Interview with The Mams
When and why were The Mams formed?
The Mams were formed in 2006 when ACAS arbitrated over a musical (tho’ not social) feud that had existed ever since A.T.Sharpe sacked @JonTreg from What Larks, a much forgotten Llanelli band of the early 80s. (Those aren’t their real names.)
Introduce us to the members of The Mams and give us a quick insight into their musical history
@JonTreg sings and plays guitar. In another life he was in London-based 90s band Fur-lined, once described by the NME as, ‘Baffling and oddly enjoyable.’ The aforementioned A.T. plays lead guitar. In another guise, A.T. is the front man for The Hepburns, one of the great Llanelli bands. Coolbass Gibson plays bass. He has done his time on the South Wales rock circuit and is famous for his ‘Abandoned Gloves of Burry Port’ series of online pics. Major Mason on drums is a founder member of Andy Pandemonium, plays for both The Hepburns & The Mams and has recently bought a camper van.
How would you describe The Mams music?
Our debut album in 2007, Wam Bam! (you can listen for free on Soundcloud and Spotify), was an 80s influenced concept album about being single in Llanelli. BBC Radio Wales’ Adam Walton described it as, ‘An astonishing record... Everything about it is ACE!' Eight years on we’re back with a sound that can more simply be defined as Pub Rock. NME journalist Roy Carr wrote, ‘Pub Rock was music for bellying-up-to-the-bar, but aggressive enough to make itself heard over chit-chat, pulling birds, rumbles and throwing up.’ That’s good enough for us.
Is there are particular philosophy to The Mams outlook to music?
We want to write and play songs in pubs that people sing along to on the second chorus even tho’ they haven’t heard them before. We’re on a mission to bring back original music in pubs. No covers. Not even cool ones.
You’ve played gigs from Laugharne to London and many places in-between, do you have a favourite gig and a favourite venue?
Whilst Adam Walton’s night in Telford’s in Chester is always fun, and the place we played recently in London EC1, The Slaughtered Lamb, was great, The Kilkenny Cat in Llanelli is our spiritual home. We hope to be back there when the new album, ‘Rhondda St’ is launched in the spring. Everything we do, we do it for Steve Watts.
The Mams have played with some big acts, could you name drop a few for us?
Donkey Punch. None bigger. Whatever happened to them? Apart from that, A.T. did jam with John Cooper-Clarke in Brown's Hotel, Laugharne earlier this year with Thurston Moore, Deke Leonard and Edwyn Collins looking on
Do you have a favourite Mams track?
My favourite track off Wam Bam! is ‘All Hail The Dilettantes.’ All the tracks off Rhondda St are, in my opinion, wonderful examples of the lyrical pop music form so it’s hard to pick one, but ‘Mynydd Mawr’ is right up there.
What do you have planned for 2016?
The new album, Rhondda St (produced by Huw Rees in his studio in Rhondda St, Swansea), comes out in the Spring so we’ll set up a few gigs, do a few videos and see how it goes. If Jools Holland wants to book us, then great... we’re available.
Where can the fans find out more about The Mams?
We have a facebook page (please like – look up The Mams Wales) and a website with an active blog, www.themams.wales Rhondda St is available now as a pre-order for shipping in the next few weeks. Bands tend to do this stuff for the sheer love of it these days, so if people get involved then it makes it all worthwhile.
