Momo and the Minutes

Who are Momo and the Minutes? Where you’re from, how you met, how long have you been playing together etc

We are a 3-piece dream pop band based in East/South East London, and before February this year we were actually total strangers. I found Aletia (rhythm guitar/backing vox) and Josh (bass/backing vox) on JoinMyBand.com after releasing the debut EP in January and was looking for musicians to help play the parts on the record. Since then, we’ve been on the open mic circuit and have just started playing our first shows.

Who came up with the band name and does it have a story or any meaning behind it?

At the same time as writing the EP I got slightly obsessed with watching Jelle’s Marble Runs on Youtube (basically marble racing with the budget of the Olympics). Watching it one time, the commentator was describing teams and introduced “Momo, and The Hazers”. At the time I didn’t have a name for this project I was writing these songs for, and that name “Momo and the Hazers” started going round and round in my head. I didn’t want to full-on plagiarise so I started messing around with alliteration on Momo, and that lead to coming up with Momo and the Minutes.

If you had to describe the band using just five words, what would they be?

Sincere guitar pop plus ethereal-ness.

Who are your biggest influences musically?

A lot of the Momo sound is influenced by 2000s era J-Rock/Pop. Specific bands that shaped the sound of the EP were Spangle Call Lilli Line, Yumi Zouma, Lucid Express, and Blisstonia.

What’s the band’s biggest claim to fame so far?

We got tweeted by Wheatus. A guitarist I was talking to early on when forming the band shared one of the EP tracks with the band’s frontman Brendan Brown, who then tweeted the song out on their official account. We in the band refer to this moment as ‘Twheatus’.

What’s your songwriting process?

Generally, it starts with a melody or riff for a section, and I’ll try and define the vibe of the song in that section, slowly filling in the structure around it and adding a verse or a chorus etc, like a puzzle, until it fits together. Lyrics are a different game. My process there is to stare at half-finished verses until something clicks.

If you could go on tour with any current band or artist, who would it be and why?

Probably Haim. They seem like great fun, and we would just have epic band v band 3-part harmony sing-offs backstage.

If you could put your dream team band together consisting of any musicians from the past or present who would the band members be?

Josh Eppard, Bill Wurtz, John Mayer, Bjork, and Thom Yorke. Something interesting would surely happen.

How would you describe your live show to someone who has never seen you perform before?

Low-volume and laid-back with some surprise sing-alongs.

Do any of you have any pre-gig or post gig rituals? If so, what and why?

Still figuring that out!

What would your ultimate rider be if you could have anything without being accused of being a diva?

Aletia – Pimms!

Josh – Nandos, gluten free cake, and Whisky.

Sam – Arcade cabinets and infinite tokens.

This question is for all band members. If we were to browse your music library what is the most embarrassing song we might find? Or who is your guilty pleasure artist?

Aletia – High School Musical

Josh – Year 3000 by Busted

Sam – Nickelback 100%

Tell us one thing your fans would be really shocked or surprised to hear or learn about the band

Aletia had never played in a band or performed live before Momo!

If people want to check you out online where is the best place to go?

Our insta page @momoandtheminutes

Finally, What does the future hold for the band?

A cosy and intimate show at the Lucky Pig with Hot Vox of course. Then fingers crossed looking ahead to a first full band show with a drummer and an EP in the winter.