(Interview) Call Me Amour: "I hope people leave our live shows going, 'Wow, what an experience!'
- Kirsty Bright
- May 28
- 8 min read
Taking one of the early slots at a festival like Slam Dunk during it’s twenty year celebrations, inside what felt like a circus tent packed with fans in sweltering heat could be a pressure cooker for most bands. But not for Call Me Amour. Arriving on the Scott's Key Club stage at 11:40am, they brushed away those fears and delivered a tight and wild set. Fans at the barrier screamed to favourites like "Bloom", giving fuel to frontman Harry’s famous onstage antics. From diving into mosh pits and later climbing the rigs of the stage. Which I’m sure is every health and safety team's worst nightmare.
But that's what makes watching this band so interesting. Not just because of the interactions, but together they have created a sound that fuses various genres that not only makes for a fantastic setlist but also spans their discography. In the midst of the chaos we managed to talk with guitarist Geoff about the day, upcoming releases, and his early days of discovering music.
You were one of the first bands that started early this morning, playing one of the opening stages. Did you feel a little bit of pressure to kickstart the day?
Geoff: There is definitely pressure to it because you're the first thing that people hear, and it's one of those things where you think it could go one way or the other. With weather like this, you never know how it can go. People could either just find a corner in a field to chill or just be sunbathing, or, if it's raining, everyone just piles inside for shelter. But we kind of expected maybe a few people at the front. But there were loads of people in there.
With it being twenty years of Slam Dunk, how important are festivals like these for bands? And for this, your first festival too, it must feel that extra bit special.
Geoff: It is crazy, and also it's hugely important because I think you're opening yourself up to fans that wouldn't necessarily come to see one of your own gigs or headline shows. It's the same feeling as when we play with some of the bigger bands, like when we're doing an upcoming tour with Boys Like Girls – obviously they're huge. The best thing about festivals is that everyone there just loves music.
Your crowd interaction today was wild – climbing barriers, getting into the crowd. Are those moments planned, or is it all instinct depending on the crowd?
Geoff: Well, Harry's got a habit of climbing things. (laughs) And we've been told so many times, “Get down and don't do that again.” (laughs) But I think it's just vibing. Harry's so good at connecting with the crowd. That's one of the best things involving the crowd with your performance. It sounds silly, but something like him climbing something can get everyone going for it as well. When he’s climbing in Europe, the security teams they don't care, it's like, whatever. But when we’re back in the UK, they’re a little more serious. (Laughs)
You’ve supported bands like Set It Off and You Me At Six. When touring with bands like that, do you feel they teach you something new every night?
Geoff: Yeah, for sure, and the headline bands we've toured with, like You Me At Six, Set Off, Mallory Knox, and Against Current, they have all been really good to us as well and looked after us on tour. Just being around bands at that stage of their creation and experience – it’s great to be involved in that.
Do they ever give you any advice about the industry and what to watch out for?
Geoff: Some of them do. That's what I hope we're doing for the bands that support us too, as you want to give them a little bit of insight into what they should do and what touring is all about. When you’ve got bands that have all that experience giving you tips and advice, it’s great.
When you come off those shows, what is it you hope the audience, especially first-timers, take away from you?
Geoff: I mean, I think we're very – every band probably says this – but we're very connected with the crowd. We all feed off them. But then it's also our job to make them happy. When you see them reacting, you also react to that, and I hope people walk away from the set and just go, "What an experience! And what a great live band to watch!” We’ve always wanted an element of fun in the shows, hence why Harry climbs on things. (Laughs) It's just that he gets so lost in it all.
How do you go about making a festival set list for shorter timings? And which song do you know to include? It seems that the bigger tracks like "Bloom" seemed to be the crowd favourite.
Geoff: It’s a small amount of time, and I think the idea is to pack in as many of the songs that you know people want to hear and also just keep it up-tempo and lively. I mean, introducing new songs can always be hard because fans always want to hear the favourites. Even if you play them loads, we will always bring in those big ones that people want to hear. And “Bloom” definitely seems to be one of those songs, “Good Day", as well because we recorded it with Mikey Chapman.
How would you describe the music industry today? Is it a case of everyone now making their own rules? Or is there pressure to make music that fits short reels and algorithms?
