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More Liner Notes…
Q&A With Craig and Suzy from Underneath the Lookout
Q&A is a regular column at IHTOV where people answer a list of questions about their favorite records. Today we welcome, from England, Craig and Suzy of Underneath the Lookout
Tell us a little about your own music
Craig: From the initial ideas we had at the start of last year to what it’s evolved into as of now, I would say it’s a blend of like ska/reggae, pop with a spattering of dance music. It’s definitely a blend that I feel is quite unique.
Suzy: Yeah, definitely. And I think it’s kind of cool that we were actually writing together before we even first met in person. We both live at opposite ends of the country so it’s not possible to write in a room together.
What records do you own that have influenced your music?
Suzy: Both of us have been into ska punk for years, and UK bands like Sonic Boom Six and The Skints have definitely influenced us. I don’t have any SB6 vinyl as I don’t think it exists but we both own The Skints records. The mash of genres you get in the UK scene is inspiring - punk, ska, reggae, dub, dnb, electronic, rap - and that’s something we definitely draw on and like to use when writing our own stuff. More recently (for me at least) Gentleman’s Dub Club too - Craig got me into GDC and then I copied him and bought the On A Mission record on vinyl!
Suzy: We also both like electronic/dance too - as a teenager I listened to dance music such as Basement Jaxx, Grove Armada and The Prodigy. I was also into UK garage and liked house music - especially french house music. I don’t actually have any vinyl from that genre though which feels kind of ironic given that it originated in clubs and was played on decks.
Suzy: Jamiroquai has always been a huge influence for my trumpet playing, use of ‘real instruments’ and possibly even the structure of songs too - for example, Main Vein is like two songs in one and without even realising. We have an UTL track that has different parts to it a bit like that. I just got the anniversary vinyl release of A Funk Odyssey and it’s beautiful - the colour splatter and pattern on the records is so cool and reflects the original CD artwork.
Suzy: I also love the way that pop artists like Billie Eilish and Charlie Puth not only perform but write music. And Lady Gaga - she’s a massive influence for me - I love that she’s a pianist like me. I need more Gaga vinyl for sure!
CRAIG: I have everything from heavy skacore like Redeemon to the video game Fallout soundtrack. Also a good bit of jungle and drum n bass. My Dad has also given me a lot of his old two tone and dub records from over the years - some of them are older than me.
Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork?
Suzy: It has to be a record or band I like first, but I’d say I’m more likely to buy a record if the artwork or the vinyl colour/pattern is cool or it’s a limited edition record. I buy fewer vinyl records than digital media, so I prefer it when something about the record makes it feel special.
CRAIG: I agree with Suzy - it has to be a record or band first, but I did get Pendulum’s EP Elemental on vinyl. I only usually get albums, but it was on one of those picture discs that makes a little animation when you play it. Very cool.
What is your most memorable vinyl buying/receiving experience?
Suzy: This is gonna be weird and Craig will think I’m making it up but actually getting a copy of his Common Sense Kid album on vinyl was super cool, because it’s always going to remind me of when we first met in person and the tour we were both part of. And in a similar way, getting a copy of the Andy B and the World vinyl (orange vinyl) was nice because, even though I’m not on that record, I’ve been able to play some of the songs live on tour and some of my friends are on it. I love the artwork as it includes the lyrics and tells you which musicians are on the record (and there are a lot!!).
Craig: Bit cute. Hahahaha. But as lame as it is… for me I also think it would be getting my own solo stuff on vinyl. I only started learning music at the start of covid, and 3 years later I had a record on vinyl. Pretty wild and completely unexpected - it’s certainly something I’m quite proud to have achieved.
What’s the most treasured album in your collection and why?
Suzy: Probably the first ones I bought - Funeral For A Friend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, My Chemical Romance - because they represent good memories of going out to shows and discovering alternative music. And some of them are now pretty rare too.
CH - For me it’s definitely my Dad’s original two tone first pressings of Madness and The Specials.
What one record in your collection would you be most eager to share with new friends?
