The Liverpool trio chat with us before a blinder of a live set in London!
One of the most exciting new UK bands that we’ve heard in a long time, Yee Loi is a teenage trio, all siblings, who hail from Liverpool, and features Rose on guitar, Matilda on vocals and drums, and Donny on bass. They’re about to go on a nationwide tour with Transvision Vamp, and then January will see the release of their debut album ‘Flicks, Licks, Party Tricks’. We caught up with Yee Loi (which means “two girls” in Cantonese, a childhood nickname by the grandmother of the founding members) for a chat, shortly before a gloriously frantic, adrenalised set at Yungblud’s Denmark Street store in central London.
They’re clearly in good spirits, not least as they’ve come so far over the last year or so. In the words of Rose: “It’s been fantastic, the best year for Yee Loi so far! It’s treated us well! We’ve had three singles out so far, and the response has been great”
The trio were originally exposed to bands like the Ramones and Stray Cats via their parents’ record collection, and from there, their love of Punk and Rock ‘n’ Roll grew and grew.
Are there any other bands that particularly struck a chord with you?
Rose: There was also Thin Lizzy, The Clash, Motörhead…
Matilda: The Stooges and the MC5…
R: Those are the core ones, I’d say! But we’ve all got strange little favourites that not many people know about – ones that I’d be waxing lyrical about if I had the time! For example, I’m big on this genre called cowpunk, which originally came from the alternative country scene, like Jason & The Scorchers doing souped-up versions of Hank Williams songs from the 40s!
New single ‘Social Suicide’ is simultaneously raw, and catchy as hell. What inspired it; is it about people becoming overdependent on social media and the internet in general?
R: “Basically that, yes – people who devote all their time to it, and people who get cult followings and end up losing their own train of thought. They buy into this kind of hive mind kind of thing.
M: There’s always a downfall – it always ends in tears and self-destruction – and it’s happening more and more these days. That’s what we observed and what we wanted to write about, because it’s definitely a key topic right now. I think a lot of people can relate to it, because we’re all online now!
Is it something you worry about for yourselves?
R: Well, it’s just part of being a musician these days! But it’s best not to get too much into your own head about it, and remember that it’s just part of your job, and what you have to do. We try not to get caught up in it, and we’ve learned not to care about negative comments and stuff like that. If you’re not coming to hurt me or steal anything from me, then I don’t care!
And tell us about your debut album – how did the recording go, and are there any songs on it that you’re particularly fond, or that have a special meaning to you?
M: We had a really good time recording it, because we are a very efficient band in everything we do! [laughs] So we’d bang out one song a day for about four days, and then we’d have a day of rest to consolidate what we’d done. There’s a song called ‘Miraclist’, which we just really enjoyed recording, because it’s the most akin to what we like to listen to ourselves.
R: We stopped thinking about what people might want to hear from us, and just stayed true to ourselves. There’s a song which is part-acoustic, for example, and another one called ‘Stalker’, which is a different sound for us too, because it’s not 180 beats per minute! On the whole, though, the album sounds a lot closer to what we’re like live.
Have there been any other particular highlights from your time together as a band?
R: I really loved the Adam Ant tour, which was in October last year! It was great, because I’m secretly a huge Adam Ant fangirl, and I loved seeing him play every night, and also the beautiful venues we were playing – all these grand concert halls. And of course, I spent plenty of time on the road with my lovely siblings! [laughs]
M: It was cool just being in a van and travelling to all these different places, doing real musician things that I’d only ever dreamed of – even just the mundane things, like loading the van up after playing our set. It was about 14 or 15 dates, and we loved every minute!
You were hand-picked for the Transvision Vamp tour by TV frontwoman Wendy James. How do you feel about going out on the road with them shortly?
R: Even more excited than when we went out on the road with Adam! It’s because I had a Transvision Vamp CD when I was a kid – it was one of the ones I played most, but also because this time around, the venues are more like proper rock n’ roll clubs, and I think that’s going to be really good fun. Plus, we’re better as a band now!
One last thing – what does the near future hold for Yee Loi, besides the TV tour?
M: Oh, for now, just our new album ‘Flicks, Licks, Party Tricks’! It’s out on January 15th, and it’s the best punk rock album of the last 20-30 years – if I do say so myself!
R: And everyone’s going to be seeing more of us, whether they like it or not; more live shows, headline shows, just more music in general!
Trust us, that album is going to be well worth the wait! Keep up to date on all things Yee Loi via the socials links below, and also see below for their tour dates with Transvision Vamp.
Main Photo Credit / All Photos: LOUISE PHILLIPS
- 6th October – Newcastle O2 City Hall
- 9th October – Glasgow O2 Academy
- 10th October – Leeds O2 Academy
- 14th October – Cambridge Junction
- 15th October – Leicester O2 Academy
- 16th October – Liverpool O2 Academy
- 17th October – Oxford O2 Academy
- 18th October – Cardiff Tramshed
- 20th October – Manchester O2 Ritz
- 21st October – Bournemouth O2 Academy
- 22nd October – London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
- 24th October – Norwich Epic Studios
- 28th October – Brighton Chalk
- 29th October – Birmingham O2 Institute
- 30th October – Bristol O2 Academy
- 31st October – Dublin Academy
- 1st November – Belfast Limelight 1
Follow Yee Loi on Their Socials:
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