W: Omar Suleyman @suleymanptg I: Alice Moylett Davies

At the start of the 2016 academic year in Brighton and Hove, a young drummer named Arvin sat next to unsuspecting guitarist Arthur and instantly knew he was going to be in a band with him. The pair connected, taking their mutual love of music into the studio alongside college mate and bassist Eddie, and quickly formed Tigers and Flies. Since then, the band migrated to Manchester, added trumpet player Matteo and Trombonist Risha, released their debut album Among Everything Else, and most recently released two stellar EPs.

As a consumer of Tigers and Flies since their early days, it’s been a pleasure to witness the progression of their sound as they turned from a young band conforming to Brighton’s indie community, to releasing music that stands head and shoulders above their contemporaries. The cowbell-wielding, horn blowing five-piece blends wonky pop with the angles of post-punk. The result is both energetic and melodic.
Think XTC meets Gang of Four, with a hearty helping of London Calling era Clash.

As the band prepare for a late-October mini tour, in support of a limited edition vinyl release of their two most recent EPs, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Arvin, Arthur and Matteo to discuss new music, reflections on their debut album, how Matteo navigated his role in the band, and how post-pandemic gigging led to a creative spark that significantly changed their sound.

2024’s Nervous Entertainment and your most recent EP Smashing Scene sees you take on a contrasting sound from the album. Edgier, intense and something you could easily mosh to. How was the writing process different and where did the change in sound come from?

Matteo – It felt more collaborative. For the album, the brass section rocked up and played the parts we were told to play, whereas the stuff we’ve written since has been a product of the five of us in the dingy kitchen at the back of a warehouse playing off each other more. We’ve all got different ears for what sounds good. What we hear and pick out feels like the parts and the music have more layers where we can bounce off each other.

Arthur – When we were first playing the album live, I think having fun and drinking when we played meant were giving the songs from the album a lot more energy. The first part of that transition process was probably playing those songs live and playing them punkier. We were thinking “Man! This is how we should have done it when we recorded these the first time”.

How do you feel about the album now?

Arvin – Since the album, we’ve got to know each other as musicians so much better which gives us the freedom and confidence to write stuff that compliments each other’s playing style. I think it captured us perfectly at that time in our lives. It’s an accurate representation of the band we were then. Whenever I listen to it, I think the songs are good, but I also think it was a fun time for us to find our way to where we
are now.

Something that sets you apart as a band is your use of trumpet and trombone to expand the traditional three-piece punk set up. How did that come about?

Matteo – When I came to Manchester, I had an idea that there would be this big music scene I could be a part of and met Arthur through a friend of a friend. As socialising opportunities became sparse over covid, we became closer as friends and through that, I found joy in what makes them tick in terms of music influences. The fun and excitement of the music was mirrored by the fun and excitement of
rehearsing and hanging out. I love that our music came from our friendship, rather than the other way round, and becoming friends made the music part so easy.

A noticeable change in your sound comes from a more rugged and shouty approach to the vocal sound. I draw parallels between Arthur’s vocals and the likes of Joe Strummer. Was this a conscious decision?

Arthur – when we did the album, I was still very nervous about singing because I had only started doing it in the band about a year before. I wasn’t in my comfort zone. As we started playing live more, because I was having a good time there was more shouting going on and I feel like that’s when I found my voice and felt more comfortable with giving things a bit more welly. When you’re trying to prove to people
that you can sing, you try and sing in tune a bit more but when you’re singing because you’re having fun, you get a different effect.

Socials: I: @tigersandflies linktree: https://linktr.ee/tigersandflies