Craig: I’m eager to share anything in my collection with new friends. I like nothing more than talking to people about ska music - I share bands I like and find out about new bands. It’s a bit like how Suzy mentioned earlier that I got her onto Gentleman’s Dub Club.
Suzy: For me it would be Jamiroquai - Emergency on Planet Earth. The re-release of the record is absolutely stunning and I’ve always loved the artwork.The album itself, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened - it’s one of my all-time favourites. I know it inside out, yet there will still be things I feel like I’m noticing for the first time when I listen again. There are so many instruments - strings, didgeridoo, keys, brass, bass, percussion and drums - and so many global influences in the sound. And the lyrics are still relevant now despite the album coming out in 1993.
Do you have a definitive album of choice for spring, summer, autumn and winter? CH - I definitely have genre choices in seasonal periods. Over spring and summer I’ll find myself listening to a lot of drum n bass and jungle, like Ed Solo. And also quite a bit of rocksteady ska and reggae from bands like Stop the Presses and The Skints. Over autumn and winter it goes with my mood and will get a bit heavier and moodier so more punk and skacore.
Suzy: I was actually thinking about this the other day because the thought of listening to My Chemical Romance in the summer just doesn’t feel right! I’d say Sing the Sorrow and December Underground by AFI and most of MCR’s albums are autumn/winter. Spring/Summer - maybe something like The Skints - Part and Parcel or FM. Gentleman’s Dub Club - On a Mission is a summer choice in my opinion, and Turnstile - Never Enough because 2025 was unofficially ‘Turnstile Summer’.
What is/are your white whale records, something you have your eye on but haven’t been able to get?
Craig: I recently managed to get a first pressing of Rancid’s Life Won’t Wait which was pretty hard to come by in the UK. I also managed to get a copy of Dan Andriano in the Emergency Room on vinyl, which I was quite pleased about. I would really like Pendulum’s InSilico and Immersion on vinyl but they were only ever released in like a limited run box set thing and it’s in the £1000’s now on eBay.
I’d also really like to get my hands on a copy of Random Hand’s Another Change of Plan and Sonic Boom Six’s Rough Guide to Genre Terrorism but I think those might be a pipe dream at this stage.
Suzy: I have two My Chemical Romance records I need for my collection of original MCR vinyl - the red ‘Thank you for the Venom’ 7” and ‘Honey, this mirror…’. I also really want the Katy Perry ‘Chained to the Rhythm’ promo 7” pink/blue splatter vinyl, but it’s super rare and often sells for more than £100. The Neighbourhood - Chip Chrome and the Mono-Tones is also on my wishlist, it’s not rare, I just haven’t got round to buying it yet. I wish Jesse (lead singer of The Neighbourhood) would release his solo stuff on vinyl because I would love that!
Who/what got you hooked on records?
Suzy: I remember at uni there was a trend to buy vinyl and I was quite dismissive of it at first, but then I saw how cool the patterns etc were and I started buying 7” singles. In the early 2000s there were often alternative artists releasing picture discs and interesting vinyl. For example, I have an orange glitter No Doubt single, clear Thrice/Thursday split and Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Pin on red vinyl. The colours and artwork I saw was quite a contrast to the records my mum had in the house when I was growing up. They were the standard black 12” LPs by artists such as The Beatles and Michael Jackson. I remember she also had the Grease soundtrack - but the artwork was pretty cool. I guess now vinyl records give me the ability to combine my love of music with my love of visual art and my tendency to collect things, especially limited edition items (I also collect photography books).
Criag: It has only been something I’ve really got into since I started making music. My dad was also buying records again and was like “look I got The Skints” on vinyl, or Prince Fatty - I was like “I should really start collecting music again”. I think the first record I got was JB Conspiracy’s latest album Beginnings and that only came out in 2021.
What’s your favorite record to listen to on headphones?
Craig: If they’ve got good bass, anything dubby that I can put on and work to. I need certain types of music to help me concentrate otherwise I want to play around on my guitar or keyboard instead.
Tell us a little about your favorite record store Craig: In Frome, Somerset we have Raves from the Graves which is an indie record shop. I used to get all my CDs from there back in the day like Blink 182, Less Than Jake and The Offspring.
