Midnight Rodeo on “Chaos Period” | Underneath the Radar

Midnight Rodeo on “Chaos Period”

Hotly-tipped Nottingham outfit focus on their debut album which got here out as we speak (Friday eleventh July)

Jul 10, 2025
Net Unique

By Dom Gourlay
Images by Jack Stoddart

Nottingham’s music scene is at its most vibrant proper now, and one of many bands main the way in which is Midnight Rodeo. Having shaped simply over three years in the past, Underneath the Radar noticed their very first present in 2022 and knew we have been onto one thing again then.

Having signed to extremely revered impartial label Fats Cat Information and launched their debut single just a few months later (“Now You’re Gone/Shootout Sunday”) to a wave of vital acclaim then adopted it up with the equally properly acquired “The Large Soften” and “Thank You For Your Time”, Midnight Rodeo’s lengthy awaited debut album is lastly upon us.

Drawing influences from Sixties psychedelia, Nineteen Seventies folks and pop plus equally tuned in trendy influences alongside the way in which, the five-piece – Maddy Chamberlain (vocals), Jim McBride (guitar), Sam Potts (keys), Harry Taylor (bass) and Ferg Moran (drums) – Chaos Period is the results of two years exhausting work whereas serving as an elegantly crafted doc of the band’s earliest forays into writing and recording.

With the promise of even greater and higher issues to come back sooner or later, Underneath the Radar sat down with Maddy Chamberlain and Jim McBride to speak about Chaos Period, the band’s origins and what’s coming subsequent for Midnight Rodeo.

Dom Gourlay (Underneath the Radar): Midnight Rodeo’s debut album Chaos Period comes out as we speak (Friday 11th July). Was it a protracted course of from begin to end?

Maddy Chamberlain: Making an album was on our agenda fairly quickly after submitting our preliminary demos (“Shootout Sunday” and “Now You’re Gone”) to Fats Cat. As soon as Fats Cat heard the demos they wished us to work collectively, put out the primary couple of singles after which determined we should always work in the direction of making an album. That was actually refreshing as a result of plenty of labels simply need their artists to file plenty of singles and EPs relatively than an album, which comes a lot afterward. Whereas Fats Cat wished us to work in the direction of an album immediately.

Jim McBride: I additionally suppose as a result of plenty of our influences are albums from the sixties and seventies and the album format can be making a resurgence now as properly, it suits into what we’re about extra than simply constructing momentum by way of a bunch of singles. We’d like twelve or 13 tracks for individuals to get who we’re relatively than three minutes. We’ve got such quite a lot of types and influences throughout all of our songs that they must be launched in a protracted format so we are able to painting ourselves and what we’re about.

When did you begin engaged on the album?

Maddy Chamberlain: It was ages in the past wasn’t it? Probably two years…

Jim McBride: It was almost two years in the past, yeah. There’s songs on the album – or no less than embryos of them – which were round a really very long time. It was simply earlier than October 2023 that the label booked us into the studio and stated you’re going to Wales for 10 days to file an album.

Maddy Chamberlain: We went to a Mill in Wales that Phil (Sales space) from JT Soar really helpful and spent 3 to 4 days there simply writing. We wanted to go someplace there have been no pubs round so we actually simply shut ourselves away and wrote for 4 days.

Jim McBride: Then we truly discovered a pub simply across the nook on the final day!

Maddy Chamberlain: We did a lot of the writing for the album there and found out what we wished to do, then simply constructed on that over the next 12 months earlier than we went into file in Wales once more with Franklin (Mockett).

Jim McBride: We’ve had just a few writing retreats the place we’d actually lock ourselves away in our house for 3 days. That occurred just a few instances over the summer season. The writing classes will be fairly intense at instances however I believe that’s once we’re at our best.

How does the writing course of work, making an allowance for there’s 5 individuals within the band? Do you all carry one thing to the combination?

Maddy Chamberlain: We do all carry one thing to the combination. All of us have our personal concepts and generally you simply should let individuals have theirs. When there’s 5 individuals pitching concepts it’s important to be taught in a short time the right way to compromise.

Jim McBride: There’s some songs that begin with certainly one of my guitar riffs, others that begin with certainly one of Harry’s (Taylor) bass riffs. Loads truly come from Ferg (Moran) the drummer. Then it’s fairly a Dadaistic course of the place we’ll search for a melody then write a conventional sounding, nearly surfy music. Rip that aside then add a cowbell and drum beat and finally change it utterly. That’s how most of our songs are likely to emerge.

Maddy Chamberlain: Everybody writes their very own particular person elements so that everybody is efficient from the beginning. There isn’t one person who writes all of the elements for everybody else. Everybody writes their very own bits, which is what we like.

