Sauerkraut: Oral Habit Interview

This is a biassed interview. 

It’s a Tuesday. Still feeling lonely in Brighton my partner and I, follow the trail of jangly guitars and melodramatic cries to a local open mic bursting at the seams with students, most of whom seem less interested in the music and more interested in the £3 pints of Guinness. We take a pew somewhere in the back making awkward hellos to people we casually met at Freshers, who seem not to remember we exist. We sit impatiently awaiting our turn to grace the corner of this dimly lit pub. It’s then, lost in thought I recall my freshers experience. The highlights.. well mainly sitting bored at a pub quite how I am now. I remember seeing a boy in a Bikini Kill T-shirt rush past me and thinking.Wow.This guy probably has a massive ego or he’s the coolest person at this stupid pub. I laughed it off, probably the former. I snap out of my daze as another boy rushes past me, the same boy! As the old drunken host slurs into the mic “Next up is Charlie''.Charlie. Everyone couldn’t help but gawk, dressed in head-to-toe denim pulling it off effortlessly, looks like he was pulled right out in the 70s. Paralysing the audience with his confidence I’m not sure how you can make psych-punk sound so good on acoustic well he just did, lighting up the pub corner like it was his Wembley. I began to realise the latter, he was the coolest person at this stupid pub.

We embarked tipsy back to the flat I exclaimed to my partner “Well what did you think of Charlie'', he replied excitedly “ I loved him, reminded me a lot of (Insert bands I’ve only vaguely heard of but pretend I listen to), I drunkenly nod in agreement. So we returned each Tuesday. Turns out Charlie was a fan of us too. Our friendship with him began in polite pleasantries “really loved your set”, and “So what course are you on” until I’m somberly standing outside as he and my partner gush over those bands I’ve definitely listened to and I try to match up to conversations about Fugazi, Can and Television.

I hear the loud impact of his stiff-fitted door swing open as jittering footsteps race to my room, in anticipation I stare…

 

“You’ll never guess” 

“What” 

“Charlie has just asked me to play bass in Oral Habit”

We sat on my bed. I can feel the excitement and anxiety rushing through his body. These emotions belong to none other than my partner Ferghal. We met as teenagers playing in the same “ex” paramilitary pubs who didn't see the need for a music licence when they had underage kids to supply them with songs for free. I watched him excel in practically every instrument, there seemed like nothing he couldn’t do. But no matter the band he was always delegated to bass probably because he was the only good player in town. Taught by his dad, Ferghal has a unique playing style utilising the entire fretboard. Always sporting whatever clean band tee he has lying about, and his fuzzy ginger hair makes him stand out on every stage. 

He stares at me

“I’m going over tomorrow for a trial I don’t think anything will come of it”

But I knew something would. I knew big things were coming.

Before Ferghal officially joined the band Charlie guestlisted us for the Oral Habit headline at Hope & Ruin. That’s where I met the last member of the band, Charlie’s younger brother Felix. As we stood in the venue chatting to friends they appeared behind us. Felix shyly introduced himself to Ferghal and me standing alongside his brother, both were dressed identically in dressy Lacoste shirts and tailored trousers. We talked for a bit about nothing until Felix checked the time on his phone, Ferghal exclaimed “Oh is your lock screen a Lighting Bolt album” he smirked and said to Charlie “I like this guy”. With that comment, Ferghal was officially in the band. Seeing these songs outside of their acoustic beginnings slathered in heavy distortion and delay contextualised it. I felt too sober! My eyes were darting back and forth as Charlie ran across the stage contorting and improvising movements and melodies. Next, my eyes moved to Felix in the back holding down the fort with his precise and simple rhythms giving his brother freedom to do whatever the hell he wanted as the audience were willing participants in this sweaty game of punk rock tennis. 

As we were jumping and screaming along to Jeff Rosenstock Ferghal got a phone call. He didn’t think twice and let it ring to voicemail. Seconds later his phone buzzed. A text.

