Prides have had themselves a fantastic summer playing the international festival circuit, supporting the Wombats and even getting a beer named after them. To top it all off, the Glasgow-based electro-pop trio are about to head out on a 22 date UK tour in support of their debut album “The Way Back Up”. XYZ’s Jimmy Volts caught up with frontman Stewart Brock to gain an insight into Prides’ world…
Hi Stewart. What’s been happening today?
“We’ve been getting stuck into rehearsals all week, troubleshooting a few gremlins in preparation for hitting the road for our UK tour.”
You’ve had a crazy summer. Can you sum it up for us?
“This summer was absolutely amazing. Every festival we played was a complete blast. They were a bit of an eye opener for us. It was really nice to be in front of people who are singing along to songs that weren’t singles!”
And your upcoming tour schedule is pretty hardcore. Tell us a bit about that.


“I think it’s about as many dates in the UK as you can possibly do. It’s been a little while since we played and of course it’s the first one since the album came out. And we’ve had such a good reaction from it, so we just wanted to hit as many places as we possibly could.”
Can you give us a brief background on the band?
“Prides came about when Lewis (drums) and I upped from playing as a two piece to a trio when we met guitarist Callum two years ago. We record and produce everything ourselves in Glasgow, so the way we work tends to be quite quick. We’re always in the studio, we’re always writing and so, touch wood, it wasn’t too difficult to pull the album together. We’re even starting to think about getting into the second 
one already!”
Any rock & roll stories from your time on the road?
“Generally, we’re pretty well behaved. But I have a tendency to take my clothes off after a few drinks. That’s about as rock and roll as it gets. A bit of late night streaking. But that’s good for everybody.”
Who’s your dream dinner guest and what would you cook for them?
“Ooh…gosh. Freddie Mercury I reckon. Just one of the best frontmen of all time. I’d like to try and delve into his mind to try and figure out how he wrote such amazing music. I’d have to cook him a nice romantic meal. A nice fresh steak with some chocolate strawberries for afters.”
Looking forward to 
playing in Brighton this month?
“Yes! The last time we played there was just manic. It ended in carnage with about sixty people on stage with us. Which incidentally triggered a tradition of stage invasions for us. Brighton takes the mantle of being our first, but certainly not the last.”
Any acts you’re loving listening to at the moment?
“Palace, Grimes – gotten right back into her last album. I still keep going back to the latest Brandon Flowers record and Everything Everything. How could anyone ever get bored 
of them?
The world ends in 24 hours. How do you spend your last day on earth?
“Oh God…Sex, drugs & rock 
& roll surely!”
Prides’ debut album “The Way Back Up” is out now and they play Brighton’s The Haunt on Thursday 5th Nov.
Tickets are available at thehauntbrighton.co.uk Follow them at pridesband.com
Interview by Jimmy Volts
