Interviews: Hospital Radio

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Midwest Emo band, Hospital Radio, from England. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name?

The idea for Hospital Radio. came from all of our connections to the NHS at the time of forming the band! Our vocalist and bassist (Mike) was working as a carer, and his partner is a nurse, while our guitarist (Russo) was about to start his nursing training. Our drummer (Curtis) was a manager in the NHS, and our other guitarist (José, who has since left the band) was about to have a baby for the first time. The name kind of fell into place for all of us in a different way! Another reason for the name was that we thought it would be funny to suggest the songs that we write and play won’t be very popular and aren’t going to be played on any platform other than a Hospital Radio. Additionally, Russo loves the name since his favourite person in the entire world, Karl Pilkington, started his career as a DJ on Hospital Radio!

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

We like to think that we bring a load of other genres into our sound, with Midwest Emo being the overarching sound. Russo is obsessed with twinkly Midwest Emo guitars and takes inspiration from bands like American Football, Hot Mulligan and Free Throw. We like to think the difference between us and a pop-punk band or alt band is the twinkly guitars that push us right in the thick of Midwest Emo. Also, Mike is our main lyric writer and likes to write about emotional topics such as family loss and mental health. There’s no better music to place this into than a subgenre of Emo, and it just fits into our vibe as a band really well.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

No, actually, we didn’t! Russo went to a random party one night in Manchester and met Jos,é who said he wanted to start a pop-punk band. We started writing songs in his bedroom, but needed some extra members to sing, play bass and play the drums. We put an ad on Facebook, and Mike and Curtis responded. After that, we all just got on like a house on fire and have been close mates ever since. It's absolutely mad meeting two of your closest mates from Facebook, and it's crazy how one small moment like going to a party can have such a massive butterfly effect!

4. Each band member's favourite band?

We all have such different tastes in music and have amalgamated them all together to get what you hear in our music today! Russo is a pure Midwestern Emo kid, and his favourite bands are Arm’s Length, Free Frow and Hot Mulligan. Mike loves hardcore and Midwest Emo, and his favourite bands are Comeback Kid, Free Throw and Every Time I Die. Curtis is a basic indie boy and loves Oasis (also very much likes Free Throw).

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Mike tends to bring fully or partially formed concepts to the band, usually from something that has happened in his life and caused him to feel a lot of intense emotions. Russo and Curtis will then add the beats and melodies and iron out the structure, with random bits of inspiration for instrumentals hitting us at all times of the writing process.

6. Where was your last gig?

Our last gig was at the Eagle Inn in Manchester, where we celebrated L.A.'s release, and it is probably our favourite gig so far as a band! We felt like we had built up some big momentum from the last few months, where we had played loads of gigs and felt we had clicked as a three-piece. We were so gassed to support incredible local artists such as Campfire Social, The Latchkey Kids and When Suddenly. All those guys are so talented, and they all killed it with their sound! John, the sound guy, is also the biggest legend we have ever worked with for a show, and he made all four bands sound insane.

7. Where would you like to play next year?

I mean, if we’re being extremely ambitious, it is the band’s collective dream to play Slam Dunk! Russo has been to every Slam Dunk since 2013 and has seen some legends of the genre on those stages (Arm’s Length, Hot Mulligan, Free Throw and Tiny Moving Parts). If anyone involved with festival booking is reading this, you know where to find us… A more realistic goal would be to play Night and Day Café in Manchester. We would love to play our first headline show there and know how much of an iconic music venue it is in Manchester!

8. Whom would you like to feature in a release with?

This is meant to be a secret, but we are currently recording a split EP with a local Midwest Emo band in our scene. Anyone who knows our band will be able to identify who the band is, so I guess this is kind of an exclusive announcement!! We will be writing two songs each and featuring on sections across each of the 4 songs. Hopefully, this will be out by summer 2026.

9. Ambitions for 2026?

Keep on gigging, play a headline show, release an EP! They’re our main goals for 202,6, and we really think they are achievable. We're also always looking for local artists to work with and new places to play. We would love to start a mini UK tour and discover some cool new places across the country.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Curtis said he was fine and not nervous in the build-up to our first gig, but panicked his way through the set. Funnily enough, Russo was absolutely bricking it for weeks but felt absolutely calm up on stage and had the best first gig he could have imagined! Mike has on-and-off and off stage-fright, so it varies from gig to gig. We do try and have a pre-gig huddle before we play, just to check in and make sure we are all good - if not, we pull each other into the right headspace ready. There was one gig where the band before us had overplayed their time, which meant we could only play half of our set, and Mike gave the most uplifting team talk to us, and we went on stage and played the best gig of our lives! Sometimes you just need someone to take control of the situation and let everyone else know everything is okay. Our first gig was in a different country, so it kind of took the pressure off us. Yes, it was Wales, but we can call ourselves an internationally touring band! We knew that if we messed up on stage, nobody would see us ever again, which really made us feel more settled. We know this isn’t a practical solution to everyone’s gig worries, so we also think it is important to properly prepare for your first few gigs and really practise what you will be doing on stage. Also, knowing that you are on stage with your best mates and you are all going through the experience together really bonds you as a band, and in a few gigs' time you’ll be feeling so calm and relaxed on stage. The nerves are still there, but we really think that’s what makes you human and pushes you to play a class show!

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

As a band, there is one key inspiration that all three of us like to take influence from, and they are Arms’ Length. We have been influenced by breakdowns, drum parts, vocal lines and rhythm guitar sections from their debut album ‘Never Before Seen, Never Again Found’. Similarly, a lot of Russo’s lead lines come from learning songs by Hot Mulligan, Free Throw, American Football and Tiny Moving Parts. Mike is our sound engineer and managed to sneak in on a night out with Free Throw after their gig at Rebellion in July. Mike and Justin Castro chatted all night about amps and bass gear choices. Hopefully, this didn’t leave a lasting impression!

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

A guy came up to Curtis after a gig and paid him a tenner for a signed drumstick out of the blue… That was our first (and only) time we’ve been asked to sign something! Another time, Russo broke a pic mid-set and threw it into the crowd because someone was shouting for it.

13. What do you think of your fans?

We have fans?!?!...

We do have a lot of friends who come down to see us pretty much every single gig, and we can’t thank them enough for their incredible support. Seeing people singing your lyrics back to you in the crowd gives us so much energy on stage and really makes gigging so special. We also have a lovely little North West Emo band family, with bands like Gambling With Dogs, Snorkelling and When Suddenly coming down to most of our shows to support us. We have also played a lot of gigs with them and appreciate them sticking around to watch our set after they finish!