Gen and the Degenerates Interview
So, you guys have just come off stage here at 2000trees, how was that for you?
Sean: “Great, it was awesome”
Gen: “We have! It was really fun, we had a great time. It was very hot. Felt like I was going to die - but in the best way!”
It’s a really cool stage you guys played!
Gen: “Yeah, we loved it. We had a great time, it’s nice and blue”
Sean: “Yes!”
What’s next for Gen and the Degenerates?
Gen: “We’re bobbing around some festivals: Trap, Y Not, things like that and then Europe. In Europe we’re doing a Paris date, and then in the UK we’re doing a whole UK tour in September and October”
Like every other band it seems!
Sean: “Yes yes yes!”
Gen: “Yeah, it’s what you gotta do! So yeah, festival season-“
Sean: “Headline tour”
Gen: “Tour, see your family for a little bit at Christmas-“
Sean: “If you’re lucky”
Gen: “Yeah, if you’re lucky and then back on the road haha”
For anyone new to the band, could you sum up who Gen and the Degenerates are? And who are your influences as a band?
Gen: “Ooh, yeah. Well we are an alt punk band. That’s kind of how we fit genre rise but we do draw on a lot of different genres. We are queer and non-binary femme fronted and we’ve got other queer members within the band too. Someone described me earlier as ‘passionate and blunt’ and I think is a good-“
Sean: “Yeah”
Gen: “Kind of like summary haha”
Sean: “Yeah it kind of feels like that sums up the band as a whole to an extent. Drawing on punk, alternative music, hardcore, blues, soul - a bit of everything”
I really like that you don’t confirm to a specific genre or word, you just are Gen and The Degenerates!
Gen: “Yeah”
Sean: “No, that’s the great thing”
It was so nice to see the great reception you guys got earlier today!
Gen: “Awh, thank you!”
Lastly, any dream collaborations or things on your bucket list for the band?
Sean: “Yeah, probably quite a few! When asked this before Jake, our guitar player said to just have a salary. So I’m going to say something a bit sexier and say to headline a festival, but collaborations, dream collaborations?”
Gen: “I don’t know, I just like..I love writing with loads of different people and the different things it brings out”
Sean: “Yeah, I think we’re really into the spirit of collaboration work. How you can find different things about yourself by working with different people. A few artists off the top of my head that would be amazing, I mean a lot of us love Phoxjaw who are here”
Gen: “Kesha”
Sean: “Kesha”
Gen: “I’m obsessed with Kesha so….”
That would really be something!
Gen: “Hahaha”
But you know, never say never!
Gen: “It’s going to happen. I’m gonna collab with Kesha one day”
I’ve asked a few bands that question over the course of the weekend and a few have successfully ticked off their bucket list items by shooting their shot - so you never know!
Gen: “Well, I’ve got to get in a room with Kesha then, that’s the plan! I think Kesha broke into Prince’s house and gave him a CD, so maybe she’d appreciate-“
Sean: “You breaking into her house yeah-”
Gen: “Break into her house, I’m not going to try it but…maybe that would be the way. This is not an intent, this is not a statement of intent. I’m not going to break into Kesha’s house”
Sean: “If anyone, if it’s reported at any point that Kesha’s house has been broken into-“
Gen: “It wasn’t me!”
Sean: “We know who the culprit would be”
Gen: “No, it wasn’t me haha”
Do you have a random quote or any words of wisdom to end today with?
Sean: “Stay Golden”
Gen: “Stay Golden, hahaha. I mean, is this the band or in like general?”
Whichever, anything that comes to mind right now!
Gen: “Well, for band I run drop in sessions for new bands and artists starting out which you can find out more about via our Instagram. Drop me a message. That’s to help people avoid all of the bullsh*t and misinformation when you’re starting out as a band because there’s a lot of bullsh*t. So, I can’t give all my wisdom here, but if they want the wisdom it’s available through that haha. And Sean says stay golden haha”