“We all try to grab a piece of it and put the puzzle together”
Cinema Gold, the alternative electronic trio hailing from the East Midlands, is made up of Joshua Puffin (vocals/guitar), Henry Claude (samples/synth) and Joe Michelson (beats/samples). The trio all come from different musical backgrounds from jazz to country rock but they have brought together their individual talents to create their own swirling, magnetic and nostalgic sound. It was great to chat to lead singer Joshua to find out more about this dynamic trio…
How did you all meet and when did you decide that you wanted to make music together?
We met at the Dudley Road After School Club in 2013 and we were in a previous band together called The Shrives which broke up when we fell out of love with playing indie rock. However, we all still wanted to carry on making music together and so Cinema Gold was born.
Did it take you a long time to come up with your band name?
It took many moonlit walks and hurt feelings to get to Cinema Gold.
Which three bands or artists have influenced your music style the most? Why?
Panda Bear, Massive Attack and MGMT. The way that their live performances sound as incredible as their recorded music is inspiring!
Were your family and friends supportive when the band first began?
They were radically supportive!
What inspired your latest single ‘Miss En Abyme’?
Nothing musical at all. It was a tune I wrote on a rainy day over a year ago. I was repairing a chimney when the heavens opened so I left work and took shelter in my newly built studio. I started practising my pig squeals (developed in the mid 90’s by grindcore and metal bands) through the microphone, recording them as I went along. I put some friendly chords to it and I began laughing hard! The day carried on and I layered up this track, I asked a friend, Cate La Starza, to sing on it and then I sent it to my friends. The inspiration for the words “put your head in a bag full of colours” comes from the first and last time I ever had the sweet devil’s lettuce but I can’t grant you access to the rest of the meaning!
How do you want people to feel after listening to your music?
We want them to feel like a baby that has just stopped crying.
Can you describe your song-writing process?
There is no real process. They fall out of the sky and we all try to grab a piece of it and put the puzzle together.
What do you love most about the music scene in Nottingham?
It’s all very safe and nobody scares me. People and bands are generally quite polite.
Do you have a dream venue or festival that you would love to perform at?
I would love to do a gig at Stonehenge. The Baby Jumping Festival in Spain would be incredible. Just something wild! Glastonbury and The Roundhouse would be delicious to perform at too.
What are you working on at the moment and do you have an upcoming shows?
We are leaving the posh house that we share together and we are also releasing supreme remixes of our tracks ‘Mise En Abyme’ and ‘Moonlamb’ and more free singles this summer! Here are some of our upcoming gigs:
- Dot2Dot festival, Nottingham 26/5
- The Ivy House, Nunhead, London 30/5
- Chameleon, Nottingham 31/5
- The Victoria, Dalston, London 6/6
Follow the links below to discover Cinema Gold’s music:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cinemagoldmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinemagoldmusic/
By Eveline Vouillemin