Interview with The Bad Flowers lead singer and guitarist Tom Leighton.

The Bad Flowers has recently announced a UK tour later this year with Federal Charm and Those Damn Crows and ahead of their Steelhouse Festival appearance this month, we caught up with lead singer and guitarist Tom Leighton.

(Interview by Adrian Ball)

Are you a football fan and enjoying the World Cup?

We’re rehearsing a great deal at the moment so don’t really have to much spare time to watch the World Cup.  I’m really the only one into football and I’m a Wolves fan.

Formed from the Black Country, you’re in great company – why do you think so many great artists / bands come from that area?

I don’t know…think there must be something in the water!  It’s had a strong musical heritage from the beginning and it’s great that more bands turn out generation after generation.  The bands generate healthy competition and you just want to keep improving and getting to the next stage.  It’s a really great scene at the moment

Why the name The Bad Flowers?

It’s from a song written a while ago, we had to think of a name for the band ahead of a show!

You cut your teeth on local shows in pubs and clubs, how do you feel this has benefitted you?

You get used to a no non-sense approach of getting up to perform.  You learn the stage craft and how to interact with an audience, especially as you’re a lot closer in the smaller venues.  The Local pubs have local people and you try and win them over, then moving onto bigger stages; that groundwork really helps.  Taking these steps upwards comes with added pressure, but this really focuses your mind and we want to improve. We love it.

You’ve played with some great artists - any stand-out memories from these?

The first thing we did was with The Sheepdogs from Canada and that really got us off to a great start.  Then the shows with Crobot built our base further and we found we gelled well with them as the styles of playing were similar.  The great thing is we are still seeing fans from those early shows now.

Have you started writing for the next album?

We’re looking to get a new album out as early as we can 2019, that’s the target.

Are you heading further afield with your live shows after the UK dates?

I can’t say much at the moment, but we are looking to get out to Europe at some point later in the year or the beginning of 2019.

Are you looking forward to touring with Federal Charm and Those Damn Crows in September? They’re great bands too….

Yes, definitely looking forward to going out with both bands.  We get to do a longer set this time and we’re looking forward to being able to do that.