Closed - Win An iPod Nano Thanks To Switches!!

Who are Switches?
We are Matt Bishop (vocals and guitar), Ollie Thomas (guitar and vocals), Max Tite (bass and glasses), Jimmy G (drums and poker face). We also need a fifth member who can sing and play keyboards, so if anyone fancies it please email us at joinswitches@hotmail.co.uk

How did you begin?
I wrote music before I could write letters, and have devoted my whole life so far to attempting to write the perfect song (I'm still trying). It was driving me mad and just as I was on the verge of going completely out of my tree, I met the rest of the band and they saved my bacon. They shared the load and we all put our energy into a being a band so here we are.

What are musical influences - current and past?
Bowie, Blur, Beach Boys, Weezer, Super Furry Animals, Vines, 10cc, Supergrass, The Cribs, The Rakes, Scissor Sisters and a gazillion others.

Describe your music?
We're like a heavy beach boys without the surfboards but with fat guitars and some friday night disco.

What is a Switches gig like for the audience?
They get to jump up and down, I throw moves, they throw drinks.

What's been the most exciting aspect of being in Switches so far?
Travelling the world, meeting passionate people and creating the music we always dreamed of making.

Where do you hope to take the band?
To the moon. I wanna go on for ever, evolving all the time, shedding skins like an enormous globetrotting musical snake.

What sets you apart from your musical peers?
We're hideously ambitious, and we're not afraid of a big tune.

Plans for the next year or so?
Release our album in April, tour the world, write a new album, work in America, love up a few supermodels, try not to fall off the stage, ruin our livers, you know, the usual.

What's your assessment of the current indie scene in the UK at the moment?
It's a bit overcrowded, there are so many bands, and many of them sound similar, but that being said, there's some amazing stuff too, like the Klaxons, the Rakes, Patrick Wolf, Muse, so overall it's pretty exciting.

Rollover the buttons above to enter the exclusive competition & downloads!

Who are Switches?
We are Matt Bishop (vocals and guitar), Ollie Thomas (guitar and vocals), Max Tite (bass and glasses), Jimmy G (drums and poker face). We also need a fifth member who can sing and play keyboards, so if anyone fancies it please email us at joinswitches@hotmail.co.uk

How did you begin?
I wrote music before I could write letters, and have devoted my whole life so far to attempting to write the perfect song (I'm still trying). It was driving me mad and just as I was on the verge of going completely out of my tree, I met the rest of the band and they saved my bacon. They shared the load and we all put our energy into a being a band so here we are.

What are musical influences - current and past?
Bowie, Blur, Beach Boys, Weezer, Super Furry Animals, Vines, 10cc, Supergrass, The Cribs, The Rakes, Scissor Sisters and a gazillion others.

Describe your music?
We're like a heavy beach boys without the surfboards but with fat guitars and some friday night disco.

What is a Switches gig like for the audience?
They get to jump up and down, I throw moves, they throw drinks.

What's been the most exciting aspect of being in Switches so far?
Travelling the world, meeting passionate people and creating the music we always dreamed of making.

Where do you hope to take the band?
To the moon. I wanna go on for ever, evolving all the time, shedding skins like an enormous globetrotting musical snake.

What sets you apart from your musical peers?
We're hideously ambitious, and we're not afraid of a big tune.

Plans for the next year or so?
Release our album in April, tour the world, write a new album, work in America, love up a few supermodels, try not to fall off the stage, ruin our livers, you know, the usual.

What's your assessment of the current indie scene in the UK at the moment?
It's a bit overcrowded, there are so many bands, and many of them sound similar, but that being said, there's some amazing stuff too, like the Klaxons, the Rakes, Patrick Wolf, Muse, so overall it's pretty exciting.

Rollover the buttons above to enter the exclusive competition & downloads!

So you want somewhere to store your MP3s and help save the world at the same time. Let Gigwise and Switches lend you a hand! We’ve teamed up with the Kent four piece to give you the chance to win a very exclusive prize – a limited edition 4GB Product (Red) iPod Nano. Bono will be proud of us!

The winner will also get a signed special edition gatefold vinyl set containing both versions of Switches latest single ‘Drama Queen’ which is out on January 29. Four runners up will also get the singed vinyl set!

All you need to do to get your hands on these extra special prizes is answer the question below and cross your fingers and toes.

The question is – Name Switches’ front man and songwriter?

1. Matt Vicar
2. Matt Bishop
3. Matt Cardinal

Ever since boys sang songs, they sang them about girls. Matt Bishop of Switches is no exception over the years he's written a fair few songs about women from his town, the corners of his mind or just lying around (the songs that is, and perhaps the girls too, who knows, you'll have to listen to find out).

So many in fact that they won't fit on the Switches album, so they band are going to release them for free. Gigwise has therefore teamed up with the band to offer one of these tracks, entitled ‘Maura, Maura (Need To Be Needed)’, for you to download.

All you need do is click here

In addition to the download Switches are encouraging any girls named any of the songs from the following list to send in a photo of themselves to the official band website which can be found here.

The songs are:
Emily Don't
Anna (The Girl In My Class)
Stephanie
Amanda
Maura, Maura (Need to be Needed)
Alicia W
Please Don't Rock Me Adrienne
Regina
Holly V
Noelle
Deniz

The band have also created their own podcast, you can download a teaser of it here or get the whole thing from here. Enjoy!