Down a maze-like path between some stacks of paving slabs at the back of a warehouse, you’ll find the entrance to the Shoreditch HQ that bby call their home. Upon arrival, we’re greeted by bassist Deon Graham, drummer Tom Parkin and vocalist Benjy Gibson, who is drinking a can of Liquid Death water, seemingly confused at how it magically appeared in the room. Random items are scattered all over the studio space, notably the “double-decker sofa” – which the band insist is not a bunk bed – that overlooks the makeshift stage where a drum kit is resting.
It’s also the perfect spot for the chaotic live shows that bby have hosted over the past year; a DIY-style residency, if you like. Referred to as ‘hangs’, the band invite fans via social media to mingle before playing an ultra-intimate live set, one that usually ends in complete pandemonium: look no further than the music video for their debut single ‘Hotline’. Artists from the underground pop, indie and R&B spheres that bby immerse themselves in also perform at these events, with Willow Kayne and SIPHO. both having made an appearance.
After a period of DMing online, the five-piece (completed by guitarists Jessy Jacquet-Cretides and Tommaso Medica) went in completely blind as they walked into Dalston’s Pirate Studios to test the waters with a rehearsal in early 2023. “It was like, ‘Nice to meet you, I guess we’re in a band now,’” says Deon, explaining how things began to move at a serious pace when the chemistry clicked. After being chased down the road by industry figures after a raucous set at The Windmill in Brixton, the band were booked to play All Points East and Leeds Festival last year; incredibly, their first-ever festival slots. Both lineup posters sit proudly on the wall behind us as we speak – a marker of bby’s success to date.
Yet, the band keep themselves grounded. Meeting every Wednesday, bby remain focused on these weekly sessions, which have already resulted in a red-hot string of singles that have been churned out thick and fast. From the bouncy ‘Hotline’ to the emotive ‘U Come Near’ – both of which recall Royel Otis or Phoenix – their sound driven by a less-is-more approach to production, which transports the listener straight into the sweatbox feeling of bby’s live shows.
Naturally, for the band, downtime has taken somewhat of a back seat in the wake of all this momentum. It seems that infectious party atmosphere is ever-present in the world of bby: “We’re going to try and go away for a bit”, Benjy tells NME. “But anywhere we can be really loud, because we’re very fucking loud. It has to be a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere, which has proven hard to find!”
For their first-ever interview, it was only right to step inside the space where the magic happens. NME gatecrashed bby’s final Wednesday session before Christmas to reflect on their sensational first year as a band.
NME: When did you come across this space?
Benjy: “Six months ago?”
Deon: “This room was bare. This looks pleasant now, but when we first walked in here…”
Benjy: “It’s actually all ours, this stuff. It was kind of our idea that we’ll set up this room, so anyone can use it. Most importantly, the double-decker sofa. We got some friends in to help us, because none of us are that good at DIY work. I’ll be honest, we didn’t make the double decker sofa… or maybe we’ll just spin that one? We did it all!”
Deon: “If you’re sitting up there, then someone’s probably going to be mischievous with your feet. But I would lie down, and someone would be underneath, pulling my braids!”
That must be the best seat in the house for one of your ‘hangs’…
Benjy: “We should make it mentally expensive, like £300. You’d get a free can of Liquid Death with it too.”
Deon: “A sofa wristband! Can I see your pass please?”
Benjy: “At the last hang, the three people who were on the sofa were the rowdiest people. If you’re gonna get lit, maybe don’t do it on top of the sofa. Though it definitely encourages [crowd surfing].”
How does one get invited to one of these shows?
Benjy: “It’s a link on the [Instagram] story and then our manager just picks random peeps. And then you get a text, Love Island style.”
Where’s the furthest someone has travelled from to see you perform?
Deon: “The Isle of Wight.”
Benjy: “Someone came from Ireland as well.”
Deon: “The thing with the Isle of Wight, it was one of the first ‘hangs’ and we were interviewing people as they came in. And then Benj was really excited: ‘Oh my god, this girl came from the Isle of Wight’ – and I didn’t even know where that was! And I was interviewing her, so I said, ‘Ha, more like the ‘Isle of Wrong’. Then I realised it’s like six, seven hours away or something stupid!”
Have there been any standout live shows this year?
Tom: “The drums broke at the first one! The snare stand broke and the technician sorted it halfway through.”
Benjy: “Wasn’t that in the middle of a song? You fucking came in on time as well!”
Deon: “I liked the Halloween one and the Willow [Kayne] one.”
What can we expect from a bby set?
Benjy: “They’re pretty loose. We never do any shows with the setlist, we will just play whatever we feel. At every ‘hang’, we normally add some ideas we’re working on. It’s normally pretty messy, in a nice way.”
Tom: “It’s not a refined thing, we just jam it out.”
Deon: “I think The Windmill was a big show for that. There was an understanding [between us].”
Are the studio singles we’ve heard so far all inspired by the energy of your live shows?
Benjy: “Whatever’s going off at the ‘hangs’, we release that. That’s how ‘Hotline’ started, and it kinda went on. I do most of the production, but I guess it’s a bit old school, too. We can make a song as a group so we’re all kind of producing in the making of the song.”
Are there any artists you look up to for that approach?
Tom: “Someone asked me the other day, you must have a band you all look up to and want to be – but not really. Everyone’s so different, it just comes together. But Nirvana, that’s what got me into drums, or Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers… that sort of thing.”
Deon: “Growing up for me, it was all about Coldplay and Kanye West. Recently, I’ve been listening to Steve Lacy and a lot of Bakar as well.”
Benjy: “Jessy listens to a lot of jazz, and Tommy has this crazy vinyl collection where he’s listening to these rogue Japanese horror soundtracks. The first records I ever bought were [Eminem’s] ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ and then P!nk’s ‘Missundaztood’.
Is the plan to keep up the momentum into 2024?
Benjy: “I think we want to drop a record. We’ll carry on doing the ‘hangs’ everywhere; I have fantasies of us touring the US and doing a show in some random basement.”
Deon: “Onto the next Wednesday, man…”
bby’s new single ‘Spinnin 88’ is out now