Getting to Know… Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs | Interview 🎤

In the 343^rd Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from intriguing British four-piece rock band, Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs.

“W“hen we play live, we love to have a good time. We have a running joke that we often have more stage banter than we do music, although the joke probably isn’t too far off from being true.” Cool beans, 🎙 Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs! Per Bibby, the British four-piece band “span(s) quite a few different genres,” though “stays within the rock bracket.” Like our many other Getting to Know Q&As, we get the inside scoop on the band’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and of course, current, and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into 🎤 Getting to Know… Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs: Interview No. 343!

 For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

We span quite a few different genres. We stay within the rock bracket, but it’s such a huge genre. If you listen to our back-catalogue, you can definitely hear a common thread, but we try to keep it fresh on a song-by-song basis.

When we play live, we love to have a good time. We have a running joke that we often have more stage banter than we do music, although the joke probably isn’t too far off from being true haha. We love being in each other’s company, so we like to communicate that to the people who come down to spend time with us at a show. I think when go to see a band live, I enjoy it much less if they just rattle through the songs and then leave the stage. I know it works for some bands, but that’s just not us.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs form and what were some of the goals or visions you had early on?  

We initially got together because I’d just finished writing an album. The band wasn’t a collaborative thing really at first. I’d just asked some friends if they’d help me out – you can’t play an album launch show on your own! That first gig was about as far as our foresight went initially. But it became very obvious pretty much immediately that we wanted to keep going, make some music together. So, we did.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

I wouldn’t say the goal has changed. It’s just come more into focus. Personally, I just wanted us to stay together for as long as we could, making music and seeing the country while doing so. We’re definitely doing that now, and the next step is right on the horizon.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Whom would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?  

I loved the pop-punk explosion in the 00’s. Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance – I love all of those guys. Our music doesn’t hugely reflect any one singular band, but you can hear a patchwork of them all, plus others. The thing that draws me initially to a band is the honesty of the lyrics. You can tell when someone is just firing something out for the sake of a new song. But crafting what’s essentially a poem that cuts to your soul – I love that shit, and I try my best to do it too.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

One of my favourite tour stories takes place after a show we played in Leeds. Jay was absolutely hammered, and we were all carrying our gear from the venue back to the hotel we were staying so we could dump it and carry on drinking. Jay was insisting he’d lost all feeling in his shoulders from all the heavy lifting. It led to about a 20 minute period of everything slapping the shit out of his shoulders to prove him wrong. It wasn’t even just us after a while, people were passing by like, “What are we doing?” and asked if they could join in! I don’t think he’ll ever admit it, but there’s no way he couldn’t feel those slaps after a while. He was red raw. Then we got up the next morning to get matching band tattoos, hungover as fuck.

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

It’s a tough one, but I always love playing 🎵 “Warning Shot”. When I come in with the main guitar riff the whole place just seems to come to life – especially if we open with it! 🎵 “Raindrops on the Ground” is fun too because Hagrid (guitar) sings that one – so I get to run around the stage a bit more.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

I’ll probably regret ever airing this if it turns out to be shit, but I’m currently writing a book. Sci-fi is one of my greatest loves, and I’ve always wondered if I had the staying power to follow through on a huge, unfamiliar project like a novel. As far as I’m aware, it’s going well. But it is hard.

Closing out, what is Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

The main project at the moment is our debut album. We already have 2 EPs out there, but we felt it was right to take that next step. It’s weird how different making an album compared to an EP. Everything feels so much grander, like there’s more on the line. If we spend so much more time, money, and energy on it and no one likes it, then that’s so much more down the drain! But what we’ve recorded so far is sounding phenomenal, so my worry gets less and less with each track.

We’re also going on a tour of the UK in July. We’re headed to Liverpool, Peterborough, and a few other places. We’re also headed back to Leeds for some more shoulder-slappin’ action! Follow our socials for more on that. Ticket info is coming soon.

Getting to Know… Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs: Interview No. 343 [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs; Tumisu via Pixabay]