October Drift Interview on Medieval Living, Pet Squirrels & Unusual Facts

In just over two weeks time, October Drift head out to mainland Europe for an extensive headline tour in support of their recently released album, Blame The Young.

The album dropped last month and has already seen radio airplay, a slew of headline shows across the UK and the band being touted as one of the UK’s most exciting rock bands.

Ahead of the band heading out to Europe for their first-ever headline tour, V13 sat down with vocalist Kiran Roy. So, if you’ve ever wanted to know what Kiran’s greatest accomplishment is, what makes him feel nostalgic or which medieval period he would like to have lived in, then read on…

What do you think is your greatest accomplishment?

Kiran Roy: “My first thought is this album, Blame The Young, I’m so proud of this record. Playing Glastonbury was a big bucket list thing for me, especially the John Peel Stage (now Woodsies). But we’ve been making music together since we were teenagers so maybe the biggest surprise is we’re still great friends and making music. A really brilliant, warm, inclusive following has built around this band too, creating places of community and I think bringing joy and often to support to people, that’s a big accomplishment.”

If you lived in a city in medieval times, what would you be doing?

“Hmm, strange question but I’ll roll with it. I’d probably be a peasant. Or a musician perhaps, a troubadour rocking the lute. Or a bard maybe, like a poet or something. I’d probably be a peasant though, and drink too much mead. I’ve had measles and shingles in recent years so I’d probably be full of the plague.”

What’s something you know isn’t real, but wish existed?

“My music career? Just kidding. We don’t really know for sure if anything is real or not right? How about teleportation? I’m always driving back and forth from where I live in Cardiff to our studio in Somerset. Imagine touring without sitting in a van for 75% of the time!”

What historical event would you most like to have experienced first hand?

“I’m not really sure but today marks 88 years since the Battle of Cable Street so I’ll talk about that. Oswald Mosley led the British Union of Fascists – the Blackshirts and the police force to protect them on a march in the East End of London, but was hugely outnumbered by the counter-demonstrators, the anti-fascists.

“It basically spelled the decline of British fascism at the time, but is so hugely relevant still now with the recent riots across the UK. It goes to show that you can’t leave it in the hands of the government, the police or the legal system and sometimes the mass mobilisation of actual people is completely necessary. Total echoes of what happened this year, and proud of the UK’s public response to the far right bullshit.”

What always makes you nostalgic?

“Incense and Sandlewood. Kichuri – Rice and Dahl was my staple diet growing up! Cricket. Warm, stuffy, slightly sweet London Underground smell. Swimming pool chlorine smell. The Simpsons, Rush hour 1 & 2, Spaced. Pot noodles, Dairylea triangles. Vegetarian frankfurters. Surf wax. Powerangers. Pokémon. Yo-yos. Sega Mega Drive, N64, Gameboy. Tony Hawks Pro-skater. Loads of music.”

October Drift ‘Blame It On The Young’ Album Artwork

What story had the best ending?

“Fight Club, maybe? Shutter Island was a good one too right! The last scene in Trainspotting, where Ewan McGregor takes the money and runs, and Underworld “Born Slippy”’s playing! We started each show with that as the walk on music for years – got us pumped!”

What is one thing that you’re good at that people don’t expect?

“Not sure I’m too good at anything else. I’m alright at surfing and skateboarding. I’m an alright cook. I like cycling! Bouldering is fun – we’ve done it on days off on tour before. I’ve always tried to climb whatever I can during our gigs – balconies / rigging etc. so that might not come as a surprise to people.”

If you had the chance to know when you died and how, would you take it?

“Erm… tricky, but no I don’t think so. Not sure why, I think I’m OK with the unknown, I kind of like life’s twists and turns and am not wanting to control the outcomes.”

What’s the most random fact you know?

“I work in a pub, a group of women gave some random facts last night so they’re fresh in my head – sperm whales are the loudest mammal and giraffes have no vocal cords.”

What were the longest five minutes you’ve ever experienced?

“We did a gig when we were at college, under a different name, where Dan played a 12-string acoustic guitar. Him meticulously tuning each of those 12 strings at the beginning of the set felt like a torturous lifetime.”

Cats or Dogs?

“Dogs really, although during lockdown a cat would come and hang out with me everyday and it really improved my day, we had a bond! I named her Patricia. I later found she was a he called Cosmo and belonged to a neighbour…”

If you could have anything as a pet, what would it be?

“When I was a little kid I told the other kids at school I had a pet squirrel. Everyone seemed to have pets and I didn’t, so I made it up. So maybe a squirrel? I’d love a dog!”

Favorite book of all time?

“Not sure! I love reading, but it takes me forever to finish a book! And I’ve never read the same book twice. ‘A Fraction of the Whole’ by Steve Toltz springs to mind or ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ by Richard Flanagan – both Australian writers.

“Both books kind of play with past and present narratives, and are vibrantly descriptive and poetically written – I often find lyric ideas from these kinds of books. I also like non fiction – the Yuval Noah Harari books and that kind of thing. I’m reading an African History of Africa book at the moment.”