Fake Hippy, Real Roots

There’s a town by a river, known as Berwick Upon Tweed. It’s a quiet little place, surrounded by an ancient wall, left behind from the great battles of ancient times.

From the outside looking in, Berwick can appear as a sleepy town, somewhere to spend the day and mull around the shops. But, beneath the surface, there is a musical collective, once playfully known as the Berwick Band Collective (BBC). Over the years many great bands have come and gone within the walled town, but it seems there is always something brewing.

The latest band to emerge from B.U.T are Fake Hippy. Formed in 2017, the group are preparing to release their third EP in less than a year. With a seemingly busy 2018 ahead, we caught up with frontman Steve Walker to chat about the band:

So, how did you guys get together then?

I had a bunch of song ideas lying around that I’d been working on and wasn’t doing anything with. At the time, I was working with Kerr (Drums). I showed him what I’d been working on and he was keen to get involved and help develop them. Tom (Bass) and Liam (Lead) joined in and the rest is history.

Fake Hippy is quite an unusual name, where did it come from?

I have a thing about hypocrisy and the amount of people I’ve encountered over time that preach certain ‘hippy’ values yet live and act in the opposite way has always annoyed me. It’s comes from that.

Your first EP “Roots” seems to have an overall theme of just that, roots, times gone by and friends. Was this a conscious thought going into the writing process, or a natural progression?

No, it wasn’t conscious, but I guess you are right. At the time I was doing a lot of reflecting and revaluating and those themes seemed to come through naturally.

You're about to enter the studio to record your third EP in less than a year, which is fairly rapid work….. where do all these tunes come from?

Yes, we’ve written a lot since we formed the band. Where do they come from? Who knows… there’s a lot of unconscious writing that happens when we jam that naturally develops into something eventually. I like the idea of not trying to write and instead tapping into something uncontrollable.

You’ve already had a fair bit of radio play………

Yes - BBC Introducing have been very supportive since we started putting stuff out. Nick Robert especially…

The majority of the group are folks that you’ve ether grown up with or been around in the local music scene for years, does this help the chemistry within the band?

Yes, it always helps when you are being creative with people that you feel completely at ease with. I’ve known Tom (Bass) since primary school, Liam (Lead) since high school and worked with Kerr everyday for about 2 years so we all know each other really well.

You're originally from central Scotland, now living in Berwick, which is known locally for producing many great bands over the years, in fact one pub in town, The Barrels is covered in gig posters from days gone by… Do you think there is a particular reason for the sheer amount of music to come from the small town?

I’m really not sure why – maybe there’s something in the wate

r. Maybe it’s because there isn’t really much else to do. Either way, you’re right, there has been and continues to be some great musical output from the town.

What's the plan for Fake Hippy in 2018?

We’re going to keep on doing what we’ve been doing, writing and recording. That’s personally my favorite part of being in a band – the creative process. I’ve done so many gigs over the years I can take it or leave it. Saying that, we do plan to make the most of the summer and get out and play some gigs both locally and further afield.

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