Quick & Dirty: Switches - by Cody McGraw - You have to admire a band that fights for what it wants; that drive is something to be commended and seriously considered, especially when talking about music. U.K. power-poppers Switches are a band fighting to be in your stereo. The guys have landed in the U.S. and are touring like crazy. Vocalist Matt Bishop, though feeling a little under the weather, took time out to talk to SoundProof while on the road to Los Angeles. “The size of this place is the barrier,” he states, explaining the struggle U.K. bands face while trying to break out in North America. “It’s so vast; there’s a lot of driving involved.” Although it may be tiring, the members of Switches know their hard work will pay off. “You can’t just go in and crack the place,” he explains. “The thing is, some bands don’t do enough touring, but you got to keep coming back.” And until they’ve made it, Bishop, Thom Kirkpatrick, Ollie Thomas and Steve Godfrey will tour, tour, tour. Their new album, Lay Down the Law, has just hit Canada and Bishop explains that Canadians can expect “a tightly written hard rockin’ harmony fuelled feast.” With remnants of Britpop heard in many songs, it’s almost as if Switches are trying to start a new British movement. But let’s not go nuts. “We didn’t record in Britain,” he laughs. “We like the [‘90s] movement, but we had US influences as well. Bringing Britpop back isn’t on the agenda.” Asked if he’d like to start an Oasis and Blur-type conflict, Bishop asserts, “We like all bands; we are one. Maybe later we’ll pick a band to fight with, but that’s more about gaining column inches than music.” A band Switches surely won’t be fighting with is The Bravery, who they’ve been touring with all year. “It’s been really fun. They’re really cool guys. It’s cool playing big venues and traveling a lot. We’ve certainly learned a lot about professionalism from them.” Along with that tour, Switches played the NME party at the presstastic South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. Bishop, reminding us he was sick during all this, admits he didn’t get to go see a lot of bands, but still considered it a cool scene. “It was busy, warm, hectic and chaotic — there was no sound check, just throwing up gear and playing.” Looking ahead, Bishop claims he and his bandmates would like to infiltrate a larger audience, maybe even pack 1,000-capacity venues. “We have no grand illusion of being the biggest band in the world, but it would be nice to make some money and do another album.” “We’re all just English gents who play sexy, hooky, pop and love Canada. We’re coming back and want to be welcomed with open arms!”