A spotlight interview with vocalist Abi of NE punk band Fast Blood, ahead of their UK tour - which kicks off 21 Nov at The Cavendish Arms, a LOUD WOMEN show with Honey Joy and I, Doris
How did you choose your band name?
Choosing a band name is just awful. We ended up sticking with this after months of arguing about it. We had compiled a massive list of potential names, including probably some of the worst suggestions you could possibly imagine. We decided to each vote for the five suggestions we hate the least from the list, and the name which cropped up the most would be what we’d go with. It ended up being ‘Fast Blood’. It’s a song by the wonderful Scottish band, Frightened Rabbit.
Where do you call home (geographically and musically)?
We practise in Newcastle, but I suppose we’d have to say we’re North East / Yorkshire as one of us lives in Durham, and the other in Ripon! Every band is the product of their influences. We’d consider ourselves a punk band, but our sound is an amalgamation of different punk-adjacent styles: hardcore, garage, indie rock, 90s emo. Loads of stuff! We’re frequently compared to bands such as Amyl and the Sniffers, Cloud Nothings, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Hot Snakes, White Lung.
Describe your sound in three words.
Absolute fucking chaos.
Tell us about your music.
We self-released our debut album ‘Sunny Blunts’ last year, and we are really bloody proud of it. We feel it is a real statement of intent for the band. and is a strong piece of work from beginning to end – a richly diverse collection of songs, all distinctive, commanding, and impactful in their own way.
What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened at one of your gigs?
At one of our first gigs, this bloke stood in front of the stage and kept making paper roses, and continuously handed them to me. That was a bit weird.
What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?
My own mental health and anxiety has been a pretty massive hurdle. I think as a band, we are a bit of an anxious bunch. When we got together I’d never been in a band, the lads have all been in bands before fast blood and had spent a lot of their lives playing gigs. When I joined I honestly throught to myself maybe we just won’t get the point where we will play a gig, or I will have to quit before we got to do one. I think we basically had half a song written when we were asked to do our first gig, it was at that point it all became a bit real for me. Weeks before the gig I would be absolutely riddled with anxiety. I’m still horrendously anxious every gig we do, but it’s usually just on the day of one. I’ve always been really open with the lads about my anxiety issues. Every gig I repeatedly tell them how awful I feel, they’ve always been really understanding and supportive. They make me feel safe which in turn makes it less likely I’ll shit my pants on stage. Booze also really helps.
What’s the proudest moment you’ve had so far as a band?
The day we took delivery of the Sunny Blunts LP was a pretty special day for all of us. That collection of songs had been years in the making at that point, so finally being able to hold the record after all of the effort and admin that comes with putting out an album was pretty special. We’ve been lucky enough to get to play some ace shows over the years but a clear highlight was when we were asked to open for Fucked Up on a few dates of their last UK Tour. They’re a hugely influential band and have often informed and inspired our Dave’s writing and guitar playing, so to have them personally ask us out on a few dates was really validating.
What’s the strangest gig you’ve ever played?
Not a gig as such, but a year or two back we were bizarrely asked to feature as the backing band in a national TV ad. The set up had us playing to a bought in audience at one of Newcastle’s big venues. What we initially thought would be a bit of a laugh turned into a 4 hour ordeal of miming to our own album in front of a bunch of people who couldn’t care less. Instant regret, punk credentials diminished.
Dream lineup: you + three other acts (alive, dead, or imaginary). Who’s on the bill?
Fast Blood, Fleetwood Mac, Descendents. That’ll do. We’re playing last, obvs.
What’s next for you?
We’re working on writing some new songs right now, which we’ll hopefully be putting out there in some shape or form in 2026.
Final Fast Blood gigs of 2025:
Friday, 21st November – LONDON – The Cavendish Arms (courtesy of LOUD WOMEN 🙂)
Saturday. 22nd November – BRISTOL – Exchange (matinee)
Sunday. 23rd November – NOTTINGHAM – JT Soar
Saturday, 7th December – SHIPLEY – Endless Spite Fest
Where can people listen, follow, and support your music?
We still have a handful of copies of ‘Sunny Blunts’ on vinyl, available from our bandcamp. Folks can stream all of our stuff online at the usual places. You can follow us on Instagram @_fastblood to keep up with our shenanigans!
Anything else you’d like to add?
In 2026, we will be looking to visit some new towns and cities in the UK we haven’t managed to get to yet. Please drop us an email, or DM us on Instagram, if you would like to book us! Would love to play some cool festivals and get over to Europe too.
