Ep 99: Biig Piig

Instead of drunk calling friends, I just like drunk go on like Instagram Live and start talking to people and I was like, this is not healthy.

Evening everyone. Greg here, we are now into the second half of this new series of midnight chats. We're five episodes deep. Do check out the podcast we released in the past few weeks with the likes of idols Tim Burgess, Phoebe Bridges, Matt Berninger from The National and Last Time Out Ezra Collective's Femi Colioso and if the state of the world is getting to you right now, really don't blame you. If it is, trust me that conversation with Femi is guaranteed to pick you up at least a

I do like the heat, but I don't think London's built for it.

I feel like everyone's just like sweating on each other in just like in a panic, like what do I do? Yeah, I liked it. I think it was nice. I've no fan in my house though, no easy and my house is like made of wood, so everything was like really hot and we were just like it was grand. Though, I feel like I really missed the rain. When the rain came on, I was just like, yeah, it was really nice.

I saw social media was basically like in the days before the rain turned up. I mean, this is like, yeah, this is a bit like kind of like, oh, poor rust. We managed to get through like six days of but like Twitter, people were just like rain dances online, just like please respite.

Yeah.

Literally, all the rain soundtracks.

Just tell me a little bit about how things are at the moment, what kind of level of like normality like day to day are you at, Like what you kind of have you managed to return to doing the things you were doing at the start of the year, or like what, yeah, how are the days filled at the moment right now?

I mean, I've just started to go back into studio, which is really really nice. I feel like, I don't know, I have them been back in ages, and I really kind of took I don't know, the start lockdown. I was like, I'm going to write so much and do so much and everything else. And once it actually started, things were just a lot more intense than I thought, and I was just like.

I don't know what to say, I don't know what to feel.

So I think I just kind to put it on the back burner. But and then having that kind of a break of shows and break of like making music and actually just listening to music and taking the time to appreciate other art, I think it was. Yeah, it was nice and it was healthy I think in a sense, and I'm saying that from a very fucking lucky perspective, but it was good. And then I think going back into good in the studio now it's just like trying to understand how I did that before?

Do you know what I mean? Just kind of like working out how to be with someone in a room, and.

Do you sort of lose those skills? Yeah? Get them. Yeah, I'm trying to recall those first few weeks of lockdown. We're just full of people being like I'm going to use this time proactively to learn a new hobby or a new skill or baked banana bread or Yeah there really was, wasn't it. I didn't fall into it.

Actually have any banana bread.

Flower was really difficult to get hold of. Yeah, you didn't find yourself doing that kind of well.

I did what I do so for a few weeks.

It feels like so long going now, But I did start to do kind of like I think I went a bit mad, and I was like, I'm just gonna start reading bedtime stories on Instagram for like whatever and kids books and stuff like that.

And that was fun.

Teaching Spanish I tried, I think, I just yeah, I think I've forgotten a lot more than I thought I had.

But but that was cool. I did that every.

Week, shooting people online.

Or or on Instagram live.

So I did like little lessons every like two days a week or something, and that was really cool. But mostly like the comments are always like we speak Spanish, like it's all right, and then what else did I do? Got into a relationship, So that was a lot. But that was definitely a learning experience, I think. And yeah, and I think that was that was kind of it.

So that was nice.

So lockdown wasn't quite so that it sounds quite turbulent.

Yeah, it was really intense. It was really really intense.

I think it was just o case, so like no one knows what to do, and we just were like, yeah, sure we've met three times, so we can move in together.

Sure that's fine, and.

Then doing that and being like this is a bad idea. Maybe we need to like I don't know, and then just yeah, it was all quite intense to be here, but it was grand and yeah it wasn't boring.

Yeah yeah, How are you feeling now? Are you okay?

Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I'm good. I feel like I'm finally settled down. I think it's just like probably just it's just that thing of like, even though this year has gone so slowly, it's also gone so fast, and I think you don't get a moment really to down or reflect on it because you just kind of, I don't know, you kind of forget it as it goes because you're like, this just isn't normal, So this doesn't exist.

There's so much that's happened, actually, you know, and you forget. But yeah, there's an interesting time.

Really adjesting sounds it like you're quite like a you know, from what I kind of understand we've only met once before, but like quite quite like a sociable person, like you know, we talked a bit about like the nine eight collective first time we met, and obviously we'll come on talk a bit about that before. But so much of kind of what you do and your creativity is based around being around other people, yeah, and creating in that way.

