The Drop Jonnies In Conversation

‘Local talent’ is one of those buzzwords that gets throw around a lot, but we can’t get more local than The Drop Jonnies. Formed at the University of Liverpool, the band is about to head out on tour. We chatted to them ahead of their homecoming show at Rough Trade.

How would you introduce the band to anyone who’s not heard you before?

If anyone is interested to learn more about The Drop Jonnies, I’d urge them to come and see us perform (perhaps at Rough Trade, Liverpool, on the 7th November). Seeing us perform will give you a much clearer idea as to who we are than I could possibly put down in words.

Fundamentally, we are four best friends who truly love music. It would not be unusual to find us in our living room listening to a record together. We write the sort of music that we would  love if we came across it in the record store or on a playlist somewhere. Our influences come from far and wide, but the most obvious comparisons I can make are to bands like The Libertines, The Cribs and Gang of Four.

We’re possibly best known for our live shows. They’re notoriously energetic, occasionally bordering on chaos, but it’s important to us that the crowd experience comes first. We like to give people the opportunity to dance and let loose, sing along and experience something really memorable.
Something unique about us is that all four of us sing, and we try to get across some real feelings in our songs. Our set is a rollercoaster, from danceable bangers to some more introspective reflections – I’d say there is something for everyone at a Drop Jonnies show.

How did you form?

We were all studying music at Uni of Liverpool. We met on the very first day we arrived in the city – we all seemed to be thrown together. At that stage, meeting people is all about chance – who lives in your accommodation? Who sits beside you in a seminar? Who did you see in the pub?

We’d heard rumours that there was a band open mic night happening the next night. Not being ones to miss an opportunity, we decided to get on stage together and play a few songs, with very little practice. We were playing on blind faith; it was scruffy and unwieldy – but it was obvious to us at that stage (if not to anyone else) that we had the right sort of chemistry to build from. We never really looked back. It’s been over three years since then, and an awful lot has happened, but the give it a go spirit is stronger than ever.

What was your inspiration behind the name?

We started performing so soon after forming, we needed a name pronto. Out of a hundred potential ideas and variations, we kept coming back to ‘The Drop Jonnies’. To me it seemed really classic. It brings to mind bands like ‘The Members’ and ‘The Replacements’, but also harks back to some more retro titles like ‘The Chiffons’ and ‘The Five Satins’.

Once our supporters started affectionately referring to us as ‘The Jonnies’, the name felt pretty synonymous with us as individuals. All the name really means is that it represents us and what we do.
I enjoy that the name is slightly oblique and evasive – I hope that it piques people’s curiosity and motivates them to come and see us play.

How are preparations going for your tour?

Tour preparations have seen us be very busy over the last couple of months, but so far it’s gone more or less without a hitch. We decided to book and programme this tour ourselves, without the help of a promoter. This has brought about some new experiences but I think we’ve all enjoyed the challenge. We’ve had to work pretty hard but that’s the way we like it.

Writing music and deciding the setlist has taken some thought. We always like to keep moving forward and keep the set as fresh as possible, so we wanted to write some new songs that hadn’t been heard before this tour. The new songs are always the ones we get excited about, and I think when we’re on stage that really comes across. The old favourites like ‘Marie’ and ‘Green Chick’ are still big highlights in the set, and we’re enjoying playing those more than ever, especially alongside the new material.

Are you excited to be playing Rough Trade?

We’re very excited to play at Rough Trade. We’ve played there a couple of times before, but this is our first headliner. We chose Rough Trade for our Liverpool show because we’ve had really great on-stage experiences there before. There is something about that room that just feels really great as a performer – I feel really close to the energy of the crowd. Also, as an audience member at Rough Trade, there is a real sense of excitement when the house lights go down and the band walk on – no matter who you’re going to see.

We live in Liverpool and it’s where we started as a band, so performing in Liverpool always feels special. We’re really looking forward to the show.

How can people support you?

The biggest way people can support is by streaming our single ‘Marie’, and by coming to one of the shows. Having gone fully independent for this tour, the boots on the ground, face-to-face fan support is more important than ever. We’re really grateful for the positive response we’ve had so far – it feels like there is a really strong community in our corner. We’ve just launched the first edition of our newsletter this week, so signing up for that is a great way to show your support and stay up to date. You can find that, as well as the link to get tickets and find the song, on our instagram page (@thedropjonnies).
The best way to support any independent band is just to attend grassroots gigs, whether you’re coming to see us or someone else. The Liverpool scene is full of really talented people, and the bigger the indie community is, the easier it is for bands like us to succeed.

Tickets for The Drop Jonnie’s show at Rough Trade on the 7th of September are available here: https://dice.fm/event/k62br8-the-drop-jonnies-live-performance-7th-nov-rough-trade-liverpool-liverpool-tickets?_branch_match_id=1628752212584906489&utm_source=dice&utm_campaign=event_share&utm_medium=event_share&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXz8nMy9ZLyUxO1UvL1Y%2FwqyqJCPUIKjFLsq8rSk1LLSrKzEuPTyrKLy9OLbINTkxLLMoEAEXlxA86AAAA&click_id=6uzapfeuRVG_nsL4_7OVeQ

For more music, please click here: https://www.liverpoolguildstudentmedia.co.uk/category/music