7 October 2024
Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with Oxford band The Exact Opposite to find out more…
Who is in the band and how did you meet?
We’re Jamie Stuart and Nigel Powell (which is me). I met Jamie when I joined his band Dustball in 2001. That later morphed into Dive Dive who toured endlessly and released 4 albums before quietly disappearing. Other touring took me away from working with him for a few years, but he never stopped writing, so after the pandemic we got together to work on his music, resulting in this band and our debut album Skill Issue.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
Our shared influences probably begin and end at Fugazi, Pixies and Idlewild. But the broad swath of what we both listen to gives us a freedom and eclecticness that inspires me.
How would you describe your sound?
Like Madonna’s Like A Virgin album being played alongside In On The Kill Taker by Fugazi and birthing a weird, accessible, acerbic guitar baby.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
The album Skill Issue came out earlier this year. The latest single FFS is all about making the same avoidable mistakes over and over again, but with a bright summery oddpop feel that makes doing so seem less… fatal.
What’s your local music scene like?
Oxford is and always has been tremendous. There’s so many great bands historically and currently that there’s no sense in even trying to list them, and it’s all tied together by an amazing support network like Ronan from Nightshift magazine, and countless others.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
Our second album is mostly written, we need to nail that down and get it recorded and released. But before that we have a show at The Library in Oxford on 23rd November, supporting the fantastic Mogwai-ish stylings of Ghosts In The Photographs.
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Collaborating with Jamie is and always has been fabulous, so I’m quite content thank you.
Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
We haven’t done enough shows together yet to have funny stories I’m afraid.
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
We’re creatively ambitious, collectively stubborn, one is tall and one is short. It’s like the film Twins except Danny DeVito is the Terminator who absolutely will not stop, ever.
Upcoming live dates and performances
Saturday 23rd November 2024 – The Library, Oxford
You can find out more about The Exact Opposite on their website or via Apple Music, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, Linktree, SoundCloud, Spotify, Threads, X (Twitter) or YouTube.
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