candy says (Image sourced from http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk)

On the morning of July 19th I arrived at Truck Festival in Oxford, bright eyed, press pass in hand (or around neck, more truthfully) ready to find my next favourite band.
It did not take me long to locate the bar tent (don’t pretend you wouldn’t be the same), and the Market Stage, with local band Candy Says kicking off the weekend’s festivities.

Candy Says impressed me with their energy, their repertoire of catchy songs and zealous performance, which established a solid start to my Friday at 12.30pm. Wanting to find out more about my latest band crush, I got the chance to chat to lead singer, Juju about their upcoming summer and their pre-performance rituals.

You’ve had a busy summer of performances – do you have a pre-performance warm up or ritual you stick to?

J: Our summer actually hasn’t been too busy. We’re still a very new band, so it was a nice surprise to be asked to play Truck Festival. Before a show, I chase the band around with polo necks and other costumes to make sure we stay chic. Before a show Mike has a pint, Elisa has a cigarette, and we all have a team hug.

 Sounds like fun! I loved your energy at Truck, and I think the audience will agree it’s clear you’re having fun when you’re performing. What do you enjoy the most about being in Candy Says?

J: Candy Says is inspiring because I’m working with a group of people who are not only super talented but also open to experimenting with ideas and trying things out. It’s great to be in a band where we can be ourselves and not worry all the time about whether people are going to like it. We just hope it will inspire some people to be themselves without being afraid.

Your third single, Kiss Kill, comes out in September. How would you describe it in three words?

J: Retrofuturistic lo-fi pop

Finally, if our readers don’t just want to take my word for it and want to see you live, where can they see you in the coming months?

J: They can join us on our Space Tour in October (Oxford 19th, London 23rd, Manchester 24th, Glasgow 25th – ticket links are on http://candysays.it). We also just put out an hour-long film of our first hugely ambitious home town show, which is on our website too.

So there you have it, if you’re looking to listen to my latest Candy crush, keep your ears open for Kill Kill which will be out on 30th September on Cool For Cats Records.

However if you’re impatient like me and are keen to pre-order the cassette, you can do so here.

I’m already looking forward to seeing Candy Says in London, watch this space for Review: Part II!