SXSW Interview: Cherry Pickles
We’re about to wind it up and disappear into the haze that is SXSW, but alas, we’ve got more news from overseas. Cherry Pickles will be here! And, they’ve responded to our questions, courtesy of their label PNKSLM! They’ve got a new record on the way in just under a month, so go on and enjoy the tunes!
Whats the name of the band/group? Where are you from?
Cherry Pickles. Priscila B from Brasilia Brazil and Mimi B from Birmingham UK. We both live in Birmingham now because rehearsals were costing us a fortune.
Describe your groups sound.
Slightly wrong-sounding (but infectious!) one-minute-garage-pop with gusto. Art-damaged love letter to 50s malt-shop-pop, fuzzy garage and basement-banging fun!
What was your most recent release? Any planned releases from 2019?
We just released a dreamy single It Will All End in Tears on Valentines Day because were hopeless romantics. Our debut album Cherry Pickles Will Harden Your Nipples is coming out on PNKSLM Recordings on 5th April so this whole SXSW adventure is like one long album launch party. Were crazy excited!
For most SXSW sets, you get 30 minutes to leave a lasting impression. Whats your plan of attack? You have a set list mapped out yet?
Play every song we know and then juggle for 15 minutes? Our songs are so short that 30 minutes would be a box set worth of our records. Well play our set twice.
Lets say your band has been booked an official showcase at a pop up venue somewhere in the middle of 6th street. The lineup features thrash metal, hip-hop, spoken word, and you. The sound is horrible, the lineup is not your style, and the crowd seems angry at the world. How would your band deal with such a situation?
We thrive on weird mixes, it would be wonderful! Bad sound is never a problem, the lineup will rarely be our style anyway and we just share tequila with the angry crowd and theyll come around.
There are tons of bands coming into town. Of the 1000+ bands coming into town, who would you ideally like to play with. What band friends will be here?
Our (literal) next door neighbors from Birmingham Table Scraps will be here so well be annoying them whenever possible. We are lucky to be playing a showcase with all of our PNKSLM family, Henrik Appel, Magic Potion, Sudakistan, Shit Kid, Miss World its going to be amazing!
What has everyone in the band been listening to, or, what plays in the tour van/car/bus?
Beat Happening 4 ever. At the moment we have Soft Boys, Abner Jay and Jeremy Jay on rotation. The Flying Lizards. Lena Lovitch. Sofa King. Mimi will try to put on Divinyls and get shouted at and quickly change it to The Garden.
Describe your perfect festival, real or not? Whos headlining? Wheres it take place? Etc.
We can raise people from the dead and time travel? If so, headliners would be The Cramps, Pulp, The Gories, The Shaggs, Beat Happening, The Shangri-Las, Daniel Johnston, The B52s and Os Mutantes (with Rita Lee) Its a 3-stage 3-day festival and its on a tropical island. Well play early evening sets on our docked yacht.
Whats on the bands rider? If were bringing you food and booze, what can we bring you?
Tequila, bucks fizz, cachaca.
The band gets to create their own taco pop-up shop at SXSW? Whats the name, and what sort of tacos will you have? Any sides?
Got to be vegetarian tacos. Pickled beans with cherry hot sauce. No, cherry beans with pickles and hot sauce. Something containing Cherries and pickles.
The name of our shop would be Cherry Pickles Will Melt Your Nipples of course!