Charlie: “When can you call, nothing bad”. 

As I was headbanging the only thought rattling around my head was what was the “nothing bad”? As the lights came up we raced out of the venue as Ferghal quickly redialed… 

“Oh my God, no way that’s amazing hell yeah man”

I had my suspicions I begged for the call to end

Bad turned into good

“We’ve just been signed to a label”

Unofficially in mid-February Oral Habit was signed to Big Richard Records. A whirlwind of gigs, photoshoots and recordings followed this. Not knowing how to spend my weekends I followed the boys around as their self-elected groupie. Following them from venue to venue I got to learn more about their characters. From their shared love of eclectic comedies, spending most evenings drunk on Charlie’s sofa watching It’s Always Sunny, passing blunts and discussing everything from films to first loves. The brothers were like Yin and Yang. Charlie is the more outgoing of the two, the one guy who seems to know everyone, sporting an odd sense of humour and an exhausted demeanour. Felix, a sweetheart with a passion for printmaking, seems introverted until you get him started on King Gizzard. Ferghal who has a heart of gold, always playing mediator between the two and never not chilled out with a beer. And probably the one thing they can all agree on…

“Have you ever tried the Hope & Ruin Sauerkraut Hot Dog!?”

I caught up with the band during the weekend of The Great Escape which the band were extremely vocal on social media that they would not be taking part in. Instead, they spent their weekend running back and forth through Brighton playing anti-escape events and fundraisers their first one of the weekend being at the Pelirocco Hotel with local Brighton label Goo Records. 

The Pelirocco is more of an antique store than a hotel. The walls were covered in multiple egregious tacky wallpapers and several glass cases full of music memorable were positioned around the hotel. I found the boys in what would be their “green room” for today (It was just a lounge area which sadly if hotel guests wanted a bit of quiet they would find the exact opposite) they’d already made their way through most of the beer rider reluctant to save any for the other acts. They kicked off the show and also blew up the power at odds with technical difficulties they put on a great show, as they always do. 

It’s hard to interview friends. 

How do you feel after playing the gig today?

Charlie: I feel sweaty

Ferghal: I feel sweaty! Warm! Good! Happy! A bit tipsy…

Charlie:  Felix is watching Instagram reels…

Felix: Woah Woah simmer down! 

Charlie: How are you feeling Felix?

Felix: I’m feeling very hot and sweaty

When did you start making music? How did the band come about? 

Charlie: I started playing guitar when I was… I think I got a little Nylon acoustic for Christmas, I was maybe like in year three. I got kicked out of a band I was in for a very long time, and then I was just experimenting with home recordings, and then come the new year I got Felix involved and we started gigging as a two-piece. That’s sort of how the band started just experimenting with recording and playing my amp really loud in a loft.

And then Felix am I correct in saying you didn’t get into playing drums till much later on or has it always been something that’s drifted in and out of your life?

Felix: Well I started playing drums when I was in year three because my mum was like “Oh there's somewhere close by teaching drums'' but when I did lessons I didn’t really feel like I had a connection to it. I was like “Oh yeah I’ll just keep doing this”, I was just sorta plodding along until lockdown when I started to jam with Charlie. He showed me different albums and songs and then I realised I wanted to take it seriously. I started playing when I was in year three but I started properly practising in 2020.

Charlie: I think lockdown was a germination…

Yeah like a catalyst for everything

Charlie: Yeah! There was suddenly all this time and you could just listen to all this music, watch all this stuff online and then I'd be looking up “How did this band record this” and they used like one sm57. 

Felix: But it wasn’t even like it started with you introducing me to songs you’d been writing you were just like “Let’s learn this song” “Hey Felix this is a cool band listen to this” “Let’s practise this” “Let’s jam this”.

Charlie: I don’t think I ever introduced you to the idea of “Here let’s play my song” until January last year. 