Geoff: I mean, I get it either way. Whatever you want to create music for, that's your thing. I mean, we create music, and we write songs for ourselves, really. Which is why we like to cross genres quite a lot. You get some fans that will say, "Oh, that's not like them.”
Which is something I don’t quite understand, as bands shouldn't be stifled, plus it’s nice to hear switch-ups in discography and live onstage.
Geoff: Yeah, because we all like different things. In the band, we all listen to literally every genre of music. We're big fans of music, full stop. If someone wants to make music purely for TikTok, then that's their thing, good on you.
And you guys mash your genres really well.
Geoff: We love a little bit of everything. Yeah, really heavy stuff, pop-punk. So many people accused us a long time ago, they said that I was a songsmith because I couldn't stick to a genre (laughs).
But if you want a band to grow, they should be able to play around with their sounds. Is that what you would agree with?
Geoff: For sure, we play with all sorts of sounds. It's just what comes out of your head at the end of the day. I'm not like, we don't try to stick to a genre. We just want to play music that we like and hope other people like it.
What genres did you like growing up? Were there any specific artists that made you want to get into music?
Geoff: You know I'd probably be really old school about it. When I was a kid, my parents had a massive vinyl collection. As a kid I'd get up at, like, six in the morning. And I'd sit against a radiator with my earphones and listen to all the vinyl's. And I got stuck on the Beatles. I used to love listening to the Beatles. Then from there it went to classical music as well. My dad's got a lot of classical music and jazz music. So it's my parents that gave me that multi-genre thing.
As you loved music growing up, now you're somewhere huge like here playing your own music. With fans singing your songs who sit at home listening to them on Spotify or physicals.
Geoff: And It's so surreal. I don't care who you are or what band you are, however big you are; it's still surreal that people are listening to your music. I think when people connect to your music and what you’ve made, you know you're doing the right thing.
Being from the Isle of Man, did having a smaller local music scene help your band grow?
Geoff: Two of us are. I mean, we all live there.
I interviewed a really lovely band from there recently, the Isle of Man looked gorgeous.
Geoff: Amazing, who was the band?
Silo!
Geoff: Oh, they're friends of ours. When the weather's like this and no one's been to the island, they turn up like this place is tropical. (laughs)
It looked like a holiday home (laughs). What do you think the scene is like there?
Geoff: The scene has always been really healthy. There are some great bands and musicians there. I think a lot of bands never had the chance to get out there because it's isolated. But it's bands like Silo; like I say, they're friends of ours, and they just grew up like that. Because they're really good. And I really wish everyone had that. We've grown up with these kids. They've all been in separate bands, the other thing is they're all just really good mates as well. They had a show recently, and I couldn't make it. But Harry went to watch them and said they were phenomenal. And I think we're going to do some stuff with them as well.
And the guys were so humble. I guess living there makes you that way too?
Geoff: It’s crazy because they’re genuinely good people. They deserve everything happening for them because the songs are great. Chris, their singer, has always been ridiculously talented. I remember him being in a band called Black Monday. He's such a cool guy.
Would you ever collaborate with them?
Geoff: Oh, 100%. Yeah, that'd be really good.
Harry mentioned onstage that new music is on its way soon?
Geoff: There is, yeah. We recorded an EP about four weeks ago with Tyler Ryder, who plays and writes for Cassyette. His production ideas and the stuff that comes into his head are just crazy. We’ll usually come in with basic demos and say, "This is it, like, just turn this into something that sprinkles something on it.” (laughing) Then, realistically, I'll sort of record a demo and then pass it around to Harry and the rest of the band, and Harry will sometimes say, 'Nah.' Like, ruin my day. (Laughing) But I mean, we've spent like days recording songs and then at the end of it thought, That's shit. (Laughs)
But it’s a rare reaction, as we'll craft the ideas. And if you have someone working with you, like George Perks or Tyler Ryder, they'll add their kind of, like, standpoint, and it changes a little, you know, but we purposely like to work with people like that because we know what they can bring to it, and it just, like, changes what our original basic idea was.
Then it becomes this magical chaotic thing from the studio to the stage. How do you bring that to a show? Do you still get nervous before heading onstage?
Geoff: Always. I think everyone has to be nervous. I remember hearing Liam Gallagher once say that he doesn't get nervous. And the response from Mick Jagger was, “If you're not nervous, then you're in the wrong game.”
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