Interview: Aaron Trowbridge from Club Drive

Last week Club Drive took over the Wedgewood Rooms and while they were in town we caught up with Aaron Trowbridge from the band.

Could you tell me about how you initially got involved with music and who influenced you most?
For me personally (Aaron), I actually kind of got into being in bands by pure accident – I didn’t even realise I could sing until I was forced to do so in a drama audition at school when I was 16. Before that though I was brought up listening to loads of different music and went to gigs with my parents from an early age so they definitely had a huge influence on my taste in music and my passion for it.

Was there one particular point in your life where you remember making a conscious decision that you wanted to become a professional musician?
I mean, I’m not sure that at the time I would have consciously been thinking that I wanted to become a professional musician, but when I was 11 or 12 I got a free copy of “Dance Ejay 3” on the back of a cereal packet (stupid I know) – but I literally spent hours every day on the family PC making awful dance songs and remixes.. That was definitely the point that I really got into making/playing music!

Can you describe how you felt whilst after you’d released your first single?
In a nutshell – surreal. To release our first proper single after months of working in the studio it was so overwhelming to see the response we had – then for Spare Time to be picked up by Radio 1 as our first proper single release was absolutely insane!

For those who are new to your music which three tracks would you encourage them to check out first and why?
Spare Time, Voyager, (and soon to be released) International.

Over the years has your approach to performing live changed and if so how?
Definitely. As we’ve got older and hopefully a little wiser – we tend to now intuitively know what one another will do – so live that means we are able to put on much more of a show than ever before.. as the music is tighter live than that of our earlier performances – we can focus on the energy we put into the show itself!

What bands and artists are you currently listening to and how are they inspiring you to explore and implement new ideas with your music?
We’ve been listening to loads of new bands and artists recently from the UK and Overseas but one that’s really stood out to us would be Vulfpeck. They’re not afraid to be themselves and do something against the grain of the current market. Well worth a listen.

What does the rest of 2017 have in store for you?
Loads! We have new singles and videos out in the coming weeks. Festival season approaching with some huge ones still to announce and then plenty of touring at the end of this year so watch this space.

While on tour do you get very much time to explore the towns and cities that you are playing? If so then I can certainly recommend a few spots in Portsmouth/Southsea. Pie & Vinyl being one for every music lover!
Ahh nice one, thanks for the tip off. Usually the answer would be no, it’s usually late nights, early starts and 90% of the day spent at the venues or driving to/from them. However, on this most recent tour with Marianas Trench, it’s actually been the most relaxed your we’ve ever done. Spending loads of time enjoying each city on our days off – such as Bowling in Birmingham, going out for dinner every night as a group (which is usually a rarity) and going to the castle and a cat cafe in Edinburgh!