Felix: No it was always like an integration slowly coming up when we started the band but we’d always been jamming.

Charlie: You didn’t even have an acoustic drum kit at that point, you had an…

Felix: It was an electric drum kit. I didn't have an acoustic kit till a year before we started. It sorta just fell into place. When we started  Charlie introduced me to a load of fugazi albums, listening to those monotonous drum beats I started really thinking about the groove rather than…

Charlie: Well I wouldn’t say you thought about it that much.

We talked about your drumming style briefly the other day and you brought up the drummer from Can?

Felix: Jaki Liebezeit… he’s one of my biggest inspirations. 

Charlie: He’s got the biscuits 

Felix: He has got the biscuits! And he’s been slapping skins since day one… It's about the groove and serving the song and it’s not about impressing people with stupid fills that don’t serve the song.

Charlie: Yeah like the early days of the band I remember we did our first gig technically not even in London it was in Kingston Upon Thames, I was looking back at videos of it and we were more of a grunge band than anything

Ferghal: You had long hair…

Charlie: Yeah and my strap was a lot lower down than it is now.

We’ve already talked about it briefly but what would you say your main influences are?

Charlie: Can. I think the band started with me listening to bands like Jay Reatard, and Fugazi.

Felix: Yeah Jay Reatard was definitely one of those ones at the beginning where there were a lot of short melodic songs with really catchy hooks and I remember you showing me (Charlie) some of those Jay Reatard live videos and it’s just like super super short really choppy but really catchy getting people to like dance

Charlie: There wasn’t much of that at our first few gigs…

Felix: Oh no well you know we mainly just played to the sound guy for the first ten gigs.

Charlie: I think inspiration-wise it was mainly DIY stuff. I really liked the bands that were doing it all themselves, like Ty Segall and King Gizzard, they were all speaking out about how you can just do this in your loft.

Felix: It’s that whole mindset of not waiting around for someone to be like “Here you go you can come into my studio” It’s just having that creativity and drive, being like fuck that let’s do it ourselves. Having that drive and creativity is what really pushes the band to realise you don’t need to have a fancy studio. The first couple of songs we released we recorded ourselves not knowing what we were doing chucking mics everywhere.

And Ferghal you were a late addition to the band. What do you think you add to it as someone coming from playing in DIY bands?

Ferghal: I’m the glue that holds it all together. Well you know when me and you saw them at the Hope and Ruin before I joined there was just a big chunk missing on the low end. It’s still the same songs; they just feel heavier now.

Charlie: Yeah I think with Ferg it’s just all slotted together.

You recently signed with Big Richard Records. How does that Feel? How did it come about?

Charlie: It feels cool…

Felix: It feels exhilarating!

Charlie: No No it is cool we’ve been playing a lot of gigs with them through the years.

Felix: We played with one of Dom’s (Head of the label) bands Brie back in June last year he showed interest initially then. 

Charlie: There were a lot of gigs where he was like “ A band has dropped out last minute do you wanna play” and we were like "Yep”! Because we say yes to everything.

Felix: I think we just showed that drive and the more and more he saw us he was just like “May as well just come on the label”.

And last Question what has been your favourite 2024 album release?

Ferghal: Oh you already know mine, it’s Plastic Death by Glass Beach fucking love that record I love the new Knocked Loose album as well but it’s only been out three days.

Charlie: You can’t copy me! (To Felix) mine would be Expensive Thrills by C Turtle. It's cool, it’s lo-fi, it’s weird and I love it. They're a very cool band, I wanna play with them one day.

Felix: I’m gonna go with a really good album I’ve been listening to a lot. A dream to know by the Lemon Twigs, they’re like a…

Charlie: You don’t need to describe the Lemon Twigs! They’re a huge band, you dip…

Felix: They had a really good album last year but they’ve now come out with an even better album their songs are just catchy as fuck and they’re so good and I love them.