1 September 2025
Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with London band Candide to find out more…
Who is in the band, how did you meet, where are you from and how did you come up with the name?
Candide is a trio composed of three lost souls: one from the theatre, one from the gutter, and one from somewhere in between. We met while hiding from a thunderstorm in the basement of a now-defunct karaoke bar in Peckham. As for the name — Candide came to us during a feverish reading of Voltaire, a Tesco rosé hangover, and a passing resemblance to a character in an opera no one’s actually seen. We’re based in London but spiritually hail from Tudor England and regional rail replacement services.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
We grew up on a wild cocktail of Queen, Missy Elliott, Radiohead, early grime, The Clash, and Les Misérables. These days we’re influenced by public transport announcements, unlicensed medieval raves, Fat White Family, SOPHIE, and the sound of an eBay scam unfolding in real time.
How would you describe your sound?
Postmodern doom house meets punk theatre. Think neo-classical blues-rap with Elizabethan flair and a healthy dose of satire. It’s like if Monty Python and Death Grips started a pirate radio station and accidentally summoned the ghost of Brian Eno.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
Our latest single is called “Domestic Statistics.” It’s a punk paean to joy, set in a parallel-universe Britain where the census is emotionally manipulative and your local MP moonlights as a TikTok cabbagemancer. It was inspired by bureaucratic despair, broken dreams, and the holy ghost of Annie Lennox.
What’s your local music scene like?
Chaotic in the best way. London’s music scene is a mess of genres colliding: noise acts playing in Wetherspoons toilets, neo-soul in vape shops, and DJs who sample NHS hold music. It’s fertile, freaky, and constantly on the verge of reinvention.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
More music. More visuals. More chaos. We’re releasing an EP before the year’s out, plus some guerilla-style performances across London (and hopefully beyond). We’re also working on a theatrical live show that may or may not involve biblical reenactments, zero percent Guinness, and interpretive dance.
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Yes. Annie Lennox. Peaches. Father John Misty. Loyle Carner. Stewart Lee. The Archbishop of Canterbury. And any TikTok mouth breathers willing to negotiate.
Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
Not really.
Do you have any upcoming live dates and performances?
Yes, our EP release is on November 22nd at the Troubadour in London!
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
We’re not here to be sensible. Candide is a celebration of chaos, contradiction, and camp. We want to make you dance, think, and possibly call your therapist. LOL
You can find out more about Candide via Apple Music, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, TikTok, X (Twitter), or YouTube.
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