Up & Coming Pop Punk Bands | Sweet Little Machine

For Today's up and coming pop punk band post, we're bringing to you Sweet Little Machine who hail from Sheffield. The band have recently been in the studio recording a number of singles which they are releasing over the next few weeks. Sweet Little Machine have already released 2 singles; Save Our Bones and We Used To Own These Playgrounds. Both songs incorporate a mix of summery pop punk, both with unforgettable melodies. The two singles exert an abundance of energy mixed with catchy riffs. We asked the band a few questions about their new music, whether they prefer recording or playing live and how their guitarist/ vocalist Alex ended up singing on stage with Green Day...  

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Sheffield, England!

HOW DID YOU FORM?

It all started from going to school together and growing up being in different bands that all played together around Sheffield. Over time people left those bands for various reasons and slowly we all started coming together to form 'Sweet Little Machine'. 

It was a bit of a strange beginning. There never seemed to be a decision about starting the band together, it just started happening. At the same time it was quite strange for us as it was like starting all over again. We were writing, gigging and creating a band for the first time together. However, it seems to have turned out for the best and to become 'the band built on broken bands'. 

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH YOUR BAND NAME?

There are many different theories of where the name originated from. My favourite is that it's named after a certain adult toy commonly sold in shops like Ann Summers. 

YOU'VE RECENTLY BEEN IN THE RECORDING STUDIO, TELL US A BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE BEEN UP TO...

We have been in the studio with Jim Pinder at Treehouse Studios recording a bunch of singles we're going to release over the next few weeks, the first of which being 'Save Our Bones' which is available now, following up with the second release "We Used to Own These Playgrounds". As well as that we have been gigging, making a few music videos for the tracks and finishing writing some more songs we're going to record in June time.

YOUR VOCALIST/GUITARIST ALEX GOT PULLED ON STAGE BY BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG TO SING WITH GREEN DAY AT WEMBLEY AND SHEFFIELD ARENA, HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?

Each time Green Day play, they pull people out of the audience to sing/play a song with them. While at Sheffield arena, Alex was lucky enough to be pulled onstage and get to play Longview with them before being crowd surfed away into the audience!

DO YOU PREFER RECORDING OR PLAYING LIVE?

We have always been more of a live band than studio band. Not because we prefer either of the two, just because there's something incredible about sharing what you have worked so hard to create, whilst being in the same room as others. 

What is amazing about being in the studio is that's where the songs really become their own and they get their own personalities. What was great about working with Jim was he pushed us as far as he could, just to make sure that the recording's were the best they possibly could be. After all the writing and recording has been pieced together and you get to listen back to the finished product, it's probably the closest way we can listen to our own music as if it was an outside point of view and we get to really critic our own songs.

However there is still something you cant take away from getting to play live, like the moments just before you go on and your getting that rush of adrenalin from not knowing how its going to go, how the audience will react and if people will even like you. When you do get to play an amazing show and the crowd gets really involved its a felling that  can't really be taken away from you whatever kind of day you have had, and even though we have played these songs hundreds of times by now, what through practising, recording and playing live, its just a feeling that never seams to get old. 

IF YOU COULD PLAY A SHOW WITH ANY BAND WHO WOULD IT BE?

We're really digging a band called "I Am The Avalanche". Not only do we love their music, we think we'd fit pretty well on a bill with them! Their shows are really fun and energetic, you can sing along to every song, which is what we like in music and the direction that we try to take our live shows in.

WHAT ARE YOU TOP FIVE FAVOURITE POP PUNK ALBUMS?

Well split this one up and do one each and then one we have all been inspired by! 

Alex: Danger Days - My Chemical Romance 

Adam: Beautiful Let-down - Switchfoot

Lucy: Infinity on High - Fall Out Boy  

Joel: Dookie - Green Day 

Bands Choice: American Idiot - Green Day 

Each one of our individual albums have a place in our hearts. Each of these artists and albums have given inspiration to us in the music that we write for the songs like "Saves Our Bones" and "Playgrounds". And as for the group album that's the one album that we've all been inspired by and got us into pop punk. 


Listen to Sweet Little Machine's new single, We Used To Own These Playgrounds, above!


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