I think I'm not gonna I think I was in the opposite way completely. I was like, well, I'm not seeing anyone that I'm not talking to anyone. So it just kind of became this thing of I don't know, putting yourself in like a bit of a like I don't know, if you ignore it then it will go away a suppose. But it was kind of in a way, it was kind of good. I think it was a it was good to recharge. I think sometimes you can get caught up in social situations and forget to be

You know, and sit with things and go like oh how am I feeling about this? Or like what is this about? Yeah? So it was good.

So that was probably the major positive, like having a bit of time to was that like reflecting on since we first met. So we've met in twenty seventeen, that was before the release of the WP big fan of the session. Yeah, a lot has happened a three years obviously, released three EPs since then, done lots of live shows, festivals,

Let us thinking? Yeah, completely?

I think that was literally just like I think sometimes you can be so caught up in things and things even so quick that you don't actually appreciate where you're at or what you've got. And I feel like I really had a lot of like things where I wake up in morning, I go, what is happening? My life is mad? Like this is sick. It's so cool, just mad, it's just really really cool. I think, Yeah, I just haven't really had a situation or a chance to do

Always like step out of your own experience.

Yeah, exactly exactly how did you find it?

I feel like I've gone through different stages of it, to be honest, Like, I quite liked the beginning of lockdown when there were I think it appealed to the sort of organized part of my brain where I knew what the sort of rules were and what the red lines were. I was quite disciplined to be getting out of the house once a day to do your like regulation exercise. It's just stuff sounds you know, it's obviously a bit of distance since that time, but to sound

Yeah, And it's all that thing of readjusting as to being social a wrapp like do you know what I mean, or being like close to people.

It's just like feels like such a weird thing to do now.

Do you know if you've been back to like the puble like I mean, there are no like there's clubs, there's no parties to go to. There's no like I mean, I imagine like we've got lots of friends that put on club nights for example, Like that is what they do. Like every month, they're putting on a couple of parties and that's their it's their livelihood, you know. And so like those like nightlife as we know it, it doesn't

Even the smoking area and all people who meet through that, do you know what I mean? And like the little things and the way that people used to be close, even the strangers, like going to a club and like I don't know, having a dance to the stranger and being close to the stranger and like that whole thing. I think it's just so different now, Like I don't know if it's ever going to get back to the point of well, no.

Well definitely will.

Sorry that's very negative, but I think it's just going to be weird readjusting to like even like being close to someone that you don't know, do you know what I mean? And like even I don't know wanting to go on a date with them, you don't know, it's just gonna be so different, like you.

Know, zoom dates, Yeah, zoomed.

I've seen these happen that would be so weird.

Yeah, or like socially distanced park dates and stuff.

Oh my gosh, screen, isn't it Yeah? Oh my goodness, have.

You missed being able to go out and dance, have a just cut loose exactly.

The thing is, I love going out my own as well, Like I'm a big fan of just like going out and meeting strangers and seeing the night takes. Yet and like that hasn't happened for ages, So that's been real sad.

Because yeah, I just feel like there's.

So many like stories I'll never get to hear or like, do you know what I mean, a little world so that you can just know. But hopefully one day we'll get back into it.

If we're talking about the topic of like nightclubs or bars, and I mean I know bars have reopened, but like music venues and club nights and stuff, just I just don't see a way of that coming back like this year. Certainly have you.

Seen the socially distanced ones that they tried as well? Oh, it's the most awkward thing. I think everything in my whole life I saw actually sad.

It was like it was like the up on the platforms with the step and the further I saw. And this is not to like criticize anybody's efforts to like put on this course or anybody that went desperate for a night out and then they put on a series

Yeah, it was.

It just wasn't actually sounds better than one that I saw.

I think it was like midway through lockdown, but it was I think it was somewhere in like the Netherlands or something, and people were sat down individually two meters apart, but you weren't allowed to get up or to like whatever.

So people were just like and the.

DJ was just like, I don't know, it was a really weird thing to look at. I was like, what's happening?

And yeah, it makes me nostalgic for a time when a stranger would spill their pint over.

Here, yeah and you go what and they'd be like, oh man, I'm about you, Jake.

All right, I never see them again.

Yeah, oh yeah.

I don't know what the effect will be like long term on creators, like yeah, nightlife, people that are involved in putting on nights and stuff. What are the conversations like with for example, the nine eight collective, like within if anybody that doesn't know like you're you're you're part of a collective of creators and making music and artists

I think?

I mean, I mean I saw them all there recently or doing a video shoot for traffic coming up like it's coming out saying. But even that was really strange because it was just like we used to be very consistent and like in meeting up and chatting all the time and stuff like that.

