The high of a gig has been a long time coming for all of us, but it’s far from a feared notion. With nights of drinking, dancing, style and satisfaction on the horizon, there is nobody better to kickstart the new normal than Scottish Rockabilly trio, The Best Bad Influence!
Nyall: “F**k.”
Alexander: “How professional of you.”
Who are the Best Bad Influence?
Nyall: “We are a Rockabilly, Rock and Roll band from Scotland. We fuse 50’s music with a kind of hip and cool sway of the naughties.”
Where are we tonight? Have you played here before?
Alexander: “We’re in The Bungalow tonight and we have played here before! We’re hoping to play here again tonight.”
Mark: “Well, yeah. It’s our gig, our names on it.”
What instruments/stage gear will you be using tonight?
Nyall: “Well, I’m using the house kit so I have no idea. It looks like it’s something to do with pedal? No one cares about drummers stuff. I do have my cymbals that are Tri-star 5A’s, something like that, they’re cool!”
Alexander: “Tonight I’m rocking a 2020 Brian Setzer Hotrod in pink. Setzer is a big idol so I thought, well my dad bought me it for Christmas, that I would bring it on stage for our first gig back. I’m also going to be using the Dan Electro pedal!”
Mark: “Big Phat Fanny. Uh, she’s made of Lego. I’m kidding, she’s not but she was bought broken, in pieces, and Alex’s dad just built her back together and gave her a paint job. I wanted to call her Big Phat Fanny and then when I arrived to see my paint job, Alastair had proudly painted to on to my double bass in big letters.”
What inspires your stage looks?
Alexander: “The 50’s.”
Nyall: “I like 80’s revival, kinda punk stuff for me specifically. Alex is definitely more a 50’s guy.”
Alexander: “Eddie Corbin, big baggy trousers. I would probably steal most of my dads clothes and I did steal my uncles clothes, I did steal them.”
Mark: “I just kinda wear whatever looks disgusting but also looks cool at the same time. I just get dressed in the dark, really.”
What’s coming up for The Best Bad Influence?
Nyall: “We’re just trying to get as many shows as possible, every weekend we can get! We also might have a residency coming up, stuff recording wise thats in the works but that’s all you’re getting!”
You recently played a gig in Sheffield, how different is the gig culture compared to Scotland?
Nyall: “They’re all nutters down there as well!”
Alexander: “It’s only really different when you compare it being inside somewhere because what happened down there couldn’t have happened up here inside as the restrictions only fell on Monday. So, probably couldn’t have done what we did in Sheffield.”
You guys are causing a bit of a stir on TikTok, how do you feel about this new found fame?
Nyall: “Are we?”
Mark: “Yeah, on other people’s TikTok.”
Alexander: “I recently saw us on the for you page!”
Nyall: “There was a TikTok floating around of us busking and it was about people trying to find me, it was the first TikTok someone else made of us and the girl did find me. I was a bit scared by that and I still don’t get why it happened really.”
Alexander: “Social media is definitely a good place to boost yourself and get out there.”
Nyall: “We’ve also trialled a podcast but we’ve not had a lot of time to flesh it out.”
Mark: “We get super off track when we try to record anything!”
And finally, do you have anything to say to our readers or anyone looking to break into their local scene?
Mark: “Hello!”
Alexander: “Choose Rockabilly!”
Nyall: “ No, don’t! We don’t want to have any competition.”
Alexander: “But then we can put on great festivals.”
Nyall: “Yeah, you’re right. Choose Rockabilly.”
Find The Best Bad Influence here:
