What is your name and role within Alpha Male Tea Party?
Hello! Ben Griffiths, Bass, occasional vocals, sometimes laundry.
How did Alpha Male Tea Party form?
We came together through a shared interest in Subjective Tinnitus.
Where are you currently based?
All over the North West, but for argument’s sake let’s just say – Liverpool.
Image credit : Michelle Roberts
Your album Health was released on 23rd June 2017 via Big Scary Monsters Recordings – how was the album received by fans and the public as a whole? Were you pleased with the reaction?
We’ve had largely positive responses to the record. It’s always lovely when something you’ve made connects with people. Given the kind of band we are, with the band name and song titles we’ve chosen, we’re always going to get people who just don’t get what we’re about or who’re put off instantly. Which is fine, they’re not for us and we’re not for them. If I sound bitter it’s because maybe on some level I am. However, I’ve got far more pressing matters, like how many more packets of Chocolate Hobnobs I can realistically eat without losing a limb to type 2 diabetes.
Where and when did you record?
January 2017 in Hot Oxfordshire.
How did you come to release with Big Scary Monsters Recordings?
We had a lovely e-mail from them some time ago asking what we were up to, and if we wanted to meet up to discuss our future plans. Then the whole love-in escalated from there. They’ve been nothing but brilliant with us and it’s a real privilege to get to work with a label all three of us have admired for the longest time.
What influences your sound?
We’re an odd bunch, we don’t tend to listen to heavier music these days, so Christ knows where our sound comes from. We’re old men who love nothing more than kicking back with “Songs From The Big Chair” and a massive glass of Malbec of an evening.
Image credit : Michelle Roberts
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Everything Everything, David Bowie, Talk Talk, N*E*R*D and the sound of my daughter learning to use her larynx.
What have you been up to since the release?
We’ve toured, had a child, got married, gone self-employed, found a path to true enlightenment, gained three stone, chipped a windscreen, lost a debit card, cried laughing at the idea of dressing my daughter up in a Cement Mixer outfit next Halloween and drank an awful lot of prosecco.
What’s planned for 2018?
We’ve just announced a European tour, and we’re planning on touring a fair bit more across the U.K & Ireland too, amongst some festival dates.
When and where are you playing next?
We have a rare FREE show in Bristol at The Mothers Ruin this Saturday (January 6th) which will be utter CHAOS.
What are some of your favourite pieces of equipment and programs you use for recording and playing live?
An honourable mention must go to the lovely humans at Hayden & Ashdown Amplification who supply us with enormous sounding rigs, as well as Hovland Drums for the beautiful snare which Greg smashed seven shades of shite out of.
Favourite food and place to hang out?
Ale, and somewhere quiet where I can fucking think for a change.
Featured Photo Credit : Michelle Roberts
