51/50s

Hey 51/50’s,
Can you introduce everybody in the 51/50's and tell us what each member does in the band? 

Hello! We have Rikki on vocals, Jase on bass, Ollie on guitar and myself, Billy, on drums. 

How was your band formed? 

Jase and I met Rikki through a record label we were previously involved with and later on we changed guitarists. We'd known Ollie for a few years through playing gigs with other bands and he was the natural choice to join the band. 

You were originally called 'The Skies', why was the band's name altered and how did the name 51/50's come about? 

The name change came about when Ollie joined the band. We thought that the old name didn't really reflect the music we were creating as well as we wanted so we thought about a name change and start a bit of a fresh. We were doing some recording in the studio using a Peavey 51/50 amp and I think it was the only name we all agreed on. 

How would you describe your sound? 

Rock ’n’ roll with some top tunes. 

What are the band's main musical influences? 

Bands with good musicians and good hooks like The Rolling Stones, Oasis and Jet. 

Who takes on song writing duty in the band, or is it shared? 

Rikki wrote most of the album lyrics, the rest of the band helps with the development of the songs after he comes in with the idea so it’s a team effort. 

What do the band have in store for everyone this year? Any tours/ releases in the pipeline? 

Obviously our album will be out early summer, which is pretty exciting, and we'll be doing some touring. We've got a few dates in Finland lined up so we'll be doing a few dates in Europe around the time of the release. We're also recording some of Rikki's acoustic songs at the moment so we may have another release lined up sometime after the album is out. 

If you were given the chance to headline a show at any venue with any other band/s at all, where would the gig be held and who else would be on the line-up with you? 

Personally, I’d love to play on the pyramid stage at Glastonbury festival and if I could choose anyone I’d have Nirvana and Foo Fighters on there too, I’m a fan of Dave Grohl! 

What was the last album you listened to and what did you make of it? 

I heard a jazz cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit on the radio yesterday, so I ended up putting on Nevermind again and I still love it! 

How can people find out more about your band and keep up to date with what's going on with the band? 

We're on MySpace and we have our own website 5150smusic.com, Fans can join the street team on there if they like and this way they can keep up to date with videos and blogs and can also have their own profile page to interact with other people. 

Anything else you would like to mention? 

Check out our first single 'Lies' on iTunes now and look out for the album later this year! Thanks!