Little Triggers Get So Loud on Their New Song that “Bang Bang Go Out The Lights” [Premiere]

End off your midweek afternoon with “Bang Bang Go Out The Lights,” a brand new single from the fearsome group Little Triggers. One listen to the song and you’ll get a decent sense of where this band is coming from musically. Yes, basically they fit all of the buzzy pop hooks and thick guitar rock riffs possible into three fast-paced, momentous moments. With the release of “Bang Bang Go Out The Lights,” Little Triggers are proving why the less-is-more approach is nearly always correct.

Formerly a quartet, this is now a badass duo that plays with unrivaled energy that makes up for whatever is lost with the extra instrumentation. When the contraction occurred, singer and guitarist Tom Hamilton and drummer Jay Radcliffe were determined to carry on, deciding to emphasize what they did best; creating intense energy highlighted by fuzzy blues guitar riffs and unforgettable pop hooks. When they realized what approach they were going to proceed with, they wasted no time getting back into the studio to go back to the basics.

“Bang Bang Go Out The Lights” is in a sense the comeback single for Little Triggers after the significant internal changes that have occurred and the previous release of their Loaded Gun album when they were a foursome. This is classic hard rock at its finest with driving drum beats and classic distorted vocals delivered by Hamilton. You may not understand all of what he’s saying very well, but you will be singing along to his wails of “I’m Going To Shoot You Down.” The energy of this track is absolutely out of this world. These guys play at such a fast-pace that you may wonder how they’re able to strum a guitar or hit drums that quickly.

With regards to the song and its meaning, it’s about a good relationship that has turned sour. The protagonist in the song feels he’s at a state where he has no other options except to have it out with a former main squeeze holding a gun in his hand. He already knows how that’s going to end up and doesn’t exactly follow through on his impulse, but being that he’s still in love, he can’t see any other option. Ultimately, “Bang Bang Go Out The Lights” is an expression of extreme frustration.

We discussed “Bang Bang Go Out The Lights” in some more detail with Little Triggers drummer Jay Radcliffe who spoke of the song’s creation process, creating such a frantic sound while only being a duo, and what new music is coming next from them.

“Bang Bang Go Out The Lights” is really an impressive track, a fast-paced, relentless rocker reminiscent of ‘70s rock and punk. Take us back through the writing of this song. Was it a long process?

Jay Radcliffe: “For us as a band and for Tom as a songwriter, ‘Bang’ had quite a long gestation. It is very much a riff led number and Tom took the main idea into the practice room and we just jammed around it until it felt right. It then needed lyrics and he just started singing words and phrases that were in his head. Tom said, ’Some of the Loaded Gun album tracks have imagery around shooting’ and I just began to imagine someone with no option in life but to grab a weapon. I’m utterly not that kind of person and, to me, it’s a symbol of the hopelessness that you can feel when a relationship goes bad. It’s definitely not meant to be literal! So, overall ‘Bang’ probably took a couple of months to create.”

Get loaded up with the official artwork for “Bang Bang Out Go The Lights:”

You pack quite a punch on this song for a band that is actually just a duo. How did you manage to create such a huge sound from just a guitar and drums?

Radcliffe: “Well, we’ve got a great producer in Al Groves at the Motor Museum Studios in Liverpool who really knows how to set us up for that BIG sound. Technically, Tom used two amps and then re-amped one guitar part through a bass amp. We double-tracked the vocals and enjoyed getting together around the microphone for some gang vocals. Jay is a ‘John Bonhamesque’ powerhouse of a drummer but great technically too and the three times repeated drum solo is a sight to behold when played live.”

Speaking of being a duo, it wasn’t that long ago that Little Triggers was a quartet but you’ve decided to carry on as just a two-piece. What made you decide to proceed in this way and not replace the two departed members of the group?

Radcliffe: “To be honest we weren’t sure what direction to take at first other than we were definitely going to continue as a band. We decided to have a go at being a two-piece and just worked really hard in the practice room to make our songs playable as a duo. We were contracted to play a show in Bristol in early December and thought, let’s give it a go. We hadn’t told them about the change in lineup and the promoter was a little shocked. However, after the gig, they immediately wanted to re-book us so it must have worked. The crowd loved it too and we were reviewed as having the BIGGEST (their emphasis) sound two people could make.”

You can’t get any more frantically paced than with the previously-released “I’m Alright”:

It hasn’t been all that long since the release of your debut record Loaded Gun when you were still a four-piece. What can we hear in “Bang Bang Out Go The Lights” that’s different or new, as compared to the songs contained on Loaded Gun?

Radcliffe: “We were desperate to record an album as a mark of where we were as a band and what we had achieved. Most bands feel that way. The Loaded Gun album was basically a recording of our live set and some of those songs were written when Tom was 15 or 16. We love the album but it wasn’t a coherent statement about the sound we want to be known for. A couple of tracks, in particular, ‘So Fine’ and ‘Loaded Gun’ gave a hint as to our direction of travel. ‘Bang’ in our view, successfully captures the rock essence of us with that charge of raw punk energy.”

I see huge potential for you guys, especially now that you’ve slimmed down to just a no-nonsense duo. Is the plan now to record a new album? Or are you just going to proceed with singles for now?

Radcliffe: “We are busy choosing another song to be the next single after ‘Bang’ which will be released around Record Store Day in the UK on April 18th. After that we are into the summer and we have another French tour planned and hope to pick up some UK festival slots. A big UK tour in the autumn is starting to come together and we will definitely release new music around that. Whether it’s some more singles, an EP or a full-blown album we will see, but we have got loads of new songs already written so it’s an exciting time ahead!”

Upcoming Tour Dates:

02/16 – The Musician, Leicester, UK
02/22 – The Troubadour, London, UK
02/29 – Dive Bar, Hull, UK
02/07 – Eagle Inn, Manchester, UK
02/13 – Hot Box, Chelmsford, UK