Kickflip With I Am Giant

Three years in the making due to the meticulous nature of chief songwriters and band rhythm section Shelton Woolright and Paul Matthews, I Am Giant’s sophomore LP Science & Survival explores the depth and intricacies of their alt-rock sound, with bands like Soundgarden, Quicksand and Handsome cited as touchstones that have inspired the group’s sonic development.

“Hopefully we’ll get to record [in west coast France] again – it was amazing,” drummer Woolright beams. “We were out there at the peak of summer and it was five minutes to Saint-Jean-de-Luz beach and Hossegor and Biarritz. If we were doing well we’d finish at the studio about seven and go down and sit on the beach and have some French cuisine. And we’d do day trips to Spain, to San Sebastián, so we really took advantage of it – it was definitely one of the highlights of our career to be able to record out there.”

Even with the temptation of sunshine and beach time, however, the band were focused and regimented. A single hire car meant that the men, along with vocalist Ed Martin, had only one option to drive 40 minutes to the studio each day – miss the departure and you’d miss out – while their lack of French language skills meant they “couldn’t speak to anyone even if we wanted to”.

The recording facilities the band used are owned by DC skateboards, the contra agreement giving I Am Giant free studio time in exchange for licensing rights, allowing the company to use I Am Giant’s music in any skate or snowboarding videos. “Which is really cool because we love that stuff – I used to skate when I was younger and I’m still a keen snowboarder,” enthuses Woolright.

"It’s cool how those connections work, so if we can be part of that then great.”

“I watched the new Nyjah [Huston] video – he’s one of DC’s top skaters – and [in] his video he released called Fade To Black, they used Fade To Black by Metallica off Ride The Lightning, and it actually [encouraged] me to go back and listen to Metallica’s back catalogue, and I’ve been thrashing [that and] Kill ‘Em All for the last six months. It’s cool how those connections work, so if we can be part of that then great.”

For now though the London-based group are looking to connect directly with fans. Currently in New Zealand – home for Woolright and Matthews – tightening a live show which can splice 12-minute epics and Isis-esque interludes with the soaring stadium fare I Am Giant built their reputation on, the drummer assures us confidently that, “By the time we get over to Australia it will be fucking tight as, and hopefully we’ll smash the eardrums out of some of you Aussie guys.”