Get To Know... Getdown Services • Neu • DIY Magazine

Hello and welcome back to DIY’s introducing feature, Get To Know… which aims to get you a little bit closer to the buzziest acts that have been catching our eye as of late, and working out what makes them tick.

For those in the know, Bristol-based duo Josh Law and Ben Sadler - aka Getdown Services - are perhaps THE must-see new act of the year. Since the release of their 2023 debut album ‘Crisps’, the pair have been touring relentlessly, delivering their word-of-mouth hyped live set to devoted crowds in venues and festival fields across the UK and Europe. Merging irresistible grooves with a refreshingly unfiltered sense of lyrical world-weariness, their music achieves the far from simple feat of balancing humour and heart, escapism and reality. Ahead of next month’s release of their new EP ‘Your Medal’s In The Post’ (which follows June’s ‘Crumbs’ EP), we catch up with Getdown Services to chat writing on the road, adjusting to life as a musician, and which services to get down to (ba dum tsh).

⁠What’s your favourite service station (and why)?

Josh: It’s a close call between Tamworth and Scotch Corner. Scotch Corner is always exciting because if you’re going Scotch Corner, it means you’re about to enter one of the best parts of the UK. But Tamworth services was the first thing me and my girlfriend ever spoke about and it’s also the place that I bumped into Jane MacDonald and she recognised me and remembered my name (I’d met her previously at my girlfriend’s stepdad’s 50th) . Can’t tell you exactly what it feels like to be approached by Jane MacDonald in WHSmiths, but if I had to try I’d probably use the word spellbinding.

Ben: I’ll have to go for any motorway service station; they just have everything you want. Honourable mentions include Frankley (due to being perfectly placed to break up the journey between South and the North), Lancaster (for the tower) and Scotch Corner (for the name). Any artisan/farmers market/wholefood services (Tebay/Gloucester) can fuck off, karma cola is garbage.

Tell us about one musical moment that changed the world for your childhood selves.

Josh: When I was about five, I really loved the song ‘Groovejet’ by Spiller ft. Sophie Ellis Bextor, ‘cos I’d heard it on the radio. One day I was out in Woolworths in Minehead with my Nan and without me knowing she bought the CD single, we went to get a milkshake in the cafe in the park and she got them to put it on over the speakers and I was obviously buzzing, but when she then gave me the CD my tiny mind exploded. I played it all the time and I still think it’s one of my favourite songs ever.

Ben: The first gig I ever went to was Kid British in Stoke with my mate Danny. I remember seeing the crowd and thinking all these people probably know each other because of how they’re interacting as a group so I stayed at the side. It later occurred to me that that’s just what gigs are like and it was quite nice realising that what I perceived as a load of friends were in fact just strangers all enjoying the same thing. Kid British was ultimately shit but one of them went on to become Bipolar Sunshine so they’re probably fine.

⁠You’re based in Bristol - what do you think of the music scene there at the moment? Are there any particular artists/venues/promoters/initiatives you’d recommend people check out?

Josh: To be honest, we’ve been away from Bristol so much this year I feel quite out of touch with what’s going on in the music scene. Some bands I really like are Mass House, Langkamer, HAAL, Bled, Knives, MP3 chainsaw, and My First Time. I’m really chuffed The Old England is doing gigs again - that’s probably my favourite venue here, and I love The Elmer’s Arms too. Initiatives-wise, it’s not music related but everyone should check out Bristol community sauna in St. Anne’s, it’s class.

Ben: I second Josh with the bands but I’d also like to chuck Tlya X An into the mix, absolute pure hyperpop princess. Places are closing down all the time which reflects in ticket prices which is a real shame (no arts funding or government support for the arts), but on the flip side there’s a venue called The Lanes which is also a bowling alley, and a promotions company called Gravy Train which put gigs on there - they treat you lovely and it’s always free entry. The sound is great and the bands that play always enjoy it.

“I’m actually a lot happier these days, and was writing the lyrics for our most depressed song in a much better mental place than I was for most of the making of ‘Crisps’.”

It’s been a bit of a packed 12 months - your debut album ‘Crisps’ came out this time last year, your ‘Crumbs’ EP arrived in June, and now you have another project on the way! How have you been able to balance writing and recording with life on the road? Do you think your approach or attitude towards your work has changed in that time?

Josh: I think because our set up is minimal and we record and mix everything ourselves, it’s been quite easy to do stuff on the go. We use the same stuff to play live as we do to record so we can do it anywhere when we’re touring. For me, writing and recording feels the same as it always has; it’s always been something that I do constantly rather than in chunks, but the difference now is that I’m not cramming it into the evenings after work. Making the first album fried my brain a bit, staying up all night making music and that, but I realise now that’s because I was basically working two full time jobs. Now I’m just doing one, it feels a lot more manageable and I can focus my ideas more easily. I feel very grateful and lucky to be in this position.

Ben: I’d say the main thing that’s changed (apart from Josh becoming even better at production) is the topics of our songs. These new ones have basically all been written whilst we’re on the road - life is different [now] as we’re doing something we love full time rather than long grinding jobs, so we’re a lot less dissatisfied. I think they’re more of a reflection of the juxtaposition of doing something we enjoy while still struggling with liking ourselves.

Your latest single ‘I’m Not Feeling It’ is perhaps more introspective than most previous releases, but sonically it’s still got that upbeat groove that’s become something of your signature. How did you go about marrying the two? What did you want this contrast to communicate?

Josh: It was sort of an afterthought to me that the lyrics were more sad or introspective really - most of our stuff has felt like it’s about our struggles with mental health / self loathing, but I think maybe we’ve dressed it up differently before. It’s ironic because I’m actually a lot happier these days and was writing the lyrics for our most depressed song in a much better mental place than I was for most of the making of ‘Crisps’. Maybe us feeling a bit better is why we can write in a more personal way, I’m not sure. I don’t feel wound up with the world in the same way I did when making the album, and I think that’s probably just left more space to crack on with a bit of self-loathing. Less world-loathing, more self-loathing.

Ben: We tend to have a soft spot for grooves and dancing so I think regardless of the song topic, the music is still going to come out with either a vague rock or disco leaning. Josh wrote this one but I immediately understood that good things can happen but you still feel removed from it.

Tell us about the most memorable gig you’ve played to date.

Josh: It’s gotta be Green Man this year. It was epic: all my family were there, all our friends were there, it’s the best festival in the world, there were thousands of people, loads of people singing along, we did a cover of ‘Dancing Queen’ - it was just proper. Best time ever, loved it.

Ben: I simply have to agree with Green Man. We had a lot of friends and people we’ve met along the way come to see us and we felt like it was going to be a good one, but the amount of people that showed up blew our brains away into space (?). The field was at capacity and everyone was well up for it, it was like being U2 or Foo Fighters. I’d say it was maybe even like being Muse. Unparalleled experience.

Finally, DIY are coming round for dinner - what are you making?

Josh: I’ve just got a Crimpit for my birthday so I’ll be making you all a big hot steaming plate of Crimpits thank you very much.

Ben: Mash.

‘Your Medal’s In The Post’ is out 14th November via Breakfast Records.

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