With Cardiff indie rockers The Malakites making a name for themselves within the city’s concentrated landscape, Emma Way found there was no better time than a Monday afternoon to talk about U2, drummer Ashley’s cooking skills and new single Morning After.
You’ve got some headline shows coming up in March and April, so who are you watching live videos of? Who would you like to channel on stage?
Dan Rizzo (bass): I’d probably copy Jean-Jacques Burnel from The Stranglers. I’ve watched a lot of their gigs.
Thibault Segrott (guitar): Probably Mick Taylor, second guitarist for The Rolling Stones. He doesn’t really move about much. He gets his head down and plays lead at the same time as vocals.
Ashley Smith (drums): As a drummer, there’s not much you can do on stage to channel anyone, but I quite like the vibe of Charlie Wayne from Black Country, New Road. He smiles all the time onstage and looks like he’s having a good time.
What are your favourite gigs ever?
Jacob Webber (vocals/guitar): U2. I saw them in year 7 at school, at the O2 Arena.
Dan: Idles in Cardiff Motorpoint.
Thibault: Catfish & The Bottlemen in Swansea. Good day out, good music.
Ashley: Probably Jpegmafia when I saw him at the Tramshed. Black Midi were really good when I saw them. Viagra Boys at Green Man.
I gather Jacob measures himself against U2 a lot?
Jacob: They’re the reason why I’m in this band. I started picking up the guitar years ago and then I was obsessed with U2 and forced Thibault into listening to them.
Ashley Smith: My stepdad sort of followed U2 around the world – Germany, Holland… all around to see them.
Jacob Webber: U2 is definitely a band I look up to, I definitely got a massive influence from them, in both songwriting and also my voice as well. I try to copy…
What was the basic premise behind your most recent single Morning After?
Jacob Webber: It changes. Sometimes I write a song and there’s not much of a meaning behind it; it could be one line, or one certain verse that has meaning, and the rest will be what goes with it and what rhymes. I wrote that song in October 2020 – I was definitely seeing someone back then and stuff didn’t really go well. It was such a long time ago, it just changes over time. Everyone thinks it’s about a night out but it’s not really.
Dan Rizzo: It’s more about how people who listen to interpret it, it means whatever they want it to mean to them.
Jacob Webber: I think it’s about new beginnings and starting off fresh and moving forward. That’s the way I like to look at it.
Do you draw your lyrical inspirations from personal situations a lot?
Jacob Webber: Yeah, 100%. That’s why I don’t really like speaking about them to be fair. I don’t really speak about them, I just put them in the lyrics and people can make up whatever they think the lyrics are about. I like when people just figure them out themselves. It lets people’s minds go wild. That’s why I do the songwriting.
If your band went on Come Dine With Me who’d win the cash prize?
Jacob: Ashley’s a chef!
Ashley: Even if I wasn’t, I think I’d win purely off the entertainment factor that I could provide.
Jacob: I’d make a great host I think.
Dan: You’d get a karaoke machine and make us all sing U2 songs.

Outside the band, is there anything you’re good at personally that no one else knows about?
Dan: I used to be really good at trumpet. I stopped doing that in lockdown.
Ashley: Making folded bread.
Thibault: I speak three languages.
Jacob: I’m the only member of the band that can only speak one language.
So what have you got coming up this year?
Jacob: We’ve been busy with stuff in our personal lives [this month] so we’ll probably have to jump back to recording after the tour. We’ve all got loads of ideas, we never stop writing. Before it was just me writing songs, now all of us write, putting in ideas. There’ll be a song or two released before the end of the year, we’ll definitely get more tunes out.
The Malakites, Bunkhouse, Swansea, Thurs 2 Mar.
Tickets: £8. Info: here
Morning After is out now on the usual streaming platforms.
Info: Linktree
words EMMA WAY
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