Where did you get your name from?
There was a The Fall song called ‘Bombast’ that I always liked, but it’s mainly because I see myself as a loud mouthed buffoon.

What’s your ‘origin story’?
My first proper band was The Mobbs a garage punk 3 piece. We did 5 long players in total and played around Europe a bit. Then GoGo Loco came after that ended with the drummer Cheadle. I kinda went back into my roots with GoGo Loco to a more classic R&B sound and then even further with Joe Bombast.

Which bands / artists are your biggest influences?
Billy Childish, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Hasil Adkins. To name a few!

Do you adapt your sound between shows/gigs/recordings?
Yes, but in essence it’s the same. I record to a four track tape machine so I’m limited to what instruments I can track, then it gets even more stripped down live with just foot drums, guitar and vocal.

How would you describe your sound?
Raw, saturated, desperate rock ‘n’ roll. Let’s call it – Punkish rockabilly!

What’s your favourite song to play live and why?
I like playing the songs off the new LP cos they’re more suited to the one man band thing. So “One Big Joke” and “Put A Sock In It” they’re good to play live.

What’s been the highlight of your music career so far?
As Joe Bombast – The highlight is the reward of recording a whole bunch of songs myself, doing the artwork, getting the thing pressed and then having it in my hand to go play on a turntable. A good show I’d say was supporting the Deltas at The Boatshack in Bromsgrove but I was terrible that night so I’d have to pick playing at The Bear for Bedlam in March 26’! That was a pretty mad show!

Have you faced any difficulties or setbacks in your music career so far? How have you overcome them?
Lots of self doubt and anxiety especially when it comes to playing live as a one man band. However the whole point of this project is to overcome all that…it’s a “do it yourself” project so it’s all about my personal enjoyment of the music I’m making. Essentially I’m doing this for myself and so far it’s worked!

What’s coming up in the future for you?
A few shows locally…but nothing booked after October 26’ things pop up but I have just been booked for Sh-Boom festival in Italy next May!

TELL ME ABOUT:

Your last album…what was the process there?
The process is supposed to be as spontaneous as possible. I write a song then try and learn it inside out, then I track it without thinking about it too hard. I leave the mistakes in. I enjoy amateur sounding music because it comes from the heart and hasn’t been messed about with too much. I use very limited gear (some would say rubbish gear) to record. That was the process with my debut LP and the same with my latest.

Favourite song of yours!
When I wrote and recorded “Put A Song In It” I realised I’d kinda got to a place that I was happy with. So that’s one of my favourites simply because I nailed it sonically.

Your craziest tour experience
As Joe Bombast – Sleeping in a shed in Bromsgrove after supporting The Deltas that was crazy fun! Other than that I’ve not been on tour yet! Someone book it for me!!

Your dreams for the future! How would you describe them?
I want to be authentic and just to continue being creative. My dream is to play some great festivals in UK and Europe.

Is there anyone you’d love to share a stage with, living or dead? Why?
Dead Elvis One Man Grave…he’s living and dead! Dead Elvis made me realise I could do a one man band.

Did you always know what kind of music you wanted to make, or did it come to you gradually?
I came to it gradually really. I’ve always loved rhythm and blues and then I discovered punk…very late…but that was the making of me!

Are your lyrics in character or based on your life?
A mish mash of experiences and usually taken from experiences in my teens. A lot of my lyrics are about making sure people come out of their shell and dance to live rock ‘n’ roll and enjoy it as much as I do.

Was there a song or moment that made you fall in love with rock ‘n’ roll/rockabilly/Psychobilly?
I was five or six years old, I’d just got in from school with my best friend Emily. She had a cassette tape of Jerry Lee Lewis “Great Balls Of Fire” we put that on and danced like absolute nutters to it on my bed over and over again. I’ve listened and been inspired by loads of different music since then, but that was the first moment for me!

Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?
All covered I think. But advice to young musicians is…don’t sit in your room…go out and play wherever you can. If you’re into recording, just get some cheap mics and a cheap DAW or an old affordable tape machine and CREATE!

We got a sneak preview of Joe Bombast’s new album, ‘Joe Bombast Is Not Wild Enough’…

JOE BOMBAST – IS NOT WILD ENOUGH!

Joe Bombast might claim he’s ‘ Not Wild Enough’, but I’m not entirely convinced.

This is rockabilly trash, then dragged through blues, garage, psychobilly and lo-fi fuzz, then kicked around the floor a few times for good measure. There’s maybe the ghost of Hasil Adkins in there, but Joe isn’t simply doing the one-man-band retro thing. At various points you’ll catch flashes of Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley, glam rock and The Raveonettes, while some of the songwriting has that clever sort of originality like JD McPherson.

Most importantly, it sounds like him doing his own thing.
It’s rough and ready, but don’t mistake rough for careless. Underneath all that fuzz and clatter there’s clearly been a hell of a lot of thought put into the songs, riffs and arrangements. And for one bloke, he makes a remarkably BIG noise.

There has been a Hasil Adkins-shaped hole in modern rock ‘n’ roll for far too long. Joe Bombast might just be the right kind of wrong person to start filling it.

TRACK BY TRACK

1. ‘Put A Sock In It’ Starting with a killer bopper. Great riff, instant foot-tapper and a definite whiff of Carl Perkins’ “Boppin’ The Blues” about it. Three seconds in and your foot’s already made the decision for you.
2. ‘Clementine’ – Tangerine Chuck Berry-ish guitar, raw rock ‘n’ roll swagger.
3. ‘Not Wild Enough’ Maybe not wild enough, but definitely catchy enough. This bloody thing stayed in my head for ages. A stomping bopper with a chorus I reckon will be sung along to at gigs!
4. ‘DIY’- No messing about. Good, stripped-down rock ‘n’ roll.
5. ‘One Big Joke’ – The reverb really works here. There’s an unexpected streak of glam running through the vocals, with a touch of ‘My Coo Ca Choo’
6. ‘No More Filters’ – Fast, frantic and straight for the throat. A short, sharp rocker that doesn’t hang around.
7. ‘Cracked + Broken’ – Classic blues riff, raw vocal and underneath all the grime there’s a song that Buddy Holly could have written!
8. ‘Your Neck Of The Woods’ – Horrorpops influence for me, with a little of 999’s ” Little Red Riding Hood” lurking in the background.
9. ‘Wobble’ – Buddy Holly meets Bo Diddley, but with vwry raw delivery and it’s like Joe taking familiar rock ‘n’ roll ingredients and mixing them up.
10. ‘Tiny Little Dreamer’ – Dirty blues with ‘ Smokestack Lightnin’ somewhere in its DNA. Stripped back and grubby around the edges.
11. ‘Drole Stroll’ – Instrumental time. More than a touch of “Wipe Out” surf madness in here, but suitably roughed-up and Bombast-ified!
12. ‘Twisted Way’ – All the way through the album I kept thinking: I’d love to hear his take on a slow one? Well, here it is. A trashy, country-soaked track with perhaps a little Nick Shoulders flavour creeping in. It proves he doesn’t have to be rattling along at full tilt to sound dangerous, and it’s a cracking way to close the record.

THE VERDICT
‘Is Not Wild Enough’ sounds like somebody found a battered box of 45s containing Hasil Adkins, Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley and some forgotten glam-rock obscurities, fed them through a fuzz pedal and then recorded the mix in their garage or bedroom. And I mean that as a massive compliment! Raw, Lo-fi, Rockabilly, Blues, Garage, Psychobilly, Glam. There’s a bit of everything, but it never feels like it’s been forced.

Perhaps Joe Bombast really isn’t wild enough. I think he’s JUST wild enough!

Nick Constantine

Buy a copy of ‘Joe Bombast Is Not Wild Enough’ here or via Bandcamp