Returning to the Crawl for the second year in a row, Tom Williams and The Boat are already firm favourites of the festival – and those of you who saw their ace set last year. They’re likely to make as many new friends at 2012’s event as they’ve been making in the 12 months since we last saw them – we hear positive whispers about these chaps everywhere these days.
Tunbridge Wells’s finest, Tom and his Boat are anti-folk trouble-makers in the finest tradition of raucous acoustic pop. We met up with them over a real ale, to reminisce about old times and plot world domination.
What is your first memory or experience of Camden Town?
Think it was coming up after school, aged about 15, from Kent to see Hope Of The States play the Electric Ballroom. Giant Drag and Adem supported, great night!
In what one other city would you put on a festival like the Camden Crawl and why?
It has to be somewhere which has a similarly, tightly packed, almost village, atmosphere, maybe Paris, or New York haha.
If the band were to appear live on any US television series, which would it be?
We could be written subtly into a Sheen-era episode of Two & A Half men, maybe Charlie could, through the series, have his wicked way with all of us.
What one instrument that isn’t part of your line-up do you secretly wish was?
The Hurdy Gurdy for sure. Makes a kind of air raid siren slow wail. Always jealous of Arcade Fire when they get theirs out.
Describe your sound in 10 words or less:
Big balls earnest sweet guitar pop doom folk rock clatter.
What is the most interesting event the band has planned for 2012?
We’re currently planning a lock-in piss up in Camden town for our album launch, invite only big big party where we’ll serve our own beer we’ve manufactured to celebrate the release of our new album, ‘Teenage Blood’!
Tipple of choice?
‘Teenage Blood’ the official beer of Tom Williams & The Boat, of course.
Anything specific you want to plug?
Our new record, out April 23rd on Moshi Moshi/Wire Boat Recordings. Plug plug plug haha.
