When in Oxford last week, we met with Gruff Trade to have a chat. Read the interview…
Sitting in the front room of the Bullingdon, Carling in hand (courtesy of the boys), we set about asking the charismatic Sam and Geoff (Lead Singer and Bassist) some questions about this great new thing they’d created. The boys (James, Matthew, Thomas, Geoffrey and Samuel) are of Birmingham origin and met around the mark of four or five years ago through school and or work. We asked them to describe Troumaca in five words and, having changed their mind several times, we were left with tropical, dub, soul, tribal and love. Love seems to be very important to the band, as a pillar of what they are but also to indicate that Troumaca isn’t just music, it’s an experience. I did in the end have to ask them that horrible, pretentious question ‘What is Troumaca about?’ and the response I got was very intriguing. ‘It’s about searching for something we know we won’t find. But in a positive way, it’s a metaphysical, spiritual journey.’ Troumaca is a feeling rather than sitting there listening to some brilliant music. They told us that they hoped in the future to have a Caribbean set-up on stage (Troumaca is a place in the Caribbean where Geoff’s family is from) including food (sounds a little hazardous to me), flags (they already have on onstage) and incense. Their enthusiasm for turning their set into a kind of ceremonial transportation for the soul was infectious and I hope one day to see this dream realised, perhaps without the food though, that could potentially cause problems and/or health and safety issues.
The fact that the band and its name was based around a real place piqued my interest and as I asked more about it, it became apparent that none of the boys had been there apart from Geoff but that this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. ‘For him (Sam) it’s just an idea, it can’t be ruined by him knowing what it really is. I think that’s important’ Geoff told us. We got around to asking our favourite question of guilty pleasures and they came out with some brilliant answers including Spandau Ballet (no questions asked), R-Kelly (old school not this new fangled stuff), Nickelback and Rebecca Black (I have to say I raised an eyebrow at this one).
One of the most appealing things about the band is the presence they have on the stage, there’s nothing more depressing than watching a band who look bored not only with the crowd but with their own music, Sam in particular had a fantastic energy on stage. Their live set was brilliant; filled with energy and laid back kind of enthusiasm, but their sound cloud doesn’t do them justice: they admitted that being strapped for cash, recording and producing is done solely by them and unfortunately it shows. But don’t let that put you off! Troumaca are a must-see live band and when Fire comes out as a single in the first week of December we do recommend that you invest in it.