With a penchant for independence and a willingness to learn as they play, Bullies are a London-based three-piece with a refreshing aesthetic. Finding their feet through opportune support slots and unearthing the perils of performing hung-over, the trio are looking to hit the New Year running, with hopes of a self-produced EP now in the pipeline.

What makes Bullies’ musical ideology so appealing is that a very different, yet understandable outlook could have been adopted by bassist and vocalist William Maxwell, who’s benchmark has been set higher than usual when considering his musical output. Being the son of musician and indie aficionado Edwyn Collins will do that for you.

Still, through Bullies, Maxwell has undertaken a different direction and, to his insistence, sticks to his own path regardless of the help that is easily attainable. A product of this has been early song Clemintine, a hypnotically tinged track penned with Bullies bandmates Jack Benfield and Liam Hutton, indicative of the group’s talent when holed up in a room together forming ideas.

To witness them live will probably ensure you drop your predetermined ideas of confident, cavorting jangle-pop à la Orange Juice, as a slightly more reserved collective instead accentuate their still makeshift sets with striking vocal work and interchanging guitar sounds.

All that is left for Bullies is for them to get more material out there, which, with assertion from Maxwell is imminent.

Matthew Liam Fogg: Why do you feel it is important for a band to figure things out for themselves, learn as they go and generally try to be independent?
William Maxwell: To be honest we just like playing music. If we got paid for it then that would be a bonus, but money is not the driver. Playing it and enjoying that moment is the best feeling even if there’s ten people in the room, or one. A lot of people we know have this idea in their head that when they make a song that it’s solid gold and they’re going to be super rich and play nothing but stadiums and other planets like Mars and stuff, you know like in Bill and Ted’s Bogus Adventure. That kind of thinking can work if you were born as Elvis. But, nowadays you have to be realistic.

Matthew Liam Fogg: What does musical independence mean to you?
William Maxwell: The idea of being independent means recording and selling your own work, where possible which is not cheap, but there are cool ways to do so – like selling it on Bandcamp or what Radiohead did with In Rainbows, that was smart. If you’re a smaller band like us, we give our songs for free as it just feels like the right thing to do. No one wants to pay four quid for an EP by a band they have never heard of so why try and force that? Independence is something that a band should decide what that means for themselves.

Matthew Liam Fogg: Given your relatively new status as a band, what is currently on the agenda? More gigs or more recording?
William Maxwell: We have played a few shows recently that we have had fun at, but this month we are going to demo some songs in Liam’s bedroom. The dream is to see our music on vinyl because of the history of great bands that we have heard on our folks’ record players over the years.

Matthew Liam Fogg: Do you have any plans as of yet, in terms of a release?
William Maxwell: We’re going to try and record said songs ourselves and try and get them out there, by way of an EP. It could end up really shit, but we’re hoping otherwise. We want to learn, be independent. Fingers crossed.

Matthew Liam Fogg: You’ve recently supported the likes of The Heartbreaks and Edwyn Collins, how was the transition to playing to bigger audiences?
William Maxwell: Nervous during the first song, but afterwards we just go with it and it usually pans out well. We know our place though as the support band – we never overstep that mark and try and make a scene. We just have fun on stage, pack up and enjoy the rest of the night.

Matthew Liam Fogg: Why was it important for you to try and create your own musical entity rather than, say, more appearances alongside your father?
William Maxwell: I love my dad and his style. I would never say anything bad about it, I just feel like playing my own thing and not to copy exactly what he does – avoiding the coattails effect. Again, I do love everything he does.

Matthew Liam Fogg: Are there any of Edwyn’s musical traits or characteristics that you’ve inherited?
William Maxwell: I’m not sure. Music wise, I’d think some one would have to tell me, but the other day I learnt how to pick my nose with my tongue, that was his party trick after a few drinks. It takes years of practice to perfect. I’m just glad to have learnt it.

Matthew Liam Fogg: With Edwyn’s studio at your disposal, why do you prefer to write and figure things out in a bedroom?
William Maxwell: That’s my dad’s business. He has bands there that have paid to work. When I was younger I did abuse that privilege but I’ve grown out of that phase. I only go there when I have nothing to do. I enjoy making a song at home and the lyrics in the shower. Sounds crazy and odd but the song idea will be in my head and as I’m shampooing, some words come out of my mouth and I run out and write them down. I did it once and slipped on my arse. Writing at home and showing it to the rest of the lads to see if they like it is only one way, for me. Most of the time now we write together; it’s got a better vibe when all three of us contribute to the song instead of one person. It’s a good discipline to have limited studio time and limited money. Good results come from that.

Matthew Liam Fogg: Tell me more about the songwriting, is it a collective effort?
William Maxwell: All three of us spend a day or two on an idea and just try and get it right. It usually starts acoustic, because if it sounds nice stripped down then it will probably sound better with a full band.

Matthew Liam Fogg: On the two songs you currently offer on your Soundcloud, Hello Me and Clemintine, different lead vocalists are heard. Is this to be a recurring trend?
William Maxwell: We love the idea of more than one singer. We recently watched The Last Waltz documentary about The Band. They all pitch in with vocals and it made us want to try it. We’re not saying we can hit the notes that Levon Helm can, but we just love doing it.

Matthew Liam Fogg: Have you had any nightmare early gigs?
William Maxwell: Our first gig. We wrote six songs in a week and forgot half of them come the show, which was pretty bad. We recently played Oxjam and we were all hanging from the night before. The sound of noise made us want to cry.

Visit Bullies’ Soundcloud and follow them on Facebook and Twitter