Mad about ‘The Certs’ boys? You soon will be. Reading Indie Life heads to The Purple Turtle to find out more.
It is 3:00pm on a damp Sunday afternoon in Reading and The Purple Turtle is half full of young, guitar music-loving kids. The other half are supportive older relatives of the three local bands. What those very adequate acts don’t know, but soon will, is that the fourth band from the Guildford area are an absolute powerhouse.
Despite still being at college The Certs are very much the real deal. Their debut EP ‘Here Today Gone Tomorrow’ (out last September) has a few rough edges but showcases a huge amount of potential. Standout track ‘Controversial Kids’ reminds Reading Indie Life of the same, faux-shambolic, lightning-in-a-bottle energy and lyrics that made The Libertines so thrillingly captivating when they broke through. When you discover that all parts of the 5 EP tracks (guitar, drums and vocals) were laid down by Carter Elvis Robinson on his own, self-taught on all the instruments without any lessons, you realise you are in the presence of a somewhat precocious talent.
“They pulled up on bikes, had machetes and that. They started like, confronted me and my friends.”
Carter has since added George Brown on bass, Amos Burton on guitar and backing vocals and Archy Bratton on drums. During their live set it is abundantly clear that none of the others have turned up to make up the numbers. There is an intensity, control and craftmanship that massively belies their young years. Whilst the road to Indie recognition is littered with the remains of all the many decent bands who did not make it, the only question right now is when, not if, The Certs are going to break through.
Reading Indie Life: It is great to talk to you guys. How did you all come together?
Carter: Through college, really. Over the summer I did the EP by myself, but then coming to college I needed that band to start gigging. So, I first got Amos, then Archy, then George, then we just started rehearsing and got gigs.
RIL: Where does the name The Certs come from?
Carter: Music for me has been like a thing for pretty much all my life. So, I’ve always wanted a band and I was speaking to my Dad about ideas for it and he just said, “Use your name” and then my name is Carter Elvis Robinson. So, we had CER, just had The Certs really.
RIL: For someone who’s never seen your band before, how would you guys describe yourselves?
George: Raw energy.
Carter: Raw energy. Absolute raw energy.
Amos: What did I describe it as? So, we’re a rock band. I describe ourselves as indie punk, but I don’t want us to be (held to that).
Carter: Every time someone asks me this, I can’t really think of an actual genre to put us in. You know, we’re our own little sub-genre of rock. We’re our own Certs genre.
Amos: I feel like one of our songs…
Archy: We’re verging towards metal.
Carter, Amos and George: No, no, no!
Amos: I’m not saying that. I’m not saying that. I was going to go in about one of our songs is a bit heavier, but it’s definitely not metal. But people might see it. I don’t know how they’re going to take it. Some will like it, some will hate it.
George: It has aspects of a metal song, but it is not a metal song.
Amos: We will never go to the metal side of things, but it is a bit heavier. But we’ve got the other two songs. They sound like the EP and I feel like they’ll be really good.
Carter: I think another good way to describe us as is almost pop punk.
George: Less pop.
Carter: Less pop.
Amos: Pop, rock, punk.
Carter: Pop, rock, punk. Yeah (There is some collective sniggering over this).
“They wanted it being used in that new Bridget Jones film, Mad about the Boy. And it’s like an acoustic version of that first song I wrote.”
RIL: What are the influences on you guys?
Carter: When it comes to influences, I don’t really like… I don’t like to see it as influences because I, you know, for us, I want us to be as original as possible, like when writing music or performing. But I mean, there’s people we look up to, like Bad Nerves. Anyone else, you guys?
George: Green Day.
Carter: Foo Fighters.
Amos: Foo Fighters is a big one. Radiohead.
Carter: Radiohead. Yeah. Love Radiohead.
Archy: Royal Blood.
Carter: Royal Blood actually is a good one. Yeah.
Amos: Got a more modern sound though.
RIL: If you could support any band, who would be the number one pick?
George: Rush.
Amos: Mine is Wunderhorse.
George: Wunderhorse is a good shout.
Amos: They got really far, like really big, really fast the past year. I think supporting them would be mental.
Carter: For me, it’s either Bad Nerves or Green Day because Green Day are just massive, but Bad Nerves have that energy, and I’d just love to support that really.
Archy: I’m sort of the same as Carter, so probably Bad Nerves or like Royal Blood. Muse. Muse might be good.
Carter: Muse would be a good shout actually.
Amos: Muse, I would love.
