Having just released their explosive debut album, Ready Steady Bang, GIHE faves Bugeye have fast been building a reputation for their wonderfully unique colourful pizazz, with recent acclaim from the likes of John Kennedy, Amazing Radio and God Is In The TV Zine. And rightly so, the album is like nothing you’ve heard before; a vibrant fusion of disco, punk and everything in-between, all fused together with magnificent energy into a relentlessly riotous and utterly uplifting collection.
We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspires them or influences their writing. So, we caught up with Angela from Bugeye to find out her “Five Favourites” – five albums that have influenced her writing and Bugeye’s current sound. Check out her choices below, and make sure you listen to the new album asap!
Altered Images – Happy Birthday
I can’t quite remember when I discovered the Scottish band Altered Images. It may have been on one of those punk comp albums, but it was a band that would be one of my main influences for Bugeye’s music. I love the way they blend new wave punk tones with disco, cover dark themes but with upbeat musical accompaniments. It’s certainly what we try to do with Bugeye and although we don’t sound like Altered Images, their album Happy Birthday has been a big influence on my writing style.
Blondie – Parallel Lines
Another incredible band that merges disco and new wave punk in such a
seamless way. I have always been a huge Blondie fan from an early age, and this was one of my dads’ favourite albums. It’s spiky pop in its finest moments and is one of those albums that made me want to pick up a guitar and play. Whenever I need inspiration to write, I listen to Blondie.
Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish
Probably an unexpected choice but I was rediscovering the beginnings of Brit-Pop before it all went south and this was an album I played a lot. It’s lyrically witty, wise, catchy, dark, light and everything in between. The music is simplistic but smart, and I think it was a great album that perfectly captured a mood, social change and the political climate. We wanted to write something that looked at the world today so surrounding ourselves with important records to inspire us to take a long hard look at the world was key. This was one of those albums.
Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine
Exciting synths and exploring the impact of technology upon humanity,
this album was the perfect atmospheric inspiration for our own writing on this subject. Synths have become such an important part of Bugeye’s sound and what better place to explore possibilities than with the work of Kraftwerk?!
Donna Summer – Best Of
Queen of the dance floor and a big influencer on dance music, Donna Summers’ music is pop, disco, soul and funk. It has a brutal futurism to it with icy electronics pulsing in a dark but fun way. We loved the way she mixed styles and sounds and we wanted to capture some of this with our album. You’ll hear arpeggiators and big disco sounds across our album as a salute to Donna Summer.
Massive thanks to Angela for sharing her Five Favourites!
Ready, Steady, Bang, the new album from Bugeye, is out now via Reckless Yes. Download or buy the CD on Bandcamp, or find one of the few remaining vinyl copies at selected independent record shops.