Once sock happened, I think everyone just kind of went into the bubble and was just a bit like oh, like I don't know.

And then to see everyone back in a big room together again, it was just like mad, was.

It nice or was it weird? Or like how do you? I mean, I suppose the key thing is like being forced to communicate in a different way.

It was really nice, but it was also like we so much to catch up on and also like everyone's got the same stuff to catch you out.

I mean, it was weird, but it was so lovely. It was just kind of that thing as well.

I think of like when we were like saying goodbye and stuff, I was like, jeez, you might see them get for like another while.

Now.

That was weird, but sure, yeah, just different times.

I'm glad we're doing the stuff we're doing now because luckily we in the last year I think it was or this start of this year, we were making the tape together and we spent weeks on end in the same room together and then lockdown have and obviously we didn't teach other at all, So it was just it was nice and almost like really lucky that we had that time.

Are you want of these people that's kind of hung on every detail and like update about what's been going on? Or at the other end of the spectrum, it's easy to wake up in the morning, open your phone and just feel completely depressed about the state of things, and therefore some people would take the opportunity to just distance themselves from just like, you know what, I need to give myself a break from all this. Where do you lie on the spectrum normally?

I mean I think for a while it was very much like ignoring it all and being like, nope, I'm just going to like pretend like this is what I want to do and it's a holiday, but it's not. That's a fucking that's a very lucky Breek for me

Final question on that, hopefully this might have an optimistic answer,

It depends obviously in case to case a person and how they're like going through it. I think jobs are something people have really like been speaking about recently, Like even trying to get a pub job.

Now there's like a huge queue of people trying to do that.

It's still a pub in the family, is your because your parents ran a pub? Yeah, yeah, they still got a pub.

They've got a hostel and they've like they still live over a pub. But yeah, positively though, there definitely has been like I don't know, I think a room for conversation and stuff that maybe hadn't happened before on such a wide scale, like when it comes to BLM and like just a load of conversation even between like mental health and everything else as well. So I think in a positive way, like people have had more open conversations

So it's been nice.

So the first time we met, already mentioned it was like three years ago. You were just starting out. You've been working on material that ended up being on the W what's happened since then? You've released three p's you mentioned it a minute ago, like you've had a chance to kind of reflect recently on just some of the stuff that's been happening. But just taught me through a few of the highlights have been since that period. Like you know, at that point, I don't think you'd even

Live shows when it comes to mind, there was one we did in Barcelona that was insane and that was really really cool to see how many people came out for that. And I think as well, I've been really lucky with the people that worked it for my band as well. They're just incredible musicians as well as great friends. So the way that that panned out was great, and yeah, it's just been a really really fast and incredible time.

At that point, we were talking about tracks like Vice City, the early material. At that point, did you already have were you thinking I want to release almost like a trilogy of EPs? You already knew that I didn't.

I don't think I did it exactly the way I wanted to do it, okay, because individually, the way that I was going to do it was there's going to be different names for the characters in each of them, not the characters, but the people, the person who it was about whatever, And the way visually I wanted to

Twenty twenties obviously wiped out most people's plans and affected schedules and stuff. Were you at the point where you were starting to think about a debut album or what was what was the project you were working on when things kind of got paused?

To be fair, actually I was only doing kind of like I've just been working on music and music and music to the point now where I'm kind of like, I don't know, Like before I lockdown, I was in studio constantly, and I feel like I've just got this big bucket of tunes, and I think at that point, you kind of the more you add on to it,

I was going to say, because if you had a really firm vision for like how the trilogy of EPs went and each dealt with a different character a different period, like when it comes to an album, like a traditional album would be like I know, twelve fifteen tracks or something. So in your mind, do you think were you to create an album you'd like chapterize it, would there be

So I've got definitely like the idea of the world that I wanted to be in and the way that it looks, in the way that it feels, And I think it's almost just a mature version of myself and a lot more kind of I don't know, allowing myself to be less like how.

Do I heard it?

It's more kind of just like the darker but also sometimes more exciting parts of going into adulthood and the experience is and that I mean, it's still being written, but I feel like hopefully it'll write itself when I know about like I can feel where I want it to go.

With the live aspect of things kind of pretty much just paused for the moment. Who knows when that will come back. Do you feel I know some artists were like, I'm just going to wait, like it doesn't feel like the right moment to be releasing music, and it feels like things have sort of moved on from that, and it's lots of people just want to put music out

I think so.

