I sat down with Joe Jarvis, the man behind the kit of RAMES, an up and coming four-piece indie pop band from London. Joe has spent a total of around 10 years practising his craft on the drums. It was just as the first lockdown was coming to an end that RAMES were looking for a new drummer, and Jarvis managed to secure the vacant spot.
The other members of the band consist of Alan Li (vocals and guitar), Oli Zanetti (guitar) and Joe Bedford (bass). Both Alan and Oli had both been in a previous band together and eventually decided to form a new one. From there, Bedford was brought in to play bass (he was a fan originally of the previous band). When it comes to the band’s sound, their sources of inspiration are the classic indie bands often associated with the genre, the likes of ‘the 1975’ (their early sound), Catfish and the Bottlemen, and Arctic Monkeys.
However, Joe’s drumming background is very different to that of his bandmates. Jarvis stated, “in school, I started as a jazz drummer”. As someone that plays the drums myself, I was very intrigued to see the specific drummers that influenced and inspired Joe. From a jazz perspective, he told me the main one was Buddy Rich. Rich began playing the drums at 2 years old and is considered to be one of the most important drummers of all time. He then went on to cite other drummers including Blink-182’s Travis Barker, Luke Holland, Matt Maguire and Larnell Lewis.
Currently, RAMES only have four singles out. I asked if there was the possibility of an EP or album coming soon, Jarvis spoke very passionately about the idea, “At some point, I would love to make an album!”, however, the cost of recording is too much for them presently.
I asked if we would be seeing an EP from the lads anytime soon, “it wasn’t worth releasing an EP, the reason being an up-and-coming band it’s hard to sell an EP with three or four songs to a new audience”. Additionally, another point he raised was that “when you release an EP all the songs are essentially competing with one another”, he clarified.
Slowly but surely, it seems like the live music scene is making a return. This means RAMES can now once again feel the atmosphere of a crowd as they perform their songs. Jarvis told me “I love playing live!” and that he much prefers it to recording in the studio. We discussed live music slowly making a return and he enthusiastically told me, “I’m excited, upcoming gigs will be the first he has done with RAMES”. Additionally, the songs they have released and will perform live are designed to be played in front of an audience.
Furthermore, RAMES is the first “serious” band that he has been a part of. In secondary school, he was in a couple of jazz bands and then in the sixth form he was in another band, but it was more just some “mates jamming after school or in free periods” in his words.
It was announced that RAMES would be playing at The Engine Rooms in London. The road of the venue is called Eleanor Street, which coincidentally is the name of their most recent track. Tickets to the event sold out in less than 5 days, and the event will also see support from The Waterfalls and The Mezz. In September, the boys will also be supporting a special guest (who has not been announced as of yet).
After I concluded my chat with Joe, it was clear that he is a man who has been working away at his craft for many years. He is confident in his abilities and provides a strong foundation and rhythm for RAMES. If they continue grafting and make songs that are of the same quality as their catalogue thus far, it would come as no surprise if they were met with success.
Mark Murphy Journalist 