Carter: I’m surprised you didn’t say Muse.
Amos: I didn’t say Muse because they’re not really our sort of stuff, you know what I mean? But supporting them would be so sick.
RIL: Have you been back in the studio since ‘Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?’
Carter: Yeah, we’ve got three singles like properly ready to lock in.
Amos: Yeah. We’ve got two of them we’ve got to record guitars, lead vocals. We’ve got all the drums down. They should be coming out in like the next month.
Carter: Yeah, the next month or two. I was going to say we’ve got one more which I need to just put together. But I’ve recently had a song, like one of the first songs I wrote. They wanted it being used in that new Bridget Jones film, Mad about the Boy. And it’s like an acoustic version of that first song I wrote. So, we just need to make it more like our version, more rock version, punk kind of thing. And I’m in the film like a split second. But yeah, they’re using one of my songs in it. So, we need to record, get a new version of it. It’s called ‘Turn Back’.
Archy: Make it more Certsy.
Carter: Yeah, we just make it Certsy. The film comes out on February 14th. So, I want the rock version to be out by latest end of this month.
Amos: We’ll get it done.
Carter: End of this month you’ll hear new Cert’s music.
RIL: I think we’ve all met a few controversial kids down by the river. Are there any particular ones you had in mind? Are you the controversial kids, or is it other people? What’s the story there?
Carter: The story of controversial kids. I mean, yeah, as the song says, I was literally just out with my mates in like a posh town and then. We were all chilling down by the river and all of a sudden this egg was thrown at us. It went all over my mate’s coat and we saw like these three little kids in balaclavas and coats running away. So we went and chased them and then they started crying. So we were like, oh, let’s not, let’s not. All of a sudden, a bunch of like, you know, I don’t know how old they were, 21 or something. They pulled up on bikes, had like machetes and that. They started like, confronted me and my friends. And then we just had like a really civil conversation, and we were just all right, you know, we don’t want to start anything. It’s not that deep, it’s an egg. So, then we all just walked away and that was that was how controversial kids happened really.
RIL: ‘Are you listening or watching another screen?’ is another lyric that stood out. This generation coming up is the one that’s had the most screens, the most devices all the time. Is it easier to connect or is it harder to connect with other people?
Carter: It’s much harder. It would have been much easier for us if it was like, you know, the 80s or something.
Archy: In a way it’s easier.
Carter: Well, I see what you mean. Like because social media basically dominates the world now. Like in a slim chance, we decide to properly tune in on TikTok and then like post something and it just blows up. Then that could be a way in. But like, that is like a one in a million. The reason I wrote that lyric was pretty much for my past relationships I’ve been in. Every time I’ve just been like trying to talk to them. Specifically, one of them I’ve been trying to have, like I was going through some stuff at the time and I just really needed someone to talk to. But every time I tried, she either just got on her phone or just changed the conversation.
RIL: Where do you think you will be in a year’s time?
Carter: Well, it’d be awesome if we can go out on the street and at least have one person come up to us and go, “Oh, it’s The Certs!”.
Amos: That would be ideal.
George: Will we be recognised in a years’ time?
Carter: I don’t know. In a year’s time…
Amos: it’s still hard to say.
George: I think it’s quite soon.
Amos: Yeah. Next week we’re going to be playing in the stadiums (Everyone laughs). But I honestly think I want to be just gigging. For this whole year, get as many gigs in and next year, (There is a brief discussion about monthly listener numbers) But honestly, monthly listeners don’t… For me, I play the music for myself. And I just, I love playing the music. However many monthly listeners we have. I just play because I love playing the music. And I don’t really care if we get big or not. I just care because I love playing music with my friends.
Carter: Awww.. That’s sweet.
Amos: That was really cringy (more laughing from the rest).
RIL: You seem to have picked up a few listeners in different places already.
Carter: The Limit, got to number 8 on Australian radio.
George: It was some Australian rock radio.
Archy: Yeah, it was the first week it was out as well.
RIL: Thankyou so much for taking the time to talk guys.
The performance does not disappoint. That raw energy is very evident, and it takes less than half a song to have fully grabbed the attention and appreciation of most people present. Carter bravely tries to raise it higher, with real frontman energy, but a lot of those present are definitely not Purple Turtle regulars. Put this display in front of an appreciative audience singing along to every word and it is going to make for a wild evening, much as in the new video for their track, ‘The Limit.’ Reading Indie Life will be paying very close attention to their next moves and eagerly awaiting new music.
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