I think there's a lot of a lot of tunes I'm sitting on that I feel like if I don't release them, I just like the past, it.

Then just becomes history otherwise, and it's kind of like time's not right for that, like it goes into the sort of the holding area or it just sits on the hard drive forever sort of thing.

Yeah, I mean there's so many tracks like even though I really that I've made within the time of like when we first met, and none of them will lover come out on it because like they've had their do you know what I mean, They've had their time even past it. So it's like I don't know, but these ones, I feel like I'd love to love to have them released this year.

But yeah, the first conversation we ever had, I sat with kind of amazement as we talked about all the different variety of like jobs and things that you've done. And the thing that keeps always popping up in every interview or thing that I've seen with you since is like the whole poker dealer thing.

Yeah, it's weird recently as well.

Really fascinating. I mean, you did a variety of jobs kind of growing up, from working at your parents are out in Spain, through to being a poker dealer in London, through to you went to beer school, right, did you to be a school? Is that when you're in London?

That was?

What was that experience? Like? Did you is that like an interesting kind of way to follow up on or what it was?

It was cool.

I mean it was just kind of I think I was a bit young, so I was just like, we're just getting pizzed.

It's cool. But it was just a week. It was like an induction.

Day for what do they call the draft house, so working for them and they were starting off like this new opening up, this new.

Branch, so they were like, oh, well, we'll just take.

You through like wine tasting and beer tasting everything else, so you get to learn about it.

Before you start. It was really cool though, really interesting.

I mean, I feel like I'm still an Amstoll girl at the end of it, but it's really like cool to note and to know about different beers and stuff.

I suppose one thing that has happened is in a bid to kind of take care of myself during lockdown, is it got big into low alcohol and alcohol beer. Oh, that's so good and it's good. Like the variety is pretty decent now, but they're not they're not rible.

No, it's it's really good Portuguese. You should try.

Okay, what's it called it something?

It's sad grease. Yeah, cool, it's so good for you.

Yeah, I think we should do the big pig no alcohol beer merch line.

That would be sick.

I reckon it was. I don't, but I'm quite you know what, Like it is there's there's a business that is growing like during lockdown, Like I think that's like more people have yeah, and it's it's big. It's big business. Like it seems like all those breweries are suddenly like rushing to try and create ranges of like no alcohol.

Yeah, because it used to not be any really like one or two, but not many, Like it's really difficult to go on the bob and find one that has.

It's still quite difficult. Pubs are still tricky, like they don't tend to have much of a off. I think it will become like quite a big thing. A little while ago we so with Loud and Quiet and the magazine that we make. My colleagues, you came to visit you and that you're flat down in Peckham at that point, and I think you did a tarot reading for it. Oh yeah, are you still doing that?

No?

No, no, I actually I didn't lose them. They just disappeared, and I felt like it was a sign that I should stop.

They were like, stop messing up people's lives, just leave it alone.

I was like, Okay, did they get lost in like a move or something, and he was like, yeah.

Well kind of.

And then like I thought, I put them in a bag. I opened it up and they weren't there, and I was like, but yeah, I'm still really into them and stuff. I just don't think i'm the right person to be probably to be to be using them, right, Yeah, I'm also really like superstitious and quite like scared of spirits and stuff as well. So I'm just but like maybe I shouldn't be playing with this. But yeah, I can't remember what he said for his actually.

I'm not sure. The other day I saw a video there where you'd gone to like Joey Crooks's house. Oh yeah, cooking dinner YouTube video interview thing and and you did joys reading then, and yeah, I mean I'm quite interested in it, but did you feel Yeah, why do you why do you think you were like attracted to it in the first place?

I think what the thing thing is the reason I got the cards because your man next door we live too, he just brought them over and he was like like left the monitor step and we're like what, And his wife came over she was like, yeah, I mean it's good luck. If you give us a penny, then you can just start using mys like sick. So then I looked into it and there was like a lot of that, and yeah, I've always loved like readings and like the idea of I don't know, with Taro, especially like it's

Can you do your own tart reading? Because I've never done it? So could you? Was it always in conversation with somebody else or was it something you could.

Just know you could do for yourself as well?

But you're not supposed to do it more than like once every three months and then for yourself or something like that, just because you could drive yourself mad.

I think, yeah, right, just end up with all these different pathways.

I supposed to be going.

Yeah, did you do readings with because you were like big into it for a while.

Yeah, I did readings for someone ie ate Leban and Nyana for them?

Who else? Do I do it for my housemates? My manager?

