The Boxtones award winning Universal signed band talk to Pop Shop–On our playlist now
The Boxtones are a Scottish/Canadian 5 piece award winning band based in Dubai and signed to Universal Music MENA.
The band consists of: Louise Peel (Lead Vocals), Gary Tierney (Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals), Gill Tierney (Drums, Vocals), Will Janssen (Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals) and Patrick Thibault on Bass and vocals.
Since setting up their own Dubai-based company in early 2013 as full-time musicians, The Boxtones with their energetic and engaging live performances have captivated hundreds of thousands of fans at all of the big events in the region. Such events include Yasalam Beats on the Beach, Formula One Abu Dhabi Party in the Park, Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens and more.
The Boxtones are recipients of the prestigious Ahlan! Hot 100 Title winners of Best UAE Act at the annual Hype Awards and Rolling Stone Magazine’s Street to Stage competition winners. Leading brands Shure and Vic Firth also endorse the band.
The Boxtones have so far performed alongside Stereophonics, Kaiser Chiefs, Pharrell Williams, The Who, Blur, Florence & The Machine, Enrique Iglesias, Lily Allen, Jason Derulo, Travis, Razorlight, Richard Ashcroft, The Charlatans, The Ting Tings and many more.
The Boxtone’s new album ‘Home’ is out now and features the single Against The Odds, City of Mirrors” feat Ft Two Tone and ‘Home’ .
The album was produced by Gary Tierney and Elvis Garagic at Sound Struck Studios in Dubai.
POP SHOP INTERVIEW – THE BOXTONES
Who’s who in the Boxtones ?
Gary Tierney: Songwriter, Lyricist, Singer & Guitarist
Louise Peel: Lyricist & Singer
Gill Tierney: Drummer
Will Janssen: Keyboards
Patrick Thibault: Bass
Where did you get the band name from ?
Where does your name come from ?
Louise: The Edinburgh Phone Book. We were totally stumped on a name and were coming up with all sorts of rubbish so Gary started flicking through the phone book. He randomly stuck his finger in the pages and it happened to be a page listing Jukeboxes. We scrambled the words up, took off the ‘Juke’ and added a ‘Tones’, and then decided on a ‘The’ at the start. We thought the ‘The’ was cool because all the greats have it…The Beatles, The Stones, The ‘The’… it added a bit of weight. It wasn’t a very technical process and it doesn’t have any deeper meaning than that. A band needs a name – this one stuck.
How would you handle a mistake during a performance ?
Gary: Do it twice, then it looks like you meant it
What do you plan in the long term ? World Domination ?
Gary: Honestly, I just love playing. We gig quite a bit here in Dubai, and each night is different. Sometimes you really love what you’re doing, other times you’re hungover and tired, so its more like a job. But really, if this is the job, I’d take it any day of the week! Long term, I’d love for The Boxtones to be performing at the major music festivals in Europe and the UK. I grew up on them, and to actually play one of the stages would be a dream come true.
What are the 5 things you can’t live without ?
Pat: Cats, coffee, cheese, raspberries and aggressive music.
How do you deal with stress while on tour ?
Louise: I bring my own pillow, headphones, books and I’ll binge on TV shows in a corner until needed.
What would you change in the music biz ?
Will: I get asked this question all the time and the answer’s always the same – promoters need to take more chances on relatively new artists that know how to work a crowd! Even if that promoter hasn’t heard much about them, at least let the artist prove that they do have what it takes to give one hell of a show if given the opportunity! This is what a musician wants to do – have their songs heard and play live music !
Check out The Boxtones online:
Online:
https://www.instagram.com/theboxtones/
