In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet.      

This time we speak with Davey Newington of zany Cardiff-based genre-hoppers Boy Azooga about their beguiling, multifaceted debut record.

Originally the solo studio endeavour of Newington (though now a full 4-piece band along with fellow countrymen Daf Davies, Dylan Morgan and Sam Barnes), Boy Azooga have turned heads this past year with a string of strikingly varied singles that have really kept us guessing.

Having been treated to the zesty William Onyeabor-indebted psych-funk of debut single ‘Face Behind Her Cigarette’, the scuzzy, all-guns-blazing garage rock of second single ‘Loner Boogie’, the swooning dog lover’s balladry of third single ‘Jerry’ and the hypnotic, Mellotron-infused reverie of ‘Breakfast Epiphany’, we’d already encountered multiple sides of this peculiar Cardiff outfit but, as could be imagined, Boy Azooga’s eccentrically-titled debut album 1, 2 Kung Fu! pushes this rollicking eclecticism even further.

1, 2 Kung Fu! presents a veritable fun house of shifting sounds and sonic left-turns, ushering you into rooms of fizzing funk and monumental blues-rock before pulling the rug from under your feet, and casting you through the corridors of classic singer-songwriting or even the outer perimeters of psychedelia. It’s an extraordinary and continually entertaining fusion of ideas and references points, but for all the merits of 1, 2 Kung Fu!’s bombastic multiplicity, many of its most powerful moments actually come from the poignant simplicity of Newington’s lyrics, deftly unpacking the deeply human concerns of loneliness and the passage of time.

We caught up with Newington to learn a little more about where this richly multifarious record came from.

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TMR: Whereas a lot of other artists settle on a “sound” and take that as far as it goes, your album is remarkably diverse, stylistically speaking; each track seems to move in a completely different direction from the one before. Was this a conscious decision? What made you move in all these directions on 1, 2 Kung Fu! and not opt for the “one flavour” approach?

Hey thanks, I think it was a mixture of things really. I always wanted the album to be like a celebration of the music I’m into. When Eddie and I were making it I was constantly being turned on to new things and they would get filtered into the songs in some way. There were no restrictions because at the time I didn’t really have any plans to play it live, so we would just layer it up with lots of stuff. I don’t think the record is really all that diverse, I think it’s more that the influences behind it were. I want to expand the sound a lot more on the next LP though and get guest vocalists and players on it! My Mum plays clarinet and she’s well excited to be on a couple tracks.

TMR: It’s well-documented that Can’s Ege Bamyasi was something of a “gateway” album for you; compelling you to explore areas of music previously unknown to you. What was it about this record that spoke to you? Where there any other pivotal records that changed your whole perception of what music could be?

Before I got turned onto Can I was just listening to classic rock and little bits of Hip-Hop and punk that I’d heard on the Tony Hawks games, so when I heard Ege Bamyasi and Future Days it was a big departure. The drumming just blew me away really. A lot of the music really confused me and took me a while to get into but when I searched them on YouTube their whole world seemed like magic and I needed to know more. I listened to The Love Below side of OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below a lot as a teenager, too. That record is truly diverse and bursting with creativity and incredible songwriting. That record definitely changed my perception of what music could be.

TMR: You’re a multi-instrumentalist and play practically everything on the album (save for the violin your father contributed). What’s your favourite instrument to play in the Boy Azooga project specifically?

Drums is still my favourite thing to play. I’ve been playing since I was really young so it feels instinctive or whatever. I absolutely love bass though, it’s the secret weapon and I have so much fun coming up with bass lines.

TMR: One of our favourite tracks on the record is the closer: ‘Sitting On the First Rock from the Sun’. Even on such a diverse record, this track stands out. Can you tell us a bit about its inspiration and how it came about?

I was really inspired by my cousin’s band Man Of Moon for the first part of the song. They write really atmospheric and beautiful music but they’ve got huge riffs too. Caribou’s Andorra was an influence on the electronic sounds in the track. The ending is inspired by Black Sabbath and Pond. I was feeling quite down and pissed off when I wrote that song so I wanted to make a big “fuck you” ending.



TMR: Do you have a favourite moment on the album? If so, which and why? 

It sounds really cheesy but I would get hairs on the back of my neck when my Dad’s strings come in on the last chorus of ‘Hangover Square’. He gave me the book of Hangover Square when I moved out, so it was class to have him play on the record. He nailed it!

TMR: The album often has a kind of effortless vibe (‘Breakfast Epiphany’ and ‘Jerry’ are good examples of this), but we’re sure there were difficult moments. Which was the hardest track to bring to full fruition?

‘Taxi To Your Head’ was a bit of a nightmare. I just kept changing my mind and adding little bits. I think there was like 17 different versions of it or something stupid at one point. Eddie was amazing to work with on the album and so patient with me when I was probably being a real pain in the arse.

TMR: Much is said about you being a Cardiff-based band, and the city features prominently in a number your videos. Do you find Cardiff plays a role in Boy Azooga’s music? In what way?

Yeah definitely. The Keys are from Cardiff and are such a massive inspiration to me. The frontman Matthew Evans is an incredible songwriter and I feel lucky to play drums in his band. All of the places I’ve lived have definitely found their way into the music somehow. There are so many good bands and artists in Cardiff at the moment it’s really exciting to be a part of the scene.

TMR: Why the album title 1, 2 Kung Fu!? Your lyrics explore quite austere ideas of loneliness, the passage of time and death but 1, 2 Kung Fu! (at least on first glance) seems to come from a different place entirely.

I wanted to give it a playful name cause although there are dark themes on the record, I try not to take myself too seriously and I want people to feel positive if they listen to us. ‘Breakfast Epiphany’ is about death so I gave it a really stupid name too.



TMR: 1, 2 Kung Fu! was written alone and assembled in the studio with Eddie Al Shakarchie but we hear you’re writing the second album as a full band. Of course this is an enormous creative switch-up, how are you finding it?

It’s still just me writing on my own and then going up to Eddie’s, but I definitely want the boys to play on the next record too. They are amazing musicians and I’m so excited to bring their sounds to the LP. You should checkout their other projects, Shoebox Orchestra, DD Darillo, Men On The Chessboard and Afro Cluster. Working with Dr. Ed Boogie is always amazing. He is a genius!

TMR: We’ve always wondered what it’d be like to play Jools Holland (particularly as a new band). What was your experience of the show, playing on national TV alongside musical legends?

It was really scary and I don’t think I was ready for it to be honest, but we had to do it because it was an amazing opportunity and we just had a blast. Hopefully we can do it again someday and we’ll have double drums and a string section or something! Everyone there was so lovely and it was class to be with Gwenno and the Manics representing Wales. Our drummer Daf even brought his Mum’s Welsh Cakes, which went down a storm.

TMR: Are there any up-and-coming artists or bands you’re really enjoying lately?  

I love Dylan Cartlidge, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Adwaith, Darkhouse Family, Esther Taylor, Sock and so much more!

TMR: What does the rest of 2018 hold for you?  

Lots of gigs, recording LP2 and I’ve just started Djing. I don’t know what I’m doing but I’m loving it so hopefully more of that. Thanks for having us!



1, 2 Kung Fu! is out now via Heavenly Recordings.

-Karl Jawara