Wesley Strong Interview

On a cool Tuesday night, we sat in The Finsbury beer garden with rapper, Wesley Strong and DJ, Javaid ahead of one of their debut gigs together. Talking prepubescent albums, sobriety and of course Geese... have a bloody gander. 

Who is Wesley Strong?

W: That’s a hard question.

J: Say something super profound.

W: I am an eccentric lower to middle class man, who moved to London, grew up just outside Bedford, and I've been doing music since I was a wee nipper, about 10 years old I think.

I believe you have been in other bands?

W: I’ve been in so many bands, half of them have done absolutely nothing. The first kinda like proper band was when I was about 12 . Me and my brother were in a band and we had written like 10 songs. We'd written ourselves an album, just me and him. He was 9. Then my mum, for my birthday, took us to a recording studio.

What were your songs about at that age?

W: Dude, like more profound than my songs are now. There were songs about climate change. I specifically remember writing a song about Chavs and how they were bad and you shouldn't be a Chav. And in one song it’s like "do drugs, but don't do drugs behind a tree."

J: I really like that 

Do you ever listen to it back and think actually that was great?

W: For a 12 year old, I’m impressed by these songs, but they’re so whack. I'm so shit at singing and recording at the same time and the studio guys were like we've just got some kids here, so let’s just record them.

You've been in multiple bands. Is Wesley Strong the rapper, your final form?

W: I hope so, because I've kind of toyed around with doing this for almost 10 years now. Since I moved to London, I was like let's just do it.

Why do you think there was that barrier?

W: Because no one's listening to rap music where I grew up, at least not the Hip Hop I was making. People were listening to Grime and stuff, but I just wouldn’t have fit in in that scene and I felt like I couldn't do it. It might have been like a mental block, but I just felt like I couldn't do it then.

So would you say your vibe is Hip Hop/Grime?

W: Nah not grime. What were we talking about the other day?  Anti-pop.

J: Anti pop! It’s so pop, it’s no longer pop. It's something that I just sort of said one day. It might be a thing.

W: I Googled it, it’s not a thing. Well it’s our thing.

J: This is an exclusive! We had the idea that your (Wesley's') music is just so poppy, almost like ironically poppy, it's no longer pop anymore. The structure of it is 4:4, but it’s talking about drugs.

W: Would absolutely not be played on the radio.

The vibe of it could be like a – I almost don’t wanna say buzzing yoghurt advert?

J: Nah that’s cool.

W: We were talking about this the other day man, we were saying we should just make some advert music for a bit.

What advert would you like your advert music to be featured on?

J: Just before the “Mmm Danone.”

W: Rah, I'm talking like toilet paper. 

Next stop to hell, the lyrics "I always felt like a rockstar, dream a dream of tours, money, bad bitches and cars - is that the goal?

W: It’s kind of a joke. I did always dream of being a rockstar, but that was kind of a comment on what you expect. Like that’s what being a rockstar is, but not really.

Whats being a rockstar to you?

W: Aahhh, fuck knows. 

J: Ginger beer.

W: Yeah being sober, that's the fucking hardest thing I've ever seen.

What made you want to go sober?

J: Me.

W: Yeah Jav.

J: We did it together. I thought I should probably give up gear for a little bit. We were in a bar drinking and I suggested it. I was with Wes and his best mate and it was like an impromptu intervention at this bar and then he (Wesley) left to go pick up.

W: Well I’d already set the wheels in motion for this, but at that point, I remember just saying “I can’t do it, like I probably can't’” and you were like "promise me you can do it".

J: I was like, "it would make me so happy if you could just like put the brakes on for a little bit."

W: Yeah, because I was just talking about the worst night of my life and I was like fuck it I ain't never doing gear again. Well nah, I was like I ain't doing it for the next three months.

J: And I said I will quit drinking with you.

That’s really nice that you did it together

J: Solidarity man. I’ll have a drink like everyday and I wont think about it, because it will just be one day.

W: And I fucking appreciate it as well man.

Has it impacted you as a band in any way?

J: Yeah, we went to Brighton the other day, as a day trip! Wes came to my girlfriend’s and bought us coffee. And then we got the train down to Brighton and had a very sober time.

W: Yeah for sure man, but we used to every time we practiced have a couple beers and shit. It’s been like, I haven’t even noticed the difference.

It doesn’t affect your creativity?

W: Nah, it makes it better probably. One thing I did think was I love talking to people and pushing myself upon people, making sure people I meet know about my music and stuff. I used to do that when I was on coke all the time, because it’s easy as fuck. You go to any bar and just chat to anyone. I was really worried when I first stopped that I wouldn’t be able to make these connections that I make and be able to further my music career, because I was scared I wouldn’t have the confidence to do it. It was hard for the first couple of times, but I got used to just chatting.

Photography: Pav Panayioti Mastihi

When I first met you, we chatted so much! So the premise of us meeting was that we were the only two people dressed up at this 'fancy dress party'. I went as a full runaway bride, glitter tears, smudged lipstick, and when I arrived, there were just loads of lads in North Face jackets with tinnies.

W: Yeah they were all like wearing bucket hats, haha like that's their dressed up.

