1) Who is everyone in the band and where are you all from?
We are Connor Hodgson, Flo, Conor Mckenna and Alex Randles and we're all from Wallasey!
We are Connor Hodgson, Flo, Conor Mckenna and Alex Randles and we're all from Wallasey!
2) How long have you been playing for?
I’ve been playing guitar for around 3 years now but I've always loved singing and been into music for a long time.
I’ve been playing guitar for around 3 years now but I've always loved singing and been into music for a long time.
3) What style of music do you play?
We play poppy music with a hint of ska. Music people can dance to!
We play poppy music with a hint of ska. Music people can dance to!
4) What artists inspired your genre of music? (if they did)Me personally, Johnny Boral (front man from Razorlight) Razorlight was the first concert I went to and he was a real inspiration to me. He was a real front man; he loved himself, he was cocky, confident and he knew the whole place was watching him! I also love John Lennon. I don't just listen to the Beatles I read up on John Lennon and I love learning about his life.
5) Who is the lead singer and the other positions in the band?
6) How did you all first meet, are their any family relations within the band?
I have known Conor, the bassist, for a long time and although we never spoke, we went to primary school together. We started speaking from about year 8 and he was in year 9 when we were in Dracula Spectacular. He knew I was a drummer and his cousin, Karl, was a guitarist. He came and asked me if I wanted to start a band and so we practiced together, just us two, playing oasis and little man Tate on a cheap dragon drum kit and a guitar and practice amp.
Then, after much hassle, managed to get a bass player and a lead guitarist and the band 'Babylon Pink' was formed. We were together for about a year and a half and due to energy dying down, we stopped playing and Conor joined a new band 'The Dead Teddies'. In that band were Alex, Flo and Conor who I would later join and become 'Hodgson and the Plant'. I then started playing a cheap Argos borrowed guitar and wrote a few songs with the help of online tuning and a 'how to play basic chord' game on my phone. I was then asked to play in a charity event and wanted a full band to back me up. I asked Conor if he was interested in playing bass and me and Karl Plant had become close friends at this stage and so he would play lead guitar with me. Alex, the Dead Teddies drummer played drums and my first gig was a success, from the help of an eBay Stagg bright orange guitar, a borrowed amp and some cheesy songs.
I have known Conor, the bassist, for a long time and although we never spoke, we went to primary school together. We started speaking from about year 8 and he was in year 9 when we were in Dracula Spectacular. He knew I was a drummer and his cousin, Karl, was a guitarist. He came and asked me if I wanted to start a band and so we practiced together, just us two, playing oasis and little man Tate on a cheap dragon drum kit and a guitar and practice amp.
Then, after much hassle, managed to get a bass player and a lead guitarist and the band 'Babylon Pink' was formed. We were together for about a year and a half and due to energy dying down, we stopped playing and Conor joined a new band 'The Dead Teddies'. In that band were Alex, Flo and Conor who I would later join and become 'Hodgson and the Plant'. I then started playing a cheap Argos borrowed guitar and wrote a few songs with the help of online tuning and a 'how to play basic chord' game on my phone. I was then asked to play in a charity event and wanted a full band to back me up. I asked Conor if he was interested in playing bass and me and Karl Plant had become close friends at this stage and so he would play lead guitar with me. Alex, the Dead Teddies drummer played drums and my first gig was a success, from the help of an eBay Stagg bright orange guitar, a borrowed amp and some cheesy songs.
7) When was the idea of ‘Hodgeson and the Plant’ made to come together? in other words, what made you decided on the name and to be a musician.
The name came from a woman I met in Berlin who always dressed in green. Her name was Eramana Meinluft. She would never wear anything but green and her hair was always messy. She never wore any shoes and if she did they would only be flip-flops. She wore green eyeliner, green blusher and her finger nails and toes alike were painted green. She only one word of English and that was "plant" I don't know why because I couldn't speak German. I told her my name, and from everything I said the only thing she could say was "Hodgson", I put the two together and 'Hodgson and the Plant' became! I decided to be a musician because I felt like music brought something to me that nothing else could. You could express yourself and people would listen if you were good enough. You could talk about watching paint dry or staring at grass and make it sound interesting with a good riff behind it!
