We introduced you to Sheffield eclecticists Screaming Maldini just the other day; now let's do it properly through the backstory of singer/guitarist Nick Maldini.
First single bought: Cotton Eye Joe - Rednex. Despite the intensely irritating nature of this, I still think it's a slice of pure pop gold! They were merely one hit wonders over here, but Wikipedia insists that they are still going and, indeed, they scored a number one single in Sweden last year with Devil's On The Loose (youtube insists that it has the same techno banjo hoe-down freak-out vibe that caught our imaginations way back in 1994)
First gig voluntarily attended: Erm, can't quite remember. The big early one, I guess, was Muse at London Arena (as was) on their Origin of Symmetry tour. Me and my sister made the awful decision of downing a load of vodka red bull (other stimulant drinks are available) beforehand though, so although it does stick in the memory as generically AMAZING, the details are fairly hazy...
The record that most made you want to get into music: I've wanted to get into music since I was about five or six when my uncle gave me a mix tape of the Beatles. I think it was a load of the early stuff, but it really, really hit home. I don't remember a specific moment when it clicked, but from around that time I wanted to write songs and I got a guitar for my seventh birthday. Alongside this, I was also immersed in classical music at home as a child, which was
unbelievably inspiring.
The three headliners at a festival you were curating: Radiohead, The King's Singers, and Abba
A song not enough people know about but everyone should hear: Wild Beasts - Woebegone Wanderers. An intelligent little ditty from the Limbo Panto album. It's about their local football club and includes the brilliant couplet: " I'd sware by my own cock and balls, and the family home's four walls".
A song you'd play to get people dancing: Probably Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
The last great thing you heard: MY KZ UR BF - Everything Everything
Your key non-musical influences: Any and all of the Attenborough documentaries, Isaac Asimov (The End Of Eternity is phenomenal and has one of the best twists ever), Arthur C Clarke (check out the Rama series) and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (there's a fair bit of hate out there for Jim Carrey, but I think he's pretty close to being an acting genius)
Your favourite new artist: This is without a doubt Manchester's brilliant Everything Everything. I've not come across genius this apparent since first listening to the Beatles years ago. These guys have the potential to be timeless. Recommended listening: Nasa Is On Your Side
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