It's a busy summer for our favourite psychedelic Punk-grunge band!
On the eve of their latest single – ‘Oh L La‘ – launch, Ruth caught up with London Alt-punks Healthy Junkies to discuss the single, and their plans for this year.
Healthy Junkies are:
Nina Courson on lead vocals
Phil Honey-Jones on guitar and backing vocals
Joe Gaskell on bass
David Gaut on drums
I love the new Healthy Junkies single ‘Oh La La’! Can you tell me what inspired it?
Phil – Well, it came from a musical jamming session, and Nina just started singing “oh la la” over the top of it. Being French, I guess she owns that!
Nina – It’s a bit of a pessimistic song, funnily enough, even though it sounds very happy and summery. There’s contrast between the lyrics and the tune, and it’s about the uncertainties of the future world…
Phil – …and the realisation that you can do so little about it, hence the “Oh la la”!
Nina – A lot of English people think it’s got a sexy connotation, but actually, when the French say, “Oh la la” it means; I’m outraged and really pissed off, so that’s why we chose this name for the song, to say <angrily> “Oh la la! What a shame!”.
So, what’s coming up for Healthy Junkies in the way of recording and touring plans?
Phil – We have some UK dates; Gateshead, Portsmouth, Blackpool, Nottingham – and a few in London…
Nina – …and the Moseley International Punk Festival in Birmingham early August!
Phil – We’ve also got our own London festival – Punk n Roll Rendezvous Festival – from 10th to 13th September.
Nina – The warm-up show will be at the Dubin Castle on the 10th, and the main festival is at the Water Rats from 11th to 13th. (Tickets HERE)
Phil – We’ve also got another song we’ve recorded, which we’re going to release next, and we’re working on more new stuff.
Nina – And we might be going to France later in the year for a short tour there.
Phil – So lots of live shows!
Here’s my video of the new single ‘Oh La La‘, played live on launch night at the Lexington, where Healthy Junkies supported legendary Punk band Chelsea, along with Desperate Measures NZ, who have also just released their latest single; ‘Limo Life‘!
🎶 Listen to ‘Oh La La‘ on all streaming platforms now 🎶
Main Photo Credit: RUTH RAE
(please contact me for hi-res originals)
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Usually found jumping around down the front at gigs, I also relish taking photos and videos, singing, speaking with fellow music fans, and asking musicians the questions nobody else does. Writing about my favourite bands and connecting with people who love music too keeps me more-or-less sane! I’ve worked for over 25 years at a video production company, mainly filming live music events, therefore I have an additional backstage perspective on the scene.
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