From the depths of sixth form to supporting You Me At Six in the top academies in the UK, this is Canterbury’s journey with friends, family and fans. Touring with another band from their homeland, Canterbury learns the tricks of the trade from these other Surrey Stars. “Fucking good at helping you. They are the kind of band who will help out smaller bands” said Mike, 21. “You Me At Six were guaranteed fun, party hard and drink harder” said Luke Prebble who plays bass and does backing vocals for the band. Making Surrey proud they took to the stage playing in O2 Academies across the UK.
And Canterbury knows how to have fun. Whether they are supporting or headlining a gig, they know they, and the crowd, will always have a good time. Even a small crowd like the one I went to in Liverpool, you could tell everyone was having fun. “With supporting you’re probably gonna be packed up by like 9, sound check at half 7, half an hour set from 8 to half 8” explained Luke. He couldn’t decide which he preferred; they both have their merits and downfalls. He explained “With headlining you won’t get back til about 2. I mean we’d get on about 10, which is usually like a wind down time for me, but that’s when we’re just starting. We get to the end and I’m like ‘Its like 11pm and I’m fucking buzzin’!” From this you could tell whatever the place, time, people, the band will always make the crowd roar with excitement.
Sitting there in the backrooms of the O2 Academy Liverpool before the gig, Luke Prebble and Mike Sparks, who play bass and guitar respectively, and both do vocals, sat there confidently on the less than perfect sofa. Relaxing with a drink in hand, they described their exciting Journey from school kids who liked a bit of music, to professional musicians, giving music to sell out crowds across the UK – from London to Liverpool, and from Glasgow to Plymouth.
Growing up with the sound of Patrick Stump gracing Luke Prebble’s ears, Mike loves to tell the story of how Luke developed his singing ability. “Singing along to his brother’s driving lessons with their dad, he’d sit in the back of the car and sing along to FOB” joked Mike and according to Luke: “It’s why he can sing better than the others”. Asking them about their influences an array of rock artists came up. From Patrick Stump to Blink – 182, Canterbury’s members know the best bands that have fun.
Before Canterbury was Luke’s band ‘Lucky For Some’. Splitting up they changed the name to Canterbury and recruited Mike, who was a school friend. The move to Canterbury was, in fact, lucky for a lot of people! Pushing themselves and trying and trying, working through school they recorded a lot of tracks, and by a lot, about 40 tracks were made throughout sixth form, creating ear tingling riffs combined with a brilliant bass beat.
Even though they are an unsigned band, they know that they will always try their hardest for the band. “If you don’t beleive in yourself, you won’t ever get there” was the words from Mike as he was preparing for the gig. And when you have sell out gigs, like Canterbury’s Southhampton show which sold out weeks before the gig, it’s time for a reality check. “Just like, wow.”
And growing as a band, they’ve set their targets on a much bigger audience then a few hundred strong crowd... When asked about plans for 2011, world domination came to mind. “Taking over the world is definitely on the list for the new year” joked Mike, no nerves showing about an hour before the gig. “We also don’t think that Gloria got the release it deserved, like Calm Down, inspired by our lack of calming down, which got a release it definitely deserved.
With their plans set hopefully starting to set in motion, they all still have their dreams. I think every musician has looked at themselves and imagined what it would be like playing alongside their favourite bands of all time. And in Luke’s case, Jimmy Eat World: supported by Canterbury would be a dream come true. “They’re a fucking amazing band writing fucking good music.”
These quartet of rock stars aren’t going to give up any time soon. Luke sat there saying “never say no. I mean 500 people in London was great, but now 1000? We’re content with smaller venues at this stage, but if we are still here in a year then I won’t be happy.” Their friendship becomes apparent wherever they go. If your still friends with the same people you were during school without hating each other’s guts, then you know your friendship is strong and that they will stick with each other throughout the thick and thin, the high and lows.
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