Wes looked fucking stunning, wearing a suit, full make up, and Sid Vicious chain.

W: I've actually got that tonight.

There's only so many times you can dress up in your life.

W: For sure man, that's why I went ham.

Would you ever perform in make up?

W: Um yeah, I’d love to, that’s like the only time I've ever really proper gone in on drag, that one party. It’s something I've wanted to do for a while and I haven't had another chance to do it, but we were really talking about doing it in a music video and stuff. I would really like to do it a couple of times, I don’t want it to be a gimmick though, because I respect the culture and stuff. 

I love the lyrics "then we boned like skeletons." That’s not a question that’s just a statement.

W: I appreciate that

J: You know that stuck in my head as well. You know what’s always funny is that lyric pops up in my head at the weirdest time. I play Minecraft quite a bit and whenever I'm killing a skeleton that comes into my head.

You write the lyrics, who creates the music and beats?

W: On all the tunes I've released, it’s all me. Me and Jav are working on some new stuff together with James, who is playing tonight. We're playing one song tonight together, that he made and I wrote. It’s very fresh this. We work together and initially was like "do you wanna DJ together?" And then it kind of just developed into like "do you actually wanna do this together?"

Do you find it useful to have people around you or working on your own?

W: The other day, I was talking about writing an EP and I was like I wanna call it "Home" and Jav was just straight up like "that's shit." So brutal.

In hindsight do you agree with him? 

W: That’s it, as soon as he said it I was like that is pretty shit actually, it was so brutal.

J: I remember saying "mate I'm so sorry that came from like a dark place" it was super guttural as well, sorry man. I don’t think we have a format. I think now I'm sort of being pushed out of my comfort zone. I love working on my own, I really really do like it. I’ve never worked with anyone before, it's just me and my laptop and, in the words of Skepta, my "bank card". Yeah, I just find it easier to work on my own cause no ones telling me that sounds shit that sounds good. I’m just making whatever I make, but not it's like I'm reaping the benefits of working with someone who is kind of honest, but quite happy to push the boat out a well.

How did you two meet?

W: There is a joint called Music and Beans down the road. They don’t try and hire musicians, but musicians like gravitate towards it. They sell guitars and shit and I reckon this place is gonna go down in history. James works there. This other band called GJ, that are doing bits now, used to work there. 

It’s gonna be like one of those places that then pretends they hung out. Like the Sex Pistols gig everyone claims they were at.

W: That’s literally what I think of when I’m there.

J: Our manager is gonna be so gassed when we actually do music as a thing. As in our manager there (at the cafe).

W: We haven’t got a manager yet.

Photography: Pav Panayioti Mastihi

Ok, here is a back up, basic questions – who are your influences? 

W: Lyricism, I like J Cole. We are playing a show in November, with a guy called Dr Syntax, who I remember listening to when I was 17. He just raps in a middle class voice and I was like I can do this too. For so long, I'd been putting on these weird accents, like an American accent or like a hood accent, and this guy was rapping in his own voice.

Did you feel pressured by the people around you?

W: It wasn’t even the people around me, it was just like all I saw on the internet was everyone doing it that way. Yeh for him to pop up again recently and we end up doing a gig with him, I was just like, fucking full circle. That's what we are doing, we are trying to put together a collective called Cold Serve, but that's with James, Jav and me at the moment. We are trying to put on all our shows together, so we played Work House the other day. 

J: It’s super interesting because we are all very different artists. He's Australian, Wes grew up where he did, and I grew up here.

W to J: Who are some of your influences?

 J: My parents are Mauritian, so a lot of Sega, which is the traditional music of Mauritius. So, it’s a lot for rhythm, a lot of percussion. I love percussive stuff. I'm very drawn to it. When I got to uni it blew my mind that not a lot of people knew that. I love like electronic music like James Blake. I dunno, I can’t even begin to think about it. 

Who is your dream band?

J: D'angelo on everything. On every instrument.

W: If I could have a whole band of me, I'd be pretty stoked.

J: What would be your lead instrument?

W: Me, rapping.

And finally, are you a Slider or a Goose?

W: I'd like to say I’m a slider, but I feel like I'm a Goose.

J: I like the idea of being a Goose, because they are quite lairy aren't they? My girlfriends parents have this fuck off Goose and I hate it. It's just like *insert screaming Goose noise* CSKSHSHSHS in your face. Oi, how you gonna type that out?? (Like that?) I’d probably be a slider. I like the idea of DJing, like sliding or something.

W: I was just thinking of like DMs - like slider bro. 

That says a lot. You wanna be a slider in the DMs, you want to be a Slider on the decks, you wanna be a Slider, but you think you’re a Goose. How would a Goose be in the DMs?

W: Lairy, aggresive, shitty  

The pair went on to play in front of a decent crowd supported by Lea Mondo, as well as James Daniel and his band. This was a promising set from the duo who have upcoming gigs every month for the rest of 2019. We owe Wesley Strong a home brew: this is officially in writing, he owns our kneecaps until the time comes. 

Slider & the Goose 

Photography: Pav Panayioti Mastihi