The Brighton quartet behind the band Transformer have just released their fourth EP, ‘Feel The Beast,’ and they’re rightly happy with it. Their first release since vocalist Roxy Sections joined the line-up a year ago, the three-track sashays between disco and bass, creating imagery of hedonism on smoky dance-floors, and signals a notable progression from their previous sound. As frontman Johny explains, “it got to the point where we were writing music for the kind of band we thought Transformer was, rather than the sort of music we were listening to. So we started making the sort of music we were listening to, and it felt good.” ‘Feel The Beast’ is house-infused, bass-heavy music, and it sounds more like something you’d hear at 2am than 7pm. “We’re making music we can dance to,” says bassist Craig, and Johny agrees: “we’re more of a club band than a gig band now.”
Having performed together on an ad-hoc basis for years when in different bands, Johny and Roxy’s first collaboration was a cover of Iggy Pop and Peaches’ ‘Kick It,’ but they’ve stopped performing that live because Roxy got a split lip on stage after they got a bit carried away. This gives you an insight into Transformer’s ethos: things can get pretty raucous. Roxy’s enthusiasm for improvisation is cited as one of the main reasons she’s fitted in with the rest of the band so well. And whether you deem their approach to be based in unpredictability or innovation, the band agree that some of their best tracks have come from the collective jam sessions they hold once a week at Johny’s house in a room stocked with booze and instruments. Deciding to take a step away from formal recording processes, the EP was recorded at home too. Drummer Stéphane says this was “a lot of fun. Without the pressure of the studio and a clock ticking… It was nice to be able to take our time and enjoy it.”
‘Feel The Beast’ is now out on Numerology Records, you can watch the psychedelic video for ‘Love Before’ here, and keep up to date with their upcoming gigs on Facebook.
Words by Jessica Marshall McHattie
