SXSW Interview: Mammoth Penguins
When Standard Fare called it a day, Emma Kupa moved on to from Mammoth Penguins. I’ve been a huge fan from day one, and There’s No Fight We Can’t Both Win was one of my favorite LPs last year. All that said, I’ve never caught the band live, so I’m more than excited to finally get to see them at SXSW this year. We caught up with the group real quick to grab some answers to our little interview.
Oh…and if you’re so inclined…it’s tough to get bands from the UK to the US, so you can help by buying some Mammoth Penguins merch HERE.
ATH: Whats the name of the band/group? Where are you from?
MP: We are Mammoth Penguins and we come from Cambridge, UK.
ATH: Describe your groups sound.
MP: Our sound is Indie-rock.
ATH: What was your most recent release? Any planned releases from 2020?
MP: Our most recent release was an album called There’s No Fight We Can’t Both Win, and it was released last year in 2019. This year we plan to write and record the next album.
ATH: 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?
MP: We just plan to play our favourite songs from our most recent album and a few hits from the older ones. We will be warmed up from playing some gigs in the UK and we’ll be super excited to be there.
ATH: 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 is growing ancy. How would your band deal with such a situation?
MP: We’d have some beers, put our earplugs in (because the sound is bad) and enjoy the range of acts performing. Then, we’d play our set and have as much fun as we could onstage!
ATH: There are tons of bands coming into town. Of the 1000+ bands coming into town, who would you ideally like to play with. Which band friends will be here?
MP: We’d love to play with Petrol Girls again, they’re such a great band and they blow us away every time we see them! We will also be going to see friends The School at the Focus Wales showcase and our buddies Pictish Trail.
ATH: What has everyone in the band been listening to, or, what plays in the tour van/car/bus?
MP: We like to either put someone’s phone on random and hear a range of songs or listen to a band/artist in depth and chat about what we like about them. We’ve done this with bands like Hop Along, Land of Talk, Swearin’ and The Beatles!
ATH: Describe your perfect festival, real or not? Whos headlining? Wheres it take place? Etc.
MP: Our perfect festival definitely already exists and it’s called Indietracks! Emma helps to organise it and it’s an amazing experience to be there. It’s a music festival on a heritage railway site so there are lots of trains, including a stage in a carriage, a stage in a tabernacle church and a lot of lovely people. The line-up has a lot of variety but there is a common DIY ethos and community feel.
ATH: Whats on the bands rider? If were bringing you food and booze, what can we bring you?
MP: A hot meal and some nice beer are generally all we ask for. We’re keen to try new things so we’d love it if you brought us something local and famous in Austin!
ATH: 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?
MP: Our new business ‘Mammoth Taco’ serves penguin inspired tacos – the emperor is super loaded with everything we have on offer. Emperor penguins huddle together to escape wind and conserve warmth. Individuals take turns moving to the group’s protected and relatively toasty interior. So the Emperor taco will have a hot and spicy middle! The king penguin is more slimline so it’s taco will have more salad and a fresh coriander garnish. Apparently there is a species of penguin called Macaroni, so….