By: Josh Kitchen / March 25, 2024
All photo credits: @spcmountain
"I can't believe I'm in love with you again/Over and over it goes, it never ends", lead singer and primary songwriter Owen "O" Williams sings in the opening lines of "Illusion pt. II', from The Tubs' debut album, Dead Meat. On first listen, Dead Meat reminds of the very best English romantic and melancholic 80's bands like The Smiths, The Jam, or Echo & The Bunnymen, by way of Peter Buck's Byrds inspired jingle-jangle Rickenbacker.
While The Tubs are technically a new band, the band members have been playing music together for years as Joanna Gruseome, the celebrated noise pop band from Wales. As The Tubs, Williams is given the chance to take over lead vocals and express his sardonic side and sing openly about his mental health. O was kind enough to answer my questions about Dead Meat, what song he wishes he wrote, and when The Tubs will play their first show in America.
Tell me about The Tubs. Can you talk about how Joanna Gruseome gets to The Tubs?
We all met as teenagers in Wales, formed Joanna Gruesome, and have been in a million bands with overlapping members since. Lan Mcardle from Joanna Gruesome features on The Tubs album and joins us live sometimes, and Dead Meat essentially is Joanna Gruesome but with me (Owen) doing lead vocals. These days Taylor, another longtime friend from Glasgow, is our drummer.
Who are some of your musical influences? I hear some Byrds in there, The Smiths, and "Gut Feeling" by DEVO. I want to hear more about what music inspired you and continues to inspire you.
All of that stuff's definitely in there. We've always liked cherry picking a load of influences and seeing how they work together. Folk stuff like Richard Thompson, Nic Jones, etc. is all buried in there, at least in the use of vocal trills.
Your vocal delivery is something I noticed immediately when first heard "Wretched Lie." It's very romantic and oftentimes pretty confessional.
In my previous bands I wrote songs for my friend Lan (from Joanna Gruesome and Ex-void) to sing and I'd provide backing vocals. The Tubs is the first band I've been the sole vocalist in. I think learning to sing in my own accent, rather than kind of transatlantically, and singing lyrics that are sort of exposing and self critical, has probably allowed me to commit to the delivery.
Can you talk about the juxtaposition of some of the dark lyrics on the album with that upbeat post-punk playing?
I actually didn't think of them as particularly dark until that was pointed out. I think it comes from the fact that I like writing lyrics that aren't particularly affirmative or optimistic or forgiving. But often I feel like that dourness excuses a certain amount of romanticism or sentimentalism. And the music is obviously quite upbeat so that's always a classic tension to exploit.
What's a song you wish you wrote?
Hmm maybe "Different Drum" by The Stone Poneys? But it's difficult because whatever tune I choose I'd have to recontextualize it for The Tubs.
If you wanted to make someone a Tubs fan what would you play?
I think we're kind of an album band so I'd force them to listen to the whole first album or if send them the yet to be released second album.
Tell me about a great show you saw.
I saw the magnetic fields on ecstasy a year or so ago. I was probably feeling biased but that was really good.
Are you gonna make it out for a US tour?
We'll definitely make it out there, probably in 2025.
Are you writing anything?
I'm releasing some solo music as 'Cotton Crown' on Gob Nation. And we're writing our third album.
Dead Meat is out now on Trouble in Mind Records. Follow The Tubs here: https://thetubs.bandcamp.com/
Follow The Tubs on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/_the_tubs_
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