The name came from a woman I met in Berlin who always dressed in green. Her name was Eramana Meinluft. She would never wear anything but green and her hair was always messy. She never wore any shoes and if she did they would only be flip-flops. She wore green eyeliner, green blusher and her finger nails and toes alike were painted green. She only one word of English and that was "plant" I don't know why because I couldn't speak German. I told her my name, and from everything I said the only thing she could say was "Hodgson", I put the two together and 'Hodgson and the Plant' became! I decided to be a musician because I felt like music brought something to me that nothing else could. You could express yourself and people would listen if you were good enough. You could talk about watching paint dry or staring at grass and make it sound interesting with a good riff behind it!
8) How do you treat your fans, do you take drugs or constant alcohol drinkers, we dont ever want you rocking up to a gig high?I think we treat our fans with respect. I think the fact that they are actual fans means they like us and they're willing to follow or even listen to our music. It's a real buzz when you get good feedback. I like having fans because that's the real push behind the music you write. Without fans, there would be nothing to push you on. I also think drugs and alcohol are a big influence within music. Some bands see them as a necessity within music and some bands can't write music without being high. I personally think you don't need it. Now and again a bit of Dutch courage is always good to get people dancing, but I would never say "If you play music, you should drink and take drugs" that doesn’t make you a rock star, although people do, a lot of the time, wrongly compare music with drugs and alcohol.
9) Do you like your role in a local band?
I think 'Local Band' is somewhere every band has to go. You can't just walk onto the scene unless you go for X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent. In some other cases you can just walk onto the scene, but mostly you have to try hard and stick with the 'local band' logo. I think no matter how big you get you'll always be the local band, it's everyone’s claim to fame, I don't mind it, but one day I’d rather be seen as something much more.
I think 'Local Band' is somewhere every band has to go. You can't just walk onto the scene unless you go for X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent. In some other cases you can just walk onto the scene, but mostly you have to try hard and stick with the 'local band' logo. I think no matter how big you get you'll always be the local band, it's everyone’s claim to fame, I don't mind it, but one day I’d rather be seen as something much more.
10) What is the whole point of Connor Hodgson, music and bands, what are you in on it for?Music means a lot to me. A lot of people say 'music is my world' and they just say that because they can strum a chord and listen to Oasis but I really think it's a massive part of my day-to-day life. For someone who loves music so much, I perhaps don't listen to enough music, but I write music, listen to it and love sharing my music with people.
11) What do you think about Robbie Wliiams rejoining Take That?I think it is a massive milestone for modern music and although people may see it as publicity and don't like Robbie, as a musician you HAVE to appreciate the music he's made. Just looking at his greatest hits album recently sold, the music he has will be on people's IPod till they die, not many solo artists let alone bands can manage that! He is a very successful musician and thinks it was a wise choice to make that move.
12) If I was to buy an electric guitar, where and what type would you tell me to buy it?
Not eBay. I bought my first one off eBay, learnt from my mistakes. I bought it cos' it looked nice, then realised it sounded like rubbish. I would recommend going to a very small music shop, telling them your influences if you can't play, or tell them what sound you like if you can, then try as many guitars out as you can, feel the guitar. I personally like Fender Telecasters, I like there sound and practical size.
Not eBay. I bought my first one off eBay, learnt from my mistakes. I bought it cos' it looked nice, then realised it sounded like rubbish. I would recommend going to a very small music shop, telling them your influences if you can't play, or tell them what sound you like if you can, then try as many guitars out as you can, feel the guitar. I personally like Fender Telecasters, I like there sound and practical size.
