Words by Otis Hayes
Photography by Anya Rose
Blitz Playhouse are currently one of the most exciting upcoming acts producing sensational and genuine music which verges upon shoegaze and psychedelic rock, paired together with a slight whiff of gothic undertones (that is to name but a few genres the group touch upon). Hard to pin down, the band is dynamic and gripping, led by Bella Geiwald’s ethereal vocals which are often heard sprawling across layers of hypnotic guitar, driving bass and pulsating drums. Through their shared inspirations and collective vision the London based group create interesting worlds via their eclectic music for listeners to dive head first into and find themselves lost within. Having released their debut EP entitled ‘Behind The Veil’ in 2024 and with their debut album approaching upon the near horizon I had the pleasure of meeting with lead singer Bella Geiwald and guitarist Joe Wilkins for a friendly chat over a few pints.
Photo by Anya Rose
What is the inspiration behind the name Blitz Playhouse?
Geiwald: So we were in an arcade up North, I believe in Lancaster and there was this vintage dolls house filled with adult puppets, all the puppets were like shagging and up to no good and I said “oh look they are all getting blitzed in the playhouse” and it just kind of stuck. To us, I think it's kind of like a dream world where anything can happen.
How did you meet and come together as a band?
Wilkins: I used to busk around London for a good few years and I normally busked down Columbia Road Flower Market but on that day it was particularly packed full of people as well as buskers so I thought to myself, where am I gonna go? I decided on heading down to Brick Lane which I never normally did and just started playing, not long after I looked over and there was Bella sort of just perched up staring at me, honestly it felt like fate, as if she had been sent!
Geiwald: The rest is history, Joe was on the street playing his fucking heart out and we was both kind of like loners in a way, so after meeting we started opening ourselves up to playing live together and the rest of the band just kind of gravitated towards us after that.
Do you have any particular processes when it comes to creative writing and recording?
Wilkins: I tend to write on an acoustic guitar, I lock myself in a room and just come up with chord progressions before taking them to Bella. She would spend half the week at mine and I would go over to Bella’s for the other half where she was living at the time in Petticoat Lane. I would play a lot of guitar and Bella was always just able to latch on to something and come up with little melodies.
Geiwald: I think Joe always just had songs coming out of him and I was always writing, I have journals just full of words and lines so Joe’s guitar became a foundation for me. The songwriting was kind of easy to be fair, it just kind of fell out and if it's right, it's right, but we have also written so many shit songs.
Wilkins: I find it interesting that she say’s songs because I had chords and progressions, I had music but Bella had the words that turned them into songs. Also we say the songwriting is easy but then Bella will ask me to play that same part for like 40 minutes straight and though sometimes it just comes naturally it can also be frustrating, but it's a beautiful frustration as we work out the process and refine everything.
Geiwald: Joe also loves a melodic guitar and I try to match that, but for me I really want my songwriting to make sense, so sometimes when I pick a line from a different verse that I have written years before, I am like fuck it doesn’t make sense but it sounds good, I like to try to have a thread throughout my lyrics to link it all together!
We’ve heard your debut album is on the way, what have been some of the key inspirations music or otherwise which have inspired the album so far?
Geiwald: Joe loves Ennio Morricone and I love Echo & the Bunnymen, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Cocteau Twins, so I think it kind of just comes out from us both writing separately on our own and all of our influences mixing in the pot, it's not like we will it to be like something else. But I will say with our latest single ‘Ha Ha Ha’s’ Joe’s guitar riff was inspired by my Middle Eastern roots and it felt like we did something for the first time with a bit more thought behind it rather than just letting shit happen completely spontaneously.
Wilkins: I am also a massive The Doors fan as well and Bella grew up in California, so when I went out there and I was just walking round the streets I got really inspired by all the great psychedelia which came from over that way.
What are your favourite venues to play in London? And what do you like best about them?
Geiwald: The Windmill I think is fun.
Wilkins: The Windmill is good but I don’t know for me it feels a bit clicky, but once you get your foot in the door it is fun. I like venues with good sound and The Windmill does have good sound to be fair, The George Tavern also has a great sound. We also really love The Birds Nest in Deptford, we played a gig there not to long ago and we was nervous because they’re pretty hardcore and punk rock and we didn’t know if they would like us and didn’t want to fuck up.
Geiwald: I loved that place, Joe was literally bleeding on me and sweat was going everywhere and the crowd was wild. There was a candle on stage and everyone was crowded round it old and young, cramming in from all directions and getting heavily involved. We’ve also played a lot of more commercial and newer venues now around East London but it's more fun to play the older ones as they give you something to bounce off of and tend to be less sterile. It is really inspiring and feels authentic to be in a space where you know loads of creative people have performed and you can feel that in the older venues.
If you could get a support slot with any band, who would be the dream?
Wilkins: In terms of stepping stones I'd love to support Fontaines DC, I looked recently and Wunderhorse were supporting Fontaines and we supported Wunderhorse at Sebright Arms so you never know. I am also a massive The Libertines, Chili Peppers and Arctic monkeys fan but I guess for me most importantly is where I could see our music and our art being intertwined with others that could create a movement that we can be a part of.
Geiwald: I think if you're asking me the dream it would be Iggy Pop, he is the king and I’d love to be the queen coming on before him. I just love that he is so young and old at the same time, he is timeless!
Who are some of your favourite up and coming bands right now that you think deserve some recognition?
Geiwald: I would say Kyoto Kyoto, they are just something that you don’t hear often and when we heard them I just danced the entire night. I think they are pretty unknown, they're like in the scene but kind of behind the scene and are a really cool group.
Wilkins: There is a band from Liverpool called DBA and we played on the same bill as them at The Old Dispensary in Camberwell, I listened to their set and I was completely blown away. They were playing the next day at Dash The Henge and I got myself together and headed down severely hungover after an amazing night and went to see them there as well. They also asked us to headline a night at The Shacklewell Arms and we are all good friends now, so certainly check out DBA!
Finally, seeing as the year is coming to an end, do you have a favourite album from 2024?
Wilkins: I have to say I love what Fontaines are doing, I honestly wasn’t into the first couple of albums but ‘Skinty Fia’ really changed my mind, the production and sound they got on that record is immense and of course this years ‘Romance’ was a great follow up. I also loved The Smile’s latest album ‘Cutouts’.
Geiwald: I think Fat Dog with their debut album ‘Woof’, they are doing something where it's like spectacular nonsense but also has a lot of culture in it and actually speaks to people. After the pandemic where everyone was so separated they are creating music people want to get all sweaty and mosh to together again, they are the type of band I want to hear at the end of the night.
Wilkins: Fat Dog is a good call, they supported our mates band Sleaze who are another great up and coming group to check out as well come to think of it. I caught Fat Dog playing whilst I was tripping on mushrooms and went straight to tell Bella all about them, they are a hell of a party band! I think with our band without at all trying to toot our own horn it's more of a spectacle thing, like a wall of sound and kind of shoegaze thing going on. Our single, ‘Favourite Ghost’ has got that real Brian Jonestown shoegaze melodic style going for it, Bella actually went to see The Brian Jonestown Massacre because our old drummer Dan Lyons ended up doing the American leg of the tour with them.
Geiwald: It was such a great show, I caught them playing in San Diego and LA! It’s a shame, I heard the tour got cancelled in Australia because of fights between the main band members not long after that!
Keep up to date with Blitz Playhouse on Instagram
Catch them at The Windmill on the 15th of Feb
Listen to "Behind the Veil" on Spotify
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