 we\u2019re flat out. Then Green Man, Wide Awake, and Manchester Psych Fest. We\u2019ll tour Too Cold to Hold until the next one\u2019s ready. Hopefully next year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to Psych Fest, August 30th at the skatepark,\u201d Clams signs off. \u201cHopefully old Bleu doesn\u2019t break his neck. We better bring back up!\u201d<\/p>\n Book tickets for Manchester Psych Fest here\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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Summer Zine