The NONE on Bloc Party, industry experience, and their raucous new EP 'CARE' • Neu • DIY Magazine

It’s widely understood that, in order to make meaningful change in any system, you have to first understand how that system works, and The NONE are a perfect example of that idea. With all members coming from previous bands – Gordon Moakes (Bloc Party, Young Legionnaire), vocalist Kai Whyte (Blue Ruth, Youth Man), guitarist Jim Beck (Cassels) and drummer Chris Francombe (Frauds) – The NONE was initiated after Gordon spotted “an opportunity to start something fresh”. This fresh start ultimately gave them a chance to let go of the inhibitions that may have hindered them the first time around and to head into something new with their joint experience and skill, with their main hope being to enjoy the craft they’ve spent years perfecting.

Following a stint living in Austin, Gordon moved back to the UK mid-pandemic and spent two years scouting for members of a new project. He recalls the recruiting of his slightly younger band members bringing a rejuvenating energy; they were experienced, but not jaded, striking a happy medium that Jim refers to as “lightly seasoned”. “We’re young, but we’re in our thirties,” Kai explains, “we’re not teenagers just recklessly chucking stuff into the back of a van and seeing what happens.”

It’s safe to say that The NONE tend to move against the grain, but these decisions follow a period of learning, a learning that tells them to put their needs before expectations. Jim explains that the project was “an opportunity to go into a band knowing what I want to get out of it in terms of what I enjoy the most, and just sack off the rest of it.” Gordon shares that same notion, noting that “the older you get, it’s like saying, ‘I don’t care, I’m just going to do what works for me.’ To pander to anyone is just pointless”. This goes hand in hand with rejecting the routine of new bands in a (newly) social media-centric industry. The NONE, instead, turned to platforms such as Bandcamp. If you blow up on social media, it’s usually just perceived value,” Kai explains “On Bandcamp, you can see who’s buying your music, and the kind of people who use Bandcamp like that usually come to shows or buy some merch, and that’s actual value.”

“The older you get, it’s like saying, ‘I don’t care, I’m just going to do what works for me.’ ”

— Gordon Moakes

The live show is the heart of The NONE; undeniably their favourite part, they tend to be drawn toward the sweatbox independent venues that are so well-loved across the country. “We’ve all come up through these venues,” Jim shares, citing venues such as Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach and the Prince Albert in Brighton. “These are the places we spend our time, so it’s where we feel comfortable and at home.” And while there may be a historic love of these spaces, there’s also just the addictive nature of the energy in a small-capacity, sticky-floored venue that cannot be replicated elsewhere. For vocalist Kai, their favourite type of show is “when you can’t move, you can’t breathe, and you’re soaking wet. It sounds horrible, but it’s a good thing!”, before Gordon chips in. “I’m all for hygienic small gigs though. I’m not being a germaphobe; I’m just saying run a mop around, that’s all I’m saying.”

When it comes to the music – in particular, their upcoming EP, ‘CARE’ – The NONE are masters of tension. What Jim calls “sweet and sour, a collision of the melodic and the really amelodic,” it’s a meeting of dissonant, abrasive instrumentation and interesting, harmonious vocal decisions from Kai that oppose and yet complement each other so well. While Kai recalls their intention being “for all of us to get as silly as possible while making really good music,” Gordon recalls thinking to himself, “I’m going to make the ugliest music I’ve ever made.” That confidence to not be afraid of sounding “ugly” and to welcome ideas they may have never considered before soon extended into their recording and writing process too.

The band tend to record together live in a room with everything blaring at once, as ever, in the name of keeping the process fun and exciting. When writing, however, Kai likens their attitude to ‘yes and’. “Jim will be playing the most rancid chords you’ve ever heard, got a rough time signature going, it’s a racket,” they enthuse, “and I’m like, yes! It just needs to be the right kind of disgusting.” The NONE write from the gut. They know who they are, what they like, and how they like to play it; and they’re well up for doing so in any manner they see fit.

‘CARE’ is out now exclusively on Bandcamp.

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