New music to listen to this week: MIAMIGO

Now Hear This

Brighton pop duo MIAMIGO (Press image)

As one of many currently into this 80s throwback the UK is experiencing in music (I missed it the first time round), it's only natural that MIAMIGO, a pop duo based in Brighton, would appeal.

They just dropped their new single "What I Want" after premiering it with BBC Radio 1's Huw Stephens in September and it's excellent; a bouncy, retro (obviously) sounding track that has a similarly bouncy, retro music video.

Listen if you like: The 1975, New Order, Duran Duran, The Cure

Q&A with MIAMIGO

Which artists have you been listening to recently?

Recently, Wet, Jermaine Stewart, Michael Jackson (always), Joanna Newson’s new record and some Beiber.

Why were you drawn to the big 80s, synth-based sound in your music?

It’s always easy to set a mood with a synthesiser, it instantly creates a dramatic and more filmic vibe, which is what we want to convey in our music.

Maybe watching John Carpenter films inspired us but bands like Tears for Fears, The Cars and The Killers were definitely prevalent growing up. In that bombastic 80s production there’s a trend of dark undertones and macabre lyrics that have definitely influenced us.

What’s the music scene like in Brighton right now?

Like any city is I guess, always changing. It's quite small which is nice so you can be familiar with others. There are always more gigs than you could go to in one night going on down here so the scene is hugely diverse.

Any favourite films from the 80s?

Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Lost Boys, Fatal Attraction, Stand by Me, Moonwalker and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

What was your first gig you ever went to, and what’s been the best so far?

Liam: The Pogues, at Brixton academy. They said it was their last show but they say that every year and it’s always great. Larrikin Love opened this particular year and it was the best. I couldn’t say my favourite but seeing Naked and Famous in 2010 at their album launch was pretty amazing, we got to meet them after and they were the nicest guys.

Jamie: My first show was Good Charlotte at Brixton academy, but I really liked this band The Explosion at the time, and they were supporting so that was cool. The show that was most memorable would be Rage against the Machine at Reading, that was pretty mind-blowing.

MIAMIGO headline Patterns in Brighton on 5 December. Their new EP Soda Lime Love is out now