Into Music Interview: The Wild Things
There is no doubt about it The Wild Things have packed in quite a bit so far in their career. Their anthemic pop-rock sound led to interest from Pete Townsend who worked with them to produce and play on their last album Afterglow. Known for their trail blazing live shows, they’ve graced stages at The Royal Albert Hall, Madison Square Garden and MGM Las Vegas.
With new music released this year, the band hit the road including an upcoming date at Glasgow’s Nice N Sleazy on Tuesday 16th September. Into Creative’s John Welsh chatted to lead singer Sydney Rae White to get the lowdown.
Into Creative (IC) – Your current single I Can’t Wait is a follow up to the previously released Knock Down, Drag Out. Can you tell us about the storyline here that interlinks the tracks and was this something you set out to do when initially writing them?
Sydney Rae White (SRW) – The songs are a story of an explosive love affair taking place in New Orleans (because why not). There was a few weeks between the release of Knock Down, Drag Out and I Can’t Wait, so we were playing with the idea of ‘what if the relationship was breaking down in real time, between the two tracks?’. They’re bookends; the first song being explosive and passionate, all rose tinted glasses, the second… Well, also explosive and passionate, but in an angry way. Originally the story was about Percival and The Red Knight, but we completely pivoted just before we went in to record them properly. We’ll save that idea for another time.
IC – The videos for both songs see you all involved, and especially on Knock Down, Drag Out having quite a bit of fun. What involvement do you have in planning the videos?
SRW – The entire creative process of the videos, from concept to finished product, is all us! Rob (our blue haired guitarist) directed and edited them both. We’re very ‘in house’ with everything we do. Knock Down, Drag Out was shot by our bestie and in house photographer Marcus Maschwitz; that was a treat.
IC – The lyrics to I Can’t Wait include my favourite line of the year so far – “I’m a lover with the lips of novocaine”. From a lyrical perspective, what inspires the words that end up in your songs?
SRW – Ahh thank you! That’s high praise. We knew that the two mid sections of the songs would ’talk to each other’, so in Knock Down, Drag Out the words themselves are a lot ’softer’, and we wanted to contrast that in I Can’t Wait to show the characters evolution… Also, novocaine is a) a cool f*cking word, and b) it rhymes with hurricane. Winner.
IC – You’ve also done something quite radical/different via the band website with the interactive – The Black Heart – can you explain what that is and what the reaction has been so far?
SRW – The Black Heart Club became a way for us to broadcast the characters anger at this relationship breaking down, whilst at the same time allowing people to let off steam themselves. Basically, anyone can call +44 114 697 1957 to leave an anonymous voicemail to their ex (or anyone that’s wronged them really), and just let it all out. You can also listen to the messages on https://thewildthingsband.com/the-black-heart-club/ – people really haven’t been holding back! We compare it to a darker Postsecret. We also think it’s rad.
IC – You are about to tour the U.K. which includes a Glasgow gig and culminating in a Brighton date – what can fans expect of a live Wild Things show this time around?
SRW – This time around the set is more explosive. We always wanna make you leave a show feeling amazing, and they’ve become a big ‘family’ affair – people up on stage, or me (Syds) in with the audience… it’s just an all round party. There are a couple intimate moments as well on this one, which is something we haven’t done on a tour yet, so we’re pumped.
IC – What is in the tour rider for when you hit Glasgow?
SRW – I just want bread and hummus. That’s it. The guys ask for more local delicacies (bring on the Irn Bru), but I’m a creature of habit (and carbs) unfortunately.
IC – You’ve previously worked with Pete Townsend. How did that come about and what was the experience like?
SRW – Rob and I met Pete whilst touring a production of Quadrophenia. I essentially stole his email address during that time and would consistently send him demos (which he’d usually tell me were ’not good’), but encouraged us to keep creating. The advice paid off; after sending him yet another round of tracks he invited us to his studio and we wrote / recorded an album together. It was, and still is, an honour. If you’re reading this, we love you Pete.
IC – Most recent album Afterglow is a conceptual record, featuring the residents of a fictional town, Valentine. Is the process of writing songs with links and layers to others something you expect to explore further, perhaps on a new album?
SRW – We created Afterglow whilst in the presence of the greatest concept album creator of all time (Townshend), so we wanted to make it something bigger than a few songs shoved together. We’ve always enjoyed writing songs from a story-telling perspective, as opposed to just experiences we’re going through ourselves (although that is mixed in there) – it probably goes back to Rob and I starting out as actors. I think it also allows us to create characters and stories in our live shows, so it’s definitely something we’re continuing. Even with our two latest singles, Knock Down, Drag Out and I Can’t Wait, we wanted to create this larger than life relationship story, so clearly we never stopped post Afterglow.
IC – What are the plans for The Wild Things for 2026?
SRW – Lots. And there’ll be hints on our tour, so you should come find out 😉
IC – Lastly, thinking about all the gigs you have attended as a fan, what show stands out as the most memorable and why (if you can include the band/artist/venue in the answer please).
SRW – We were blessed to witness Green Day at Brixton Academy a few years back. Billy Joe Armstrong said it was the best show he ever played – we agree with him.
For more on The Wild Things including ticket details for the upcoming tour, head to their website here.
John Welsh
@welshjb
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