Squid: ‘It’s not a rock-star life – it’s a few warm beers and some Kettle crisps’

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We just want to follow ideas based on their musical merit rather than their stylistic merit,” says Anton Pearson, the band’s guitarist. Squid – who comprise Judge, Pearson, Nankivell, Leadbetter and Louis Borlase – began in Brighton less than five years ago as not much more than a “really bad” pseudo-jazz band. Judge recalls how they used to “try and stir up beef with the Black Midi guys by playing their cover of ‘Boom Boom Boom’ whenever we did soundcheck”. “Yeah, some people from secondary school will message me being like, ‘Oh my god, I saw your cover story!’” says Pearson.