Jim McBride: We’re not a backing band for anybody. Midnight Rodeo is only a collective car for the 5 of us.

That are the oldest songs on the album? Did the tracklisting change over time?

Maddy Chamberlain: We had far more songs we wished to placed on there. It might have simply been fifteen or sixteen tracks. We did file greater than what’s on there, however we needed to condense it down into what labored as an album.

Jim McBride: “Unusual Eyes” might be the oldest music on the album. That or “Buggin’ Out”.

Maddy Chamberlain: “Buggin’ Out” is Alex from our file label’s favorite music. It’s certainly one of my favourites as properly however it’s additionally one of many bizarre and creepiest songs we’ve ever written. That’s certainly one of our oldest songs however we simply couldn’t not put it on there.

Jim McBride: In direction of the top of the recording course of all of us obtained a bit drunk so put some bizarre laughter tracks on there as a reference to Their Satanic Majesties Request. “Dixon” was written across the similar time as “Buggin’ Out”.

Maddy Chamberlain: We’d been taking part in “Dixon” within the stay set a very long time earlier than we recorded it, however then there’s different songs on the album that have been solely written just a few months earlier than going into the studio.

Jim McBride: A few of the chord progressions and melodies got here early on as properly, however I by no means thought they’d grow to be precise songs. I bear in mind the primary time we performed “Dixon” stay it was very completely different to the way it finally turned out. We ended up altering it just a few instances down the road earlier than it was recorded.

Franklin Mockett (Samana) produced the album. How did he turn out to be concerned? What did he carry to the method?

Jim McBride: We have been launched to Franklin by way of Fats Cat. They’d labored with him earlier than, and knew the placement being distant within the Welsh countryside can be best for us. So, we went away for 10 days final summer season in the course of a heatwave. On the primary evening, Franklin introduced spherical some selfmade honeysuckle champagne for us to share, then we went into the studio to have a look at the tools he was utilizing. Our sound is our stay sound and Franklin wished to seize that in probably the most analogue means attainable. There’s valves everywhere in the cabinets and House Echoes in all places. He knew what we wished to sound like and the right way to obtain that greater than we did. There have been no excessive loopy plug-ins. It was all fairly uncooked and about how he created such a pleasant, comfy, vibey setting for us.

Maddy Chamberlain: It was very relaxed and Franklin was very supportive. The label most likely knew we wanted that and he was so constructive and chilled out about the whole lot.

Jim McBride: Additionally, he’s a wizard within the studio. I’ve no concept how he does what he does however he knew what to do immediately, and he was giving us references that we didn’t know on the time.

Being signed to Fats Cat who launched the careers of Sigur Ros, Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Unhappy amongst others, is there a stage of expectation put upon Midnight Rodeo to observe swimsuit in the same means? Is that fairly a frightening prospect?

Maddy Chamberlain: It’s not one thing we’ve ever actually talked about. Everybody hopes the album will do in addition to it might probably do, however from speaking to different individuals on the label there’s all the time been an understanding that it doesn’t essentially occur instantly, particularly with our form of music. It may not be the preferred within the charts on the minute, however those that do prefer it are those that can actually put money into vinyl and have been following us for years, and I believe that’s how Fats Cat views the label as properly. A few of their artists have recorded 4 albums earlier than they began to do properly in order that made us really feel fairly relaxed concerning the band not having to explode after the primary couple of singles. Our music isn’t probably the most accessible to everybody. We make bizarre music for bizarre individuals!

Jim McBride: That’s why we like being on Fats Cat. They’ve by no means requested us to vary what we do. They’re all for inventive creativity. They’ve all the time inspired us to do what we do. That’s why they like us. We do what we get pleasure from and don’t wish to compromise our artistic integrity based mostly on a label wanting to enhance gross sales. Fats Cat have put their religion in us from day one so we have a good time that and hopefully it’s going to pay dividends for all events additional down the road.

That is likely one of the issues that defines Fats Cat in that relatively than having a definitive band or sound, their artists are fairly individualistic and don’t are likely to observe any particular fashion or style.

Maddy Chamberlain: Undoubtedly.

Jim McBride: I believe the identical factor will be utilized to Nottingham as properly, in that there isn’t anyone particular sound that represents the town. As an alternative, everybody is inspired to do their very own factor and so many bands have turn out to be superb at doing it.

Nottingham does appear to be having fun with probably the most vibrant and productive durations in its musical historical past. Why do you suppose that’s? Why now?

Maddy Chamberlain: I believe a few of it’s a retaliation in opposition to London.