Suzy: I don’t go to any in person anymore but I try to buy from independent ones if I’m buying stuff online - like Banquet Records in London. I just bought a record online from Assai in Scotland as they had the specific thing I wanted and it was sold out everywhere else. When I first got into vinyl I was living in Durham and I loved Concepts (RIP) - that was where we went to get records and gig tickets. They even did a few in store acoustic sessions at one point. Steel Wheels in Newcastle was also a great record shop.
What’s the weirdest record you own?
Suzy: Not sure that it’s weird, but I have a luminous green Transplants 7”!
Craig: I’ll buy that off you! Umm, I would probably say my Sounds of Apocalypse, Fallout vinyl, only because its genre doesn’t fit with the rest. I also have Caravan Palace on vinyl which doesn’t really fit with the other records…but I love them.
Have you ever bought a record based on hearing it playing in a record store?
Craig: I can’t say that I have. I do remember listening to CDs in HMV back in the day though. God how old am I?!
Suzy: Not vinyl, but I got into Jamiroquai after hearing the first album being played in a shop as a kid. I still have the CD and now I have some of the vinyl too - including re-releases, but not the full collection. The originals aren’t worth much as they released them in large batches as far as I know.
How has your record collection and appreciation for vinyl evolved over the years, and what has influenced your tastes?
Craig: My collection hasn’t been going that long but it’s got bigger. I have two small children, so at the moment I have to keep them in a vinyl crate so they don’t ruin them. I’ve tried to make an effort to start and get older albums that mean a lot to me from my teenage years or new albums that I absolutely love, and also records of bands that my friends are in.
Suzy: At first I would just buy 7 inch singles as I couldn’t afford to buy albums but now I can, and fewer bands are making 7 inches so I guess that’s had an influence over time in terms of what I own. That being said, I prefer 7 inch records! I’d love to have something I’ve recorded on vinyl but it’s just never been something that my previous bands could afford to do. The majority of the records I own are on colour or patterned vinyl too - my vinyl collection is like art!
Name the top three records you own that could describe you or your vibe
Craig:
- Sonic Boom Six - RE:Generation
- The Skints - Part & Parcel
- Stop The Presses - Got It
Suzy:
- Hard To Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing by The Neighbourhood. I love this album so much - I even found the location on the cover and got my photo taken there in LA.
- My Chemical Romance – I’m Not Okay (I Promise) red 7” - always a scene kid at heart <3
- Girls Talk / Time will destroy everything - Garbage with Brody Dalle (Record Store Day release) - I have looked up to both of them for years and I aspire to be as cool.
What’s the last record you played?
Craig: Call Me Malcom - Echoes and Ghosts
Do you plan on expanding your collection at any point?
Suzy: I’m quite selective about what I buy but I plan on expanding my collection. I wish that bands would include download codes with their records still - lately I’ve noticed that it’s not that common anymore, and it means I’m having to buy twice… I guess they assume people just stream. I like to own my music and will buy digital copies of singles and albums I listen to on repeat because I feel like it helps better support the artists.
Craig: Yeah, I have a big old list to check off!
What does the future hold for Underneath the Lookout?
Craig: I would say we have only just started. We released a couple of songs towards the end of last year. We’ll have an album out….at some point. I did say summer for that, but life happens and we keep writing more stuff. We are aiming to release at least one, maybe a couple more tracks before the year’s out, as we build up to the album, which has about…11 tracks at the moment. It’s taken a while but it’s just the two of us working together remotely, at opposite ends of the UK. I am really excited about the songs we have written and how they have all come together. I’m excited to share them with everyone.
Underneath the Lookout is a reggae/ska/punk/dub/pop band from the North and South of England, by Craig (Common Sense Kid) and Suzy (aka Suzyska, previously of Copasetics). They’re currently busy finishing their debut album which will be out next year. Their third single, Daydream, was released last week (14th October) and is available on Bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify - all the usual places. You can find Underneath the Lookout on Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook.
