Cream Soda is a young, Medway-grown band, composed of three members, frontman and guitarist Tom (referred to below as TP), bassist Jack (J), and drummer Tom (T). They describe themselves as a ‘polished punk’ band and perform original songs, as well as a few covers. Cream Soda frequently play around Kent and have a strong following in their area! I interviewed them before their set at Poco Loco, Chatham, on Friday 19th April 2024.
How are you feeling about tonight’s gig?
TP: We’re all excited! The audience are going to have to watch out for their eyes, we don’t stand still when we are on stage. [The other members agreed]
Why the name Cream Soda?
T: We were brainstorming names in my garage and it wasn’t going too well. But there was a crate of Barrs cream soda so we started going through the list of ingredients until Jack suggested ‘Cream Soda’.
TP: I don’t love it now, it’s not 10/10, but it works.
What got you into making music?
TP: Seeing my Dad in a band, The Len Price Three, and seeing him live.
T: The Foo Fighters, seeing them play live, especially Taylor Hawkins.
J: My Dad playing Metallica in the car, I learnt the guitar, and then the bass.
What other artists inspire you/who do you want to be like?
TP: The Kinks, and The Woggles — but they’re not very famous but they’ve been to America. I like a lot of the 60s, Tom is 80s and Jack is 00s.
T: Anyone with a general punky vibe really.
J: Sort of ‘polished punk’! Yeah, ‘polished punk’, we’ve made a new genre.
What is your favourite original track to play?
J: ‘Jump the Gun’, or ‘Excuses’ but I can’t say that because I wrote it.
TP: ‘Mrs Barker’, it’s quite quick, quite like ‘Make Up Your Mind’ [The rest of the band nodded in agreement] or ‘Someone I’m Not’ but it’s quite slow.
T: ‘Someone I’m Not’
Have you got more gigs lined up/any songs in the writing process?
T: Battle of the bands in The Ship on Monday 22nd April, and the rest of that battle, unless we get kicked out. Then at the Uni of Greenwich in Chatham on August 10th, the Nag’s Head after that and probably Tunbridge Wells too. I’m talking to venues in London so hopefully that’ll get lined up.
TP: If we win Battle of the Bands we want to do an EP.
T: Well even if we don’t, we’ll do one.
TP: Yeah, we know what songs we’ll put on it, and what the cover will look like. We just haven’t decided what to call it yet.
[After chatting about potential EP names amongst themselves]
J: Something about punk, or being punk.
TP: ‘What even is post-punk anyway?’
[The rest of the band nodded and agreed]