artist spotlights | song of the week
Spotlight on Slomo Casino
Slomo Casino consists of Jonny Ball (Guitars/Vocals) and Jack Batchelor (Drums/Head Chef). They are two old friends who met at music college in Liverpool and bonded over a love of good food, Gears of War and Japanese anime. Years later, playing separately in many bands, Stockport/Manchester based Indie pop/soul duo Slomo Casino was finally formed after a series of drunken voice memo song ideas to each other revealed that they actually had something going together. The Penguin Rocks presents this interview with Slomo Casino.
How long has the band been around? Is there a story behind the band name?
Our debut EP was released November 2021, and our name came down from a trip we had on a 4 mph narrow boat, where torrential rain kept us inside playing casino games.
Tell me about your latest record. What songs are you most proud of on the record?
(Jonny) We had a single come out March 18th with our take on the Grover Washington/Bill Withers Classic "Just the Two of Us". (Assuming we haven’t ruined it!) I’m most proud of how we’ve converted what is a belter of a soul track into our own breezy indie pop style. And recording Jack’s conga parts ourselves from my house was a pleasantly surprising success...
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How many records, eps, or singles has the band put out in total? How has the band changed over time?
One EP thus far, with EP number 2 on the way later this year. You can expect more of the same with and added hint of soul from our influences… but very much that same hooky indie pop style that earned the Casino it’s stripes...
What was one of your favourite gigs? What made it memorable?
(Jonny) Our homecoming EP launch in Manchester November 2021 sold out and we couldn’t have asked for a better audience. It was also our first opportunity to play our debut EP in full which was a top notch experience.
Where does the band regularly play shows? Where would you like to play if you could?
Naturally our base is in the UK and specifically in Manchester, but we’ve played as far as Malta. Japan would be the dream!
What would be the “next step” that you’d like to see the band take?
Our next step is to release our second EP and naturally, work towards our debut album 2k23! (And to take over the world in one foul swoop)
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Finally, if the band does any cover songs. What artists do you cover? Who would be an artist you haven’t covered yet that you’d like to cover?
Although we have some covers upcoming of some of our favourite tracks later this year starting with Bill Withers, we one day aspire to cover Cliff Richard.
For more on Slomo Casino, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
The Artist Spotlight series features interviews with artists and bands from around the world. If you would like to be considered for an interview, email info@thepenguinrocks.com and provide a link to your website or socials for us to check out. There is no cost to being part of the series. Interviews run at The Penguin Rocks and NewJerseyStage.com
