Selium introduce James Teo and Father Trevor

27 June 2010

Exclusive Interview with Connor Jones

Connor Jones is Selium’s charismatic and notoriously spontaneous front man. I had a chance to catch up with him at last week’s band practice, where he was able to take time out to share his views about the band’s last gig and a few other aspects of the band’s current state of play.

Selium have been playing together for two and a half years now, and this is your second time at Yateley BOB.  Do you feel that you have come a long way?

Connor: I think Selium’s progression since Yateley Battle of the bands last year has been amazing. We’ve tried things, hung on to some of them and dismissed others. We have had some really helpful advice and interesting feedback from professional performers and rival bands. From when we started back in 2007 our technique has improved drastically. We’ve learned to see ourselves more objectively. We always discuss our performances afterwards and look for ways to improve before next time.

BOB is part concert, part competition. How seriously do you take the competition part of it?

Connor: We do take it seriously, but at the end of the day, people are paying to to see bands play, so it’s our job to keep them entertained. If we don’t win we don’t get downhearted, what’s important is to know that we gave our audience an entertaining show.

You were asked to go on first at Yateley BOB. How do you feel about kicking off the evening?

Connor: In any competition going first is difficult. It’s always nice to be one of the last bands on and this is one of the few times we were put first. I don’t think it changed our performance one bit - I think it helped us. We got it over and done with quicker! It was quite cool to be able to relax and enjoy the rest of the show as part of the audience. Sometimes you have to stay backstage during a competition and that can be a bit frustrating.

Yateley BOB must have been very different from playing Portsmouth Guildhall. Do you enjoy playing smaller gigs?

Connor: Smaller gigs are always so much fun as you can see the crowd and it’s easier to interact with them more; I’m not saying I don’t like big gigs, though!

Yateley BOB is your home venue - four members of the band live there. Was it good to play for so many of your friends?

Connor: It’s always good to play in front of friends and it’s good to make new friends as well. Playing in front of friends a lot helps you to keep your performance fresh, as they don’t want to see and hear the same thing every time they see Selium play.  They motivate us to write new songs, try new things and build our set.

You played a new number at Yateley BOB – ‘Father Trevor’. How do you feel it went over?

Connor: Father Trevor seemed to go down well. It was the first song we played and while we were playing it, more people seemed to come towards the stage to listen. That’s the kind of feedback that helps you to know when you’re getting it right.

This is the first time that James Teo appeared in the line-up. Did the presence of a new bass player change things much?

Connor: I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that James Teo is a legend. He learned all of Selium’s songs in a very short space of time and was spot on through the whole set. We all get along well with him and he is a great performer.

It’s almost time for the summer holidays – will you be writing some new material over the next few months? What’s coming up for Selium?

Connor: Well, it isn’t over yet! We are all looking forward to playing at Victoria Hall in Hartley Wintney on the 9th August.   Apart from that, I think it’s going to be writing time, holiday time and gigging time... we’ll have to wait and see.

Thanks Connor