Enter The Jungle

The first thing you notice about Tigers and Flies, whether it’s on the big stage at Academy 3 or at a table in a bustling 532, is that the Manchester-based five piece share a close bond. Their shared uniform of red shirt and white trousers (instantly identifiable to anyone who’s seen them before) is a symbol of this. They’ve been playing together for a long time, lead singer/guitarist Arthur, backing vocalist/bassist Eddie, and drummer/cowbell enthusiast Arvin all met at college. “I sat next to Arthur in history” Arvin told me, “And thought I’m gonna one day be in a band with that man”. And that dream was quickly fulfilled. They started gigging in Brighton as a three piece for a couple years before moving up to Manchester for university. However, Arthur is quick to clarify that it is in Manchester, when the brass and percussion section comprised of trumpeter Matteo and trombonist Risha both joined, that the true Tigers and Flies formed.

Arthur cites a big difference between the pre and post lock-down versions of the band. Being busy with first year and life had left the band in a state of flux. But with the restrictions of lock-down, and frankly nothing else better to do, the band came together to find some fun in the banal of 2021. “It wasn’t a conscious decision to make a lock-down album” Arvin tells me, it just started as them writing and playing songs they enjoyed playing. Nonetheless as the monotony of lock-down continued, the band just channeled their energy into something they knew they could do in a time full of uncertainty. This idea became an “extended EP”, Eddie chimes in to explain, and evidently, they just got a bit carried away on the extended part.

So, by the time lock-down was coming to an end, the band found themselves with an album worth of songs (some written before, some during) and went down to Rochester for a week to record it. “It was potentially one of the best weeks ever” Arthur says. Risha’s quick to express her dismay at the statement, as the album was recorded before she joined the band, however Arthur quickly promises that next time will be better with her presence. Matteo is in a similar boat, having only spent a day down there recording his parts, an exceptional turnaround on an album worth of songs. Nevertheless Eddie, Arvin and Arthur all look back at the beer and pasty filled week (They wanted me to shout out Tony Lorenzo’s fantastic pasties and their local pub in Rochester: The Cooper Arms) with fondness.

However, the band don’t feel beholden or obligated to their album ‘Among Everything Else’, even though they are unique in the Manchester student-band scene in having released one. With their most recent GABS headline set only containing four songs from their debut, the band’s focus is mainly on playing songs they enjoy. The newer songs naturally feel fresher, Matteo leans in to tell me, and are therefore more enjoyable to play, so they often rotate songs in and out of the set. This is evident in their relationship with ‘Ben’ one of the more popular and crowd-pleasing songs, which they decided to take a break from before their Freshly Squeezed headline (At which it made a triumphant return).

This attitude of fun first even appears in the way they write songs. Their process is geared around creating songs that they all enjoy, and then developing them further. “You know something’s good when everyone’s enjoying it” Arthur states, with the rest of the band echoing his sentiment.

Tigers and Flies are a band focussed on having fun with each other through music, and they carried this joy through their spectacular headline set at Academy 3. The set opened with a call and response cowbell jam from Arvin and Matteo, before sliding into a funky new track. From the moment they started playing, their passion for the songs became infectious, and it became hard not to want to move with them.

The world’s a jungle, and you can never be sure what’s waiting around the corner for you, Tigers and Flies know this, and they’re here to smell the flowers, see the sights and make good music. Whilst their talent and craft as a band are undeniable, each member is an extremely skilled musician, it’s this passion and attitude that really cements Tigers and Flies as a must-see band wherever they go next.