Jim McBride: After lockdown I assumed there was somewhat little bit of a lull for the primary few months. However then trying again now, I believe plenty of artists used that point to essentially craft and hone their sounds as an alternative of simply speeding on the market. I bear in mind seeing Swallowtail for the primary time once they blew me away, and considering the place have these guys been hiding? However then that’s it. They’ve clearly been honing their sound to perfection earlier than taking part in in entrance of stay audiences which is why they sound so unbelievable. However then on the similar time, Nottingham can be so forgiving. Once we first went out taking part in reveals we have been a bit tough across the edges which is how we prefer to be, however we by no means obtained judged for that. Then individuals see us 2 years later and we’re fairly completely different. In plenty of cities you solely get one shot, whereas Nottingham celebrates relatively than tries to intimidate. One other factor Nottingham has is so many venues at entry stage. I do know we misplaced The Chameleon final 12 months however the metropolis nonetheless has The Grove, The Carousel, JT Soar, The Chapel, The Bodega, Billy Bootleggers. There’s so many.

Midnight Rodeo embark on their greatest ever headline tour in September and October, together with a hometown present at The Bodega and a few reveals in France. What can we count on from the setlists?

Maddy Chamberlain: We’ve probably not considered it but, however it is going to be centered across the album.

Jim McBride: We’re hoping to play most if not all the songs off the album on this tour so I believe it is going to be good to play a number of the newer ones that we haven’t performed but as properly.

Maddy Chamberlain: We’ve not performed all the album stay but, so it is going to be good to introduce these songs into the stay set.

Jim McBride: We prefer to hold it attention-grabbing once we play stay so have a tendency to vary the setlist most nights. We’re at the moment writing as properly so we’ll try to embrace no less than one new music within the set each evening. It’s a much bigger sound than what’s on this album so it offers individuals a style of the place we could be heading with the following file.

Maddy Chamberlain: It’s loads funkier as properly.

Do you see Midnight Rodeo extra as a stay band or a studio mission?

Maddy Chamberlain: I actually get pleasure from each however I positively see us extra as a stay band on the minute.

Jim McBride: Up up to now we’ve positively been extra of a stay band and that’s how we’ve honed our sound, however we’ve simply moved into a brand new house and are all fairly enthusiastic about writing another way that’s given us the liberty to bop round and have interaction extra with one another.

Maddy Chamberlain: There’s much more power once we play stay to what there’s recording within the studio.

The psychedelic rock scene – which Midnight Rodeo have been aligned with – has moved additional away from the mainstream in recent times and began to go underground once more. Do you see that as a constructive for bands like yourselves?

Jim McBride: I see it as a constructive, primarily as a result of though we get labelled “trendy psychedelia” regardless that I’m unsure how a lot we slot in with that scene. Lots of the music we love comes from that scene and we’re influenced by plenty of psychedelic bands however I believe our music is extra on the verge than being synonymous with that scene.

Maddy Chamberlain: I believe we’d be on much more pageant payments if we have been simply an indie pop band however that’s not what we wish to do. We see so many individuals alongside the way in which that appear like they aren’t having a superb time.

Jim McBride: For us, making music is all about pleasure and escapism and for those who’re not getting that I don’t actually see the purpose in doing it.

You’ve each been making music for the perfect a part of a decade in different bands in addition to Midnight Rodeo. What recommendation would you give to a musician or band that’s simply beginning out?

Maddy Chamberlain: All the time be humble. It makes such an enormous distinction. You meet so many individuals alongside the way in which and it prices completely nothing to be sort, whether or not its promoters, venues or individuals in different bands.

Jim McBride: Be sure you’re doing it for the appropriate causes and genuinely get pleasure from what you’re doing relatively than chasing some huge hope of success. Benefit from the course of of constructing and taking part in music to individuals, it doesn’t matter what stage you’re at.

Maddy Chamberlain: We’ve all the time stated if we weren’t having fun with it we’d cease.

What does the longer term maintain for Midnight Rodeo?

Maddy Chamberlain: After we end the tour we’ll be doing plenty of writing and dealing in the direction of the following album.

Jim McBride: We’ve additionally obtained plenty of reveals arising in 2026. We’re taking part in fairly just a few dates within the UK initially of the 12 months then Europe and hopefully the States, which is basically thrilling as it is going to be our first time. Fingers crossed we’ll be taking part in much more festivals subsequent 12 months as properly. Loads hinges on the album, so as soon as that’s out we are able to begin planning forward. It is going to be good to bridge the album with the brand new materials and street check within the new 12 months.

Maddy Chamberlain: Hopefully when individuals hear the album they’ll wish to come and watch us.

Chaos Period is out now on Fats Cat Information

For extra info on Midnight Rodeo go to their Bandcamp, Instagram and Fb pages.