ROCKY NTI TO PLAY LIVE IN-STORE AT DR. MARTENS STORE ON THURSDAY
Singer-songwriter Rocky Nti launches his new EP on home territory this Thursday (Aug 7) night. The talent who has spread his sounds on tour with Wretch 32, and at festivals including Wireless and Pukkelpop, will go live with a date at the Dr Martens store in thecentre:mk
He said: “I'm entering a really cool chapter in my life and I think the music I'm making now is a reflection of that. “Life works in circles so I thought it would only be right to launch this new chapter in my hometown where it all began, and also with a brand that I feel speaks the same language that I speak and Dr. Martens are perfect in that sense.”
Ricky will be live in store – at 91 Silbury Avenue – from 7.15pm.
Admission is free.
Total MK asked Rocky to share his musical likes and influences with Total MK...
The song that first awakened your musical senses
One of the first songs that blew my mind into pieces was Chop Suey! by System Of A Down, everything about that song is crazy, feels like there’s a mosh pit happening inside your head. I remember being introduced to a lot of heavy music at that time in my life, a nine year old Rocky jumping on his bed listening to AC/DC and Blink 182 in his pjs.
Physical or digital - how do you take your music?
I download most of my music online, but I try and buy physical albums that I love or by artists that I’m into and want to support. I'm thinking about buying a vinyl player and vinyl albums, there’s something special about having an album that exists in the real world, the music feels more personal.
The first time you thought 'Music - this is the job for me’
Me and my dad had been praying about whether or not I should continue with university or move to London. I’d spent the summer in London working on music and was in two minds about what to do. Then one day, I woke up and just felt in my heart (not to sound super cheesy) that I needed to take the risk, leave university and give my everything if I wanted to make a career out of music.
Your best on stage memory…
There are too many to write down, but I’ll say that whenever people sing a song back to you onstage it’s one of the best feelings in the world. Whenever it happens, it makes me realise I'm affecting people, even if it’s in small way, I must be doing something right.
And the worst gig you've ever done
I think the worst gig I did was when I was younger and about 5 people were there, hopefully they never reveal their identity and we can pretend it never happened…
Which one song by another artist do you wish you'd have written
I wish I had written any and every Bon Iver song, especially Perth or Re: Stacks. I was working in the studio when a 50 second clip of Perth was released online, I listened and thought “this 50 seconds is better than anything I have ever written in my life”.
And one - by yourself - which holds special significance
All of my songs mean a lot to me, I write about my life, things that have happen to me or how I feel about a person, so they’re like snapshots of a moment in time. Depending on the day I’m playing them, one will tower over the others, I remember who I wrote the song about or how I felt and it drags me back in time.
If you could step into the shoes of another musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
I’d love to be Kanye West for a day, because I think it would be the funniest day ever. I’d scroll through his phonebook and prank call everyone, try and see how much havoc I could cause in 24 hours.
Are there any current musical influences that you might look to
A lot of bands that I’ve grown up listening to impact my music even if it’s subconsciously, like Foals, Coldplay, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Killers, Bloc Party. I love to see how they re-invent or develop their sound, I think it’s important to evolve, your music should be an extension of yourself and as you change, your music should too.
And any genre of music that you simply can't stand?
Heavy European techno music, the sort that shakes your bones and forces you into submission, really doesn’t need to exist.
Finally, tell us a little more about the new EP, and what people can expect from the in-store date
The new EP is the first time I’ve been able to create and present songs exactly how I wanted them to be, which is exciting! Sonically it’s going down a different road to the music that stood before, but it’s a road I've dreamt of going down since I began writing songs. People that come to the in-store Dr. Martens gig can expect good vibes, good people & hopefully good music. It’s going to be fun to play these new songs live!
Your best on stage memory…
There are too many to write down, but I’ll say that whenever people sing a song back to you onstage it’s one of the best feelings in the world. Whenever it happens, it makes me realise I'm affecting people, even if it’s in small way, I must be doing something right.
And the worst gig you've ever done
I think the worst gig I did was when I was younger and about 5 people were there, hopefully they never reveal their identity and we can pretend it never happened…
Which one song by another artist do you wish you'd have written
I wish I had written any and every Bon Iver song, especially Perth or Re: Stacks. I was working in the studio when a 50 second clip of Perth was released online, I listened and thought “this 50 seconds is better than anything I have ever written in my life”.
And one - by yourself - which holds special significance
All of my songs mean a lot to me, I write about my life, things that have happen to me or how I feel about a person, so they’re like snapshots of a moment in time. Depending on the day I’m playing them, one will tower over the others, I remember who I wrote the song about or how I felt and it drags me back in time.
If you could step into the shoes of another musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
I’d love to be Kanye West for a day, because I think it would be the funniest day ever. I’d scroll through his phonebook and prank call everyone, try and see how much havoc I could cause in 24 hours.
Are there any current musical influences that you might look to
A lot of bands that I’ve grown up listening to impact my music even if it’s subconsciously, like Foals, Coldplay, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Killers, Bloc Party. I love to see how they re-invent or develop their sound, I think it’s important to evolve, your music should be an extension of yourself and as you change, your music should too.
And any genre of music that you simply can't stand?
Heavy European techno music, the sort that shakes your bones and forces you into submission, really doesn’t need to exist.
Finally, tell us a little more about the new EP, and what people can expect from the in-store date
The new EP is the first time I’ve been able to create and present songs exactly how I wanted them to be, which is exciting! Sonically it’s going down a different road to the music that stood before, but it’s a road I've dreamt of going down since I began writing songs. People that come to the in-store Dr. Martens gig can expect good vibes, good people & hopefully good music. It’s going to be fun to play these new songs live!