That was really weird that was like he got really freaked out and he was like, oh, I don't know, and he was like, actually, I wish you didn't do that.

That's really like.

Quite I really hope like prosperity came out of that way. All of our fortunes are based on this.

We're gonna make.

Yeah, it's funny, but yeah, some of them really really hit hard and really hit like really hit home with a lot of people. I feel like I do think that like energy did definitely a thing, and I think I think there's definitely stuff that we can't control with like how things pan out and high powers and stuff like that. But yeah, that was an intense one with him.

I can just imagine you, like at a festival, going around like the backstage area doing it with like different eyes, freaking people out.

But originally there was actually an I did to do a podcast for people, I'm like to do that, and I was actually, actually, you know what I'm asking a lot. If someone asks to like come onto that and suddenly like, yeah, tell me about all your trauma, that would be horrible.

Yeah, So I didn't end up doing that.

In the end. In the last three years, like the journey for you is kind of built and built, and like you've discovered kind of new fans and different artists and you know you've been asked before, like Billie Eilish has said that she's a fan of your work or enjoyed a couple of tracks. Yeah, how was that felt finding people already with large audiences discovering your stuff and I guess kind of probably sending some new fans in your direction as it felt like that.

I felt really cool.

I feel like it's the thing the reach that you forget about how far music can get to and how many people are kind of reaches and it's just like it's a bit of reality check where you're like, oh, that's mad that I made this, And especially with things like my old tunes, where I'm like, oh, literally made this in Lloyd's bedroom and suddenly like someone on the other side of the planet, I don't know, with like a lot of stuff going on, like it's just bumping

But yeah, it's been really cool.

And then with the audience and stuff, it's grown I think a lot in the last couple of years, and it's definitely there's definitely a lot to be to be said for people at that sharing it and everything else. It's been really cool, really grateful for him.

And how do you feel about like kind of nurturing that as in you mentioned right at the top, doing things like the bedtime stories and the Spanish lessons during lockdown, Like do you see like having a fan base, a growing fan base is something you need to like strengthen the bond and constantly have like an open dialogue like what's your relationship like to having a fan base?

Yeah, well, sometimes it's very like you pick your moments where you're like, oh, maybe do you know what come on in and like whatever else, Like even there was some living over here, just little things of like what

In case anything happens.

No, but it was grand. There was just like showing people around the house and.

Just yeah, like some days you like having fun with it and some days it's like no, it's.

Not yeah yeah, or some days I want to just close it.

And I also feel like I can be quite impulsive with it sometimes where I'm just like end up I don't know. There's a couple times where I end up getting drunk and I was just like, instead of drunk calling friends, I just like drunk, go on like Instagram Live, start talking to people, and I was like, this is not healthy, you know what I mean? So yeah, I think it's just trying to work out.

Come on board. Stacy from Australia, how are you, babe?

Yeah? Do you want to see look at my like I'll.

Just see what's in the fridge?

Yeah, nothing, your love life, Like it's just you know what. So yeah, I think there's definitely a need to.

There's the other podcast idea. If you don't do like tarot readings, it could be that drunk calling Big Pig.

Oh Jesus Christ, that'd be awful, not alcoholic bears and drunk on our coolo bears.

Yeah, yeah, it's been interesting.

One thing, like I was reading back, like when when we reading back some of the stuff we talked about when when we first met, and there was something that jumped out to me, like a quote something you said to me that I thought it was really interesting that said, I feel like with every job that I do, it's important to learn something new. And if you're not learning something new, then you're not going to feel happy about

I think I've learned a lot about what I hold dear and what I hope close just from like the amount of writing that I do now. It's just let me kind of understand myself so much more, and like the way that I deal with relationships and everything else, it's just like self there, Well, that's not true, don't do that, because that's not a real thing self therapy. It is not a thing, but yeah, it is really therapeutic.

Like I think as well.

I mean, I went through a lot of changes with the last two or three years, I don't know, in moving around and fallout and all that, and.

I don't know, I feel like it's really taught me. I don't know.

Music has genuinely been such a savior for me in so many ways, even with the people that I've met through it when it comes to like Eva Love and Lloyd and nine eight, and I don't know, it's that thing that I'm just so lucky to have where if anything ever happens, we've just got each other. We've got that bond. It's just unbreakable. So it's just I don't know, I owe a lot to it. As for the musical

You know, life's too short, so.

Be patient with yourself. And the power of friendship through music has been a saving grace.

Yea literally that

Anyway, good Night,