Scotland's newest alternative rock sensation- Ben Gardiner- Mixed Signals.

 Mixed Signals are a self described Alternative rock band from Ayrshire, formed whilst at the local university. I sat down with Ben Gardiner, the lead singer and guitarist, to ask him how things are going…. 

Q- The band has risen in the Scottish music scene in the past few years, playing different iconic venues around Glasgow and Edinburgh. Is there a certain gig, good and bad, that stands out to you the most?

A-       I would probably say our last headline at King Tuts in February, it was a great night, room was busy, and it nearly sold out. At the time we took it, it was a bit of a risk to play it but obviously DF Concerts trusted us to do it, and it was just a brilliant night. The bad side of it was when we started to sound check we left 2 guitars and a bass in our studio in Ayr, so we had to pay someone to go back down. So, it was probably the worst gig experience before we played, but after we come off the stage it was the best feeling I’ve had with the band. 

Q- The band is going through a transition at the moment, for instance, with band members. Are you trying to keep the same indie ethos and are you trying to keep your original vibe? For example, with your style?

A-       We have made a lot of changes this year, lost members, and we have been through a lot together. We took a risk on trying some new style of songs. Some people have said it’s very good and some people have said they miss the old stuff. But I think you got the best of us when it was the older stuff, a bit rawer and more unpredictable. I think for a while we started to get our sound and we stepped away from that, but we also want to be able to cover all grounds. I think if we always want to do something different and keep pushing ourselves to do different things. If that means we have to make changes then we will do them, and whether a new member joins, or we do a new style of music we will always try and stick to the same principles because it’s what we are good at. 

Q- You guys have only released singles, do you think the music industry is changing? For example, the way people listen and consume music. 

A-       I think so, I think it’s much like TikTok and Instagram, a lot of short form stuff. I don’t think people are really interested in an album to an extent, I think bands can build more progress off of single after single and maybe an occasional EP, I think however it’s very hard especially with a band our size to come out with an album and expect people to listen to the full album. It’s the singles that always do the best, whether commercial or not, you’re more likely to have someone listen to 1 song rather than 12. I think singles are the way forward. 

Q- I’m not sure if you have seen the news coverage about King Tuts and it not being the iconic venue it used to be back in the day, what’s your thoughts on this? 

A-       The band have always had a good relationship with DF Concerts, we have played King Tuts 3 times now and I remember when we first started the band we thought King Tuts was something magical and out of our reach. I never thought that I would get to play Tuts but I suppose once you have played it a couple of times, the novelty doesn’t really go away but it’s not that same, like that’s the pinnacle moment in our career feeling. To be honest, we just want to look out for ourselves and if it means DF will help us then we will take that opportunity. We have never been one for the money or the fees, we are just happy to be playing at that level and I understand that some bands want the fees they think they deserve, and that’s fair enough you should value yourself at that. 

Q-  That’s interesting, Is there a venue that you personally think now has that status?

A-       Probably the Barrowlands, I remember being 15 years old in my room and thinking I would love to play King Tuts, watching different bands playing it, I never thought I would say that I could actually do it and now that we have played it, we are just more looking onto the next thing. It’s not through arrogance but we think that we are good enough and deserve to play a stage like the Barrowlands, even if it was a support. It’s just the next big target for us; we will manifest it and hopefully it happens. 

Q- I was reading a recent interview with Jason Ricci from Jason Ricci and the Bad Kind and they said that “We’ve basically become travelling T-shirt salesmen”. Do you still see touring as worth the time and effort?

A-       I suppose bands have to make money somehow, they have to survive and pay the bills, but I think that if you have the means to go touring you should do it, because it’s a great way to build up your fan base. All of us in the band that’s all we have ever dreamed of is to be able to jump in a wrecked van and go on tour, and travel around the UK or even America. But it’s one of those ones, if you feel that it’s going to be beneficial, but you also need to already have the audience as well. There’s no point going on tour if you're going to play to an empty room for 3 or 4 of the nights. So, I think if you have the means to do it and you think it’s going to be beneficial, then do it, I think it’s a good experience and good memories. 

Q- Where do you see the band in 5 years given the difficult landscape of the music industry at the moment? 

A-       To be honest hopefully at the point where, not necessarily self-sufficient, but at the point where we can see genuine progress every single year. Whether it’s to headline a festival or just to be consistently playing, we are always just trying to take small steps at a time and not trying to think too far in front, as long as we see progress day by day we are quite happy with that. 

We hope we can see Mixed Signals back on the stage very soon…..