We’ve got some good news for you, dear reader.
We sat down with Greg from Scouting For Girls for the latest instalment of our oft-imitated, never-replicated Quickfire Questions series – and this one’s a good ‘un.
So, what are you waiting for? Read on.
You’ve just announced a tour to celebrate celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of your second album, Everybody Wants To Be On TV. What does that record mean to you today?
‘Well, Everybody… was the big one. It had our first ever number one single—This Ain’t A Love Song. As an unsigned band, sitting in your parents’ house, practicing and rehearsing, that’s the dream: to get a number one. To actually achieve that was brilliant.’
Even after the success of your first album, did that number one single ever feel within reach? Or was it a bolt from the blue?
‘I was going to say bolt from the blue! When we first got signed, the one thing I think the label asked us was, “What do you want?” And we said, “We just want to be able to make another album, and another album, and another.” That’s all we wanted—to keep doing this. That’s what makes us happy.
To have a number one single on that album, and to have the album itself land at number two, pipped to the post by Plan B… Yeah, the success of the first album was amazing, but we didn’t expect it to go quite so crazy with the second. That’s for sure.’
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Your favourite tracks from the album must’ve changed over the years—but what are they right now?
‘It’s never changed, actually. My favourite on the album is, and has always been, 1+1. It’s my favourite bassline, and it’s one of the rockiest. I’m a bit of a closet rocker—that’s what I love to play. I just whack some dirty distortion on the bass and try to conjure up a little band energy. It’s so much fun doing that.
We all have different influences and things we love—Roy’s a proper pop head, he loves all things pop. Pete will always go back to the ’80s. But of course, we all grew up on Britpop in the ’90s—so that’s always something we share.’
So, given the chance, would you change anything about that record?
‘I don’t think so. I don’t think you should look back and regret or try to change things. For our lives, and for the things we’ve made, they’ve happened exactly how they have—and we wouldn’t be where we are now without them.’
So, in no particular order—your band has survived physical, streaming, TikTok, Instagram, and a global pandemic. Do you know the secret—or have you just been riding the wave?
‘Man, if I knew the secret, I’d be bottling it and giving it to everyone. But we’ve just been really lucky. Especially after COVID, people want to go out and have an experience. For my generation, a Friday night at the pub, a few beers, that was enough. But now, after 14–15 years of Tory austerity, people have less money and want value for what they do have.
They want a great experience for their money—and I think that’s what we provide. Everyone’s skint these days and they just want a guaranteed good time—and to feel something. It’s sad what everyone went through during the pandemic and has been through since. Even before that, it was tough. So, bringing some happiness into the world is the least we can do.’
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Do you think it’s harder to be in a band now, with Insta, TikTok, and everything else?
‘I think it’s just very different now. For us, MySpace was the big platform when we were coming up—we were just sitting there sending messages. Now it’s 24/7. It must be exhausting for people trying to break through. Not only do you have to hone your skills, write and produce your songs—you’ve also got to come up with constant content. The thing that gave us our foundation was gigging. We did loads on that first album—eight UK tours, from toilet venues to academies. That’s where you learn your craft and your stage presence. To have to do that, plus all the social stuff? It’s mad.’
OK—double-edged question. Sorry, it’s a bit of a cliché. One, have you ever been tempted to deviate from your trademark sound; and two, how would you define that sound?
‘I think you’ve always got to grow—not necessarily change completely, but evolve. You need to keep the core thing that makes your sound your own. For us, I guess it’s bass, drums, piano—and most importantly, Roy’s voice. As soon as I hear it, I know it’s him. That’s the thread through everything. We’ve tried changing things—more acoustic stuff, more guitars—but if it works live, then it’s a strong song. We don’t use backing tracks—what you see is what you get. So if it works like that, we keep it.’
For you personally—not as a band—how important is live performance now? Has that relationship changed?
‘It’s always been my favourite part. Roy’s the main songwriter—he brings the melodies and lyrics, then we build it up with bass, drums, backing vocals. But for me, it’s about the shows and getting out there and performing. That’s what I love.’
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And we don’t know the dynamic behind the scenes, but you all still seem to get along—which isn’t a given after so long.
‘No, we do! We met when we were 12—been playing together for over 20 years. When you’ve known someone that long, you don’t fake it. We live in different parts of the country now, so we get time apart—and I think that helps keep it fresh. Then when we’re back on the bus, we’re having beers, chatting, playing great shows—it’s a blessed life.’
Why do you think your music still connects with people, and why do you think you’ve endured when so many other bands from your time haven’t?
‘I think we were lucky. We’d play Glastonbury one weekend, then do T4 on the Beach the next. We straddled a line—not quite indie, not quite pop, definitely not a boyband. So, we were open to a lot of people.
And I think it’s the positivity. Our music is upbeat, it puts a smile on your face. Our first album went to number one during the financial crisis—people needed that. I’m not saying it was calculated, but the happiness definitely resonated.’
And that leads nicely to our final question—how do you want people to feel when they leave a Scouting for Girls gig?
‘Happy. Tired and happy.’
