We sat down with frontman and guitarist Curtis Cooper from Doncaster band THE OUTCHARMS to chat about their new single, their sell out performances and what are the bands plans going forward.

Your new single ‘Time to Go’ is out on Wednesday 23rd August, are you excited for people to hear it?

Curt: It is one that has been in the pipeline for a while now. It is a complete different sound to our usual stuff, a lot slower. We’ll be playing it live for the first time at Gorillafest but I am really happy with it, and it is closer to my song writing influences compared to our other songs. I am more excited for it to come out than I have been when releasing our other singles.

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What is the reason you have chosen a different direction of sound for this new single?

Curt: We want to constantly evolve. Change is a massive thing and it can be good, it is only natural. You have to push yourself to get out of your comfort zone and explore new things.

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‘Time to Go’ will make it your third single of 2023, but the artwork is very similar to your two previous singles, what is the message behind that?

Curt: They are all old photos of our hometown, Doncaster. The ‘Life Gets In The Way’ cover is a bus driving past the Hallcross Pub, which is a very special place to all of us. It is where we all drink and socialise, including other musicians like Tom from The Blinders and John McCullagh. It is collectively a homage to our hometown, compared to other bands that jump on to the Sheffield scene. You should be proud of where you come from, and we definitely are.

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This isn’t the first time you have paid homage to your hometown, as the artwork for your 2021 EP ‘Little Disco’ replicated that.

Curt: Yes, it is a sign in the Social bar in Doncaster. It was the first proper venue we played in. Gaz has looked after us for years and always gave us some decent gigs with other bands too. That little sign is our Leadmill sign. That venue is where everything started and it is the hub for us.

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How did the formation of The Outcharms come about?

Curt: We all met at school, we have been in this band since we were 14 years old. I had a Stone Roses jumper on and Ross came up to me and flicked it and said “I have seen them twice” then walked off. I was like “fucking hell who’s he!?” We became mates as he was the only person in our year that played guitar, Matty and Shay were our mates and we all learned to play different instruments around Ross. Then it came down to the short straw who has going to sing, and I was the least tone-deaf out of us all of is.

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Touching back on your hometown, arguably your biggest gig came about last year. You supported fellow Doncaster artist Louis Tomlinson at The Dome, how did that happen?

Curt: That was surreal. We were out having a drink Saturday afternoon just after results day, and we got a message from Louis on Twitter saying “You alright lads” I had to check it was from a legit account first, but we heard nothing for over a week as he is mega busy. His friend Ollie who he works with came to see us practise and got Louis on the phone to chat with us. As I was speaking to him, the other lads were saying “Ask him about The Dome!” At the end of the phone call jokingly I said “We’ll support you at The Dome gig if you need us” and put the phone down. Then all of a sudden we got an offer through for the gig.

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A majority of Louis Tomlinson’s fans have been there since his One Direction days, how was the show for you guys playing in front of an audience that are fans of a complete different genre?

Curt: The scale of the gig was completely different to anything we have ever done before. I remember walking in with my stuff and there were tonnes of lorries for his sound and lighting. Security was everywhere and there were people who had camped out overnight outside. The moment we got announced, fans were straight away on to us. They were tweeting us and constantly engaged with us leading up to the gig and it was one of the best audiences we have ever played to. An absolute credit to his fans and a lot of them have stuck with us since too. Also, a massive shout out to Shade, who we have played with before. They are supporting Louis in Italy next week, and he is always picking up bands to play with him like The Snuts, Andrew Cushin and Inhaler, which is awesome.

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You are set to go on tour in the UK this October, are you excited to join up with The Luka State and Youth Killed It?

Curt: Yeah buzzing for it. The Luka State supported The Reytons on the tour after the one we did, and they are a little bit heavier than us but it’s good to mix it up a bit. Youth Killed It have been around a bit longer than us, their stuff is more Happy Mondays style, but still really looking forward to it.

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Do you have any tour rituals?

Curt: On the last tour, we always had a Jagerbomb before we went on stage, and every support band that played with us we got them to have one too. Some of them don’t like to drink before they play but we got them to join in. Plus, it makes it easier in the dressing room as well.

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How is van life for The Outcharms?

Curt: On the way down to a show, everyone is up for it and just having a laugh. If there is football on we’ll watch that, play cards of FIFA. On the way back, everyone is fighting over a head rest, but I don’t sleep very well when travelling so I’ll just drink on my own in the back. We played in Stockton a few months ago, and on the drive home ‘Big Sky’ came on John Kennedy’s show on Radio X. I thought someone had connected their phone to the speakers, but when John introduced us then went straight into ‘Waterfall’ by The Stone Roses, we all just burst out laughing, it was one of the maddest things that has happened.

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Has the feature on Radio X helped you in any way?

Curt: Yeah, I feel people who listen to the John Kennedy show, are more tuned in to music anyway. He has been championing new music for years, and even people like Dan Potter and Ady Hanson, Sam Shiner and other people who do it off their own back and for the love of music.

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How did your classmates at school take to you behind in a band?

Curt: We were the only band in our school. We used to lock ourselves away in a music room at school, and our mates would terrorise us for a laugh. But people don’t like what they don’t understand, and with us being the only ones in a band, so everyone saw it as a novelty. When we supported Louis those same people were asking for guest list, but all is fair in love and war.

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After selling out the O2 Academy2, The Leopard and The Leadmill, what is the next step?

Curt: Once the gig with Louis happened, it was all a bit of whirlwind. We couldn’t get back in the studio as we had to finish off our degrees. We still had enough material to go into that show and pack it out. I think for now it’s building on where we are now.

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How much time do you get to visit the places you play during touring?

Curt: We like to be punctual when playing shows. We get there on time, soundcheck and then before doors open we’ll go for a wander. Ross and Shay look for the nearest Wetherspoons. Ten chicken wings is their ritual. It’s nice to find out a little bit about the places you play. There is a lot of musical history in places like Birmingham and Manchester so we tend to tap in to that when we are there.

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What does 2024 look like for The Outcharms?

Curt: Next year is going to be more music, more touring, more gigs. We have stuff in place already for next year, now we’re looking at getting stuff in from April onwards. Hopefully a few more festivals as well, we’d love to get on that circuit.

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Your last EP was released back in 2021, what is the plan for the next release?

Curt: We have got something big planned for a project. After spending so much time on it, it will definitely be worth the wait. I can’t say anything more than that. But hopefully people appreciate the effort we have put in to it.

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If you could create your own personal rider, what would it be?

Curt: We always ask for Buckfast. We ask every promoter for Buckfast and they must look at it and think, if we give them Buckfast, they won’t be playing tonight. I’d have Kronenbourg on there as it’s my favourite lager. Posh sausage rolls, like those Tesco Extra special ones and a proper pork pie. I try not to do much eating before playing though.

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Any final words?

Curt: ‘Time to Go’ is out Wednesday 23rd August, get it pre-saved. We have some more stuff lined-up this year.

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You can see THE OUTCHARMS live in the UK on the following dates:

26th August – Digbeth, Dead Wax (What’s Happenin’ Weekender)
1st September – Bridlington Spa Sessions (supporting The Chase)
2nd  September – Sprotbrough, The Bunker (Bunkerfest)
12th October – London, Powerhaus
27th October – Liverpool, District
28th October – Leeds, Lending Room
18th November – Stockton-on-Tees, KU (supporting The Chase)