Hello, thank you for your time, please introduce yourself in a few words!
Hi, I’m Chris and I’m the singer of the band PLAIINS. I’m from London and now based in Hamburg.
Please give us an update about – new single, new album, tour dates,
new videos?!
The new single is called The Wolf and it’s our first single from our debut EP. We worked with Tim Erdmann on the music video and it came out fantastic, even better than we envisioned when coming up with the idea and concept. I think The Wolf is a good introduction to the band and our sound and also the video showcases some of our aesthetic as well.
I’m excited to release the next single and the EP in the coming months, it will give everyone a good idea of what we’re about. We worked with Tim again on the next single’s music video and our bassist Tal Pinhas directed it. We wanted something that showed a bit of our humour and I think the video does that. It’s looking great, we literally just shot the video last week. And yeah, loads more videos to come! We love doing them. The visual part of the band, whether videos or artwork etc. is important and how we put ourselves out there is something we’re very hands on with and passionate about.
We will be playing our first show at Astra Stube in Hamburg on the 15th June and Wild At Heart in Berlin on the 16th. We will be announcing more shows soon!
Name 5 things we all should know about you as a band?!
We are quite a mixed international band. Max Maeder (guitarist) and David “Dizzy” Suhlrie (drummer) are both from Germany, Tal Pinhas (bassist) is from Haifa in Israel and I’m half English and half Chinese and grew both in the UK and in Hong Kong. So we’re quite a mixed bag!
The band name PLAIINS was inspired by the song Plainsong by The Cure and I love the indie dream pop band Alvvays and how they use two V’s instead of a W and also I like when there are two meanings of a word, like IDLES / idols.
Our logo is inspired by the two I’s in the band name. Coincidentally my Mum just told me that the character in Cantonese means a well, which is pretty cool.
We wrote, recorded and produced the EP ourselves in our own studio. We’re quite proud of our DIY approach. We worked with the fantastic Manuel Renner of Ueberlaerm Studios on mixing and mastering duties.
Our old rehearsal space was in a WWII bunker – no windows, no warm water and no wi-fi and crazy cold in the winter. That probably inspired a lot of the vibes in our songs – we also had a lot of fun though and we just recently moved to a new place that also has actual toilet seats! Yeah!
What fashion style or brand would best describe your music?
Heath Ledger and Joaquim Phoenix’s the Joker.
5. What’s your songwriting process?
I think we are still discovering our songwriting process and I say that because it always has been changing and I think it will always be a constant evolving process and that’s exciting. We are all strong characters in the band and we are very collaborative, democratic and respectful of one another as musicians and as friends.
6. If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
We would love to see the industry continue to evolve into an accepting and open space, whatever your sexual identity or background. The entertainment industry has a responsibility for the society. So its especially important that it continues to become a place where all sexual identities, genders and backgrounds can be represented free of bias or discrimination – on and behind the stage. We as an all-male band know we have to continuously learn and be part of the change.
7. Tell us more about your songs! Topics! Message!?
I think we are bringing something new into the rock scene. PLAIINS has its own sound and we wanted a band that when you heard it for ten seconds you would know it’s us and I think we’re doing that. Its alternative, underground and in your face but also catchy and you can sing along, I love the balance that we have. We all love hooks but we all love noise too, and we all love humour too and there’s a bit of that in the music from time to time.
I am the lyricist in the band and there are many topics that I write about and are all very personal to me. From love, loss, mental health struggles to my feelings on politics or corruption to social issues such as racism or inequality. There are no boundaries, I just write about how I’m feeling and vent those emotions onto paper. Our overall message is honesty and we will never put anything out that isn’t honest and real.
A question you’d like to answer, but never been asked in an
interview before?! + Answer pls
How do you make your hair so awesome?
Answer: That’s a great question! I bulk buy my hair wax in the UK when I’m visiting home and bring it back to Hamburg. (Its VO5 – matt clay, VO5 please endorse me!)
Instagram: @plaiinsband_