We ask the bassist behind the Hyperjax and the Kingshakes our burning questions…

Birthday: 10/1/89

Birthplace: Burton on trent

Hobbies: Playing music, collecting musical things[like] double basses, amps, guitars, accordion, ukes etc etc, returning back to the gym after many years

Married? To be! 7th march 2026 to Roxy

Children? 2! One girl, four years old, and one lad, seventeen years old. Super proud of them both! Lily Rose is a wonderful polite little monkey and Scott-Lee had started his apprenticeship as well as playing guitar. 

Favourite groups: Ahhh too many… AC/DC, Motorhead, Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger, Bad Manners, The Specials, Status Quo, Stray Cats, Restless, to name a few.

Favourite food:Spagbol 

Favourite drink: Orange squash or coke

Previous jobs:Aerospace engineer – left that because i needed more time off to gig so went to a beverage company and I’m still in the beverage industry now.

Likes: Double basses, Cars, bikes, my family hahaha Stray Cats 

Dislikes: Any politics! I can’t be arsed with that crap just let me play my bass!

Pets: a rabbit called Roger

So, the double bass is a big instrument-what on earth made you want to play it ? Why wouldnt anyone? Come on, look at it it! Looks cool, it sounds amazing and it’s definitely a statement piece!

Did you buy your own initially or borrow one? I had classical lessions and my teacher supplied me with a classical double bass then my parents got me my first one which I still own today, as well as many others. 

How do you transport it? When I was at school, the case had rucksack straps so I used to carry it like a bag to and from, but now its in the car or van. 

How often do you get people referring to it as a cello or massive violin? If I had a pound, I would be a millionaire. 

How long have you been playing? Roughly 26/27 years on double bass. Before that, I did the accordion, getting a grade 5. 

What was the first band that you played the bass in? My school jazz band: we were called Second Hand. Double bass, drums and piano .

What other bands have you been in? The Hangmen, the Go Katz, Kingshakes, Hyperjax, Relentless, Secondhand. I temporarily stood in for Coffin Nails, and depped for many bands including Restless.

What’s your favourite song featuring a slap bass (not your own?)  Not hard, but its fun to play: Rancid ‘Time Bomb’ or any stray cats 

What’s your favourite song that you’ve played bass on? Ooo erm all of them! The Go Katz ‘Nightmare’ or Kingshakes ‘Car 89’ or Hyperjax ‘Aint That A Kick in the Teeth’ or Hangmen ‘Rainy Day in Paradise’ 

Is there anyone that massively influenced you as a bass player? The god himself Lee Rocker, Stanley Clarke, my good mate Mark [Carew] from Long Tall Texans. 

Do you have a name for your bass? Charlotte is my first bass, my second bass is Scarlet. The iconic kingbass I have – what was known as the Satanic Stomp bass sk666 – is The Beast. My Kingbass Roadking 17 is called Spankey. My german classical bass is The Old Lady (she’s just over 101 years old).

Have you got a travel bag/soft cover for it and if so, have you ever crawled into it? I have soft cases and hard cases. When I was – cough cough – slimmer, I did sleep in the hard case once. I wouldn’t advise it: woke up in a right mangled mess.  

Is there anything else you’d like me to mention that readers would find interesting?

Nothing interesting other than I want to thank the team who keep me on track and support me in this journey: Jargarstrings, VDC Vanndamme cables, Rattlesnake cables, Seymour Duncan pickups, Trace Elliot, World’s Best Roadie Scott, and Roxy and Lily for putting up with all the bass crap around the house 

PS. Yes, I do have three 8×10 bass cabs in the downstairs loo. just because it looks cool hahaha, as well as the ones in the cupboards, storage, dad’s house, nan’s house and many more…

As told to Nick Constantine