Blog
ABoF’s Five Pointless Questions with… Universal Thee!
The Easter Weekend swept the ABoF office into a deep and well deserved slumber for four glorious days. We hope yours was just as relaxing. When we finally awoke and dusted off the cobwebs of inactivity (along with some empty beer cans and a traffic cone someone had amusingly left in our bed) we found our inbox aglow with an ambience of mystery. Could it be? Yes! The email we'd been waiting for since we first jotted down these five pointless questions on the back of a commuter's hand during a particularly arduous rush hour in London. Universal Thee had given us the answers we so desperately yearned for in the wee small hours of the morning. So, without further ado, we turn over to Andrew Perrie, bassist extraordinaire from the Scottish five-piece.
1. Using the fairy tale format, tell us how you all met.
Once upon a time, long, long ago – in the enchanted city of….er….Dundee. James, Lisa, Robin & Andy were all studying at the University and despite living and studying within (literally) meters of one another - all four did not meet! James and Lisa (the Prince Charming & Cinderella of this story) did meet and eventually married, playing in various bands along the way. This pair became friends with Robin too but Andy was still a lone wolf – unfriended by any of them. Kevin was living far removed from this, in the glittering lights of Auld Reekie (Edinburgh). It was only some years later that Robin and Andy would meet and form a band, and years later still that Robin and James would form Universal Thee, and although there were a few permutations and a revolving door band membership policy, broadly speaking it is accurate to say thT Kevin joined, followed some months later by Lisa and then eventually in July of 2013 Andy (that’s me) would transform the band into what they are today. If there is anything to be learned from this tale it's open your damn eyes! You might be living in the same street as a future band-mate and best pal!
2. Who or what was the defining moment in your life that made you decide to be a musician?
It's difficult to answer this one – I think, for me, the truth is (and I could never admit it growing up) that when I was about 14 I saw my older brother learning guitar and I thought he looked cool as fuck. We played gigs in bars from the age of 16 (where we had to fake our age just to get in!) and I remember getting a massive buzz from audiences cheering and clapping for us. I don’t think I've ever enjoyed anything as much as playing music to people – so until something else tops it – a musician is what I’ll be!
3. If you could pick a superpower what would it be and why?
I actually have a super power so it’s not really fair to ask me this question – no I can’t tell you what my power is or you might be able to guess my secret identity….but I’ll give you a clue – you could abbreviate my superhero name to S...Man – no that’s too obvious let’s just say SpiderM. My secret is safe…
4. In ten years time where do you want to be?
Ideally I’d be stuck in a dead-end fast-food job…..HA! No in 10 years – if I’m not dead – it would be amazing to have played some great tours and shows in different parts of the world. I feel really lucky to be part of Universal Thee and we are all just in this for the ride – we want to play as much as we can to as many people as we can.
5. If you could only play a stranger one of your songs to make a first impression, which track would you choose?
I’m sure others in the band might choose differently but on our debut album ‘Back to Earth’ I would choose the track ‘Bear in the Hospital’ – it great fun to play and has lot of energy to it, with an awesome chorus and a great outro.
Back To Earth is available now via Eventual Heirs Records. It's available on iTunes.