DIY Presents Tour 2014: Spring King talk CMJ and health trips at DIY all-dayer

Spring King came close to completely stealing the show at DIY’s London all-dayer at The Laundry, 1st November. Bringing on board a surprise guest tends to turn heads, but this wasn’t just a Jay Z or a cheeky Rita Ora - this was Saxophone Dad.

Steve Darlington - Dad of the band’s guitarist, Pete - took to the stage in the day’s finest jumper to perform one song. Ahead of the set, Tarek Musa and co. were still buzzing from their recent trip to New York for CMJ Festival. “I’m definitely on a health trip. We all had a wild one,” said Musa. “I don’t know how health trips work. I’ve never had one. I don’t know where you begin,” said Pete.

Their New York trip involved three shows, playing alongside the likes of The Wytches and Nai Harvest. “I’d love to play it again. It’s very new music-heavy,” says Pete, with Tarek adding: “I don’t know if it’s one of those things you can only do once.”

Shows from Spring King are best known for being played at 100mph with zero cause for concern, but Tarek’s been given doctor’s orders to pipe down a touch. “He said I shouldn’t be doing anything really, with my wrist. But I didn’t want to miss out on CMJ. Gotta change my technique. No more being a madman.” What did Tarek give up instead of drumming? Squash. “ I was being fucking well healthy. I joined a squash league. I played like four games. And then my wrist started hurting before CMJ. So I went to a physio and he said, ‘You’ve got to stop playing squash’.”

Relive the best of DIY’s London all-dayer here.