Monster Florence are on the ascend. In a time where we are seeing afrobeats/dancehall inspired music sweep across the charts, Monster Florence are a pleasant reminder of what UK has been synonymous with for decades, bands. Don’t get it twisted though, you won’t see brotherly feuds, trench coats or long hair with this one. Well, you may see long hair.

Alex Osiris, Dream McLean and Wallace Rice are a trio of rappers that resemble a fluidity on the mic similar to the front three Jurgen Klopp has assembled at Liverpool. The three behind them provide a Jordan Henderson/James Milner like stability on stage curating pulsating baselines to dream inducing melodies. Tom Donovan looks after Guitars, Keys, Programming and Production, Cameron Morrell is on top of Drums and Beats and Jonny Poole looks after Sax, Keys and Bass.

Their new project, “Cowboys and Idiots” is a very in your face introspective record. I know that line may not make sense on first reading, but please bare with me. From the jump a skit that sounds like it should be read by David Attenborough welcomes you to the EP, but just as you start to sink into it, the strings of a cello - I believe, don’t quote me - spring into life which leads you on to “Picture Frame”. A song that could definitely score a modern day misfits/skins with its repetitive piano, heavy reliance on the drums, quintessential British verses and hook sang by Miles Kane. 

The EP never really allows the listener to fully settle, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Every track never ends where it should as such. Skits or mini interludes caused me to constantly check my phone to see if I had moved on to a new song or was still on the same one. 

Personal favourites of mine are “Guantanamo Baby“ and “Handstand”. Don’t be fooled though, “26 Ghosts” is a rap classic that would shut down any dance and “Dust” and “Let the Timing Beat You“ are both standouts in their own right. One thing Monster Florence do very well on Cowboys and Idiots is show their versatility, more so than any other project in a concise manner. Not always something associated with UK artists in Hip Hop/Rap/Grime/Drill. 

I caught up with Alex Osiris to talk about the project, lockdown and all things music. Be aware though, the “interview” quickly became more of a “conversation” between a musical artist and a huge fan, enjoy. 

Thank you for letting me talk to you man: 
Nah it’s all good man, no drama at all. 

Erm, yeah, well first of all, how are you? I hope you have had a good day and stuff. 
Yeah man, not too bad, busy working mate. Yeah, what you saying? 

All good man, just been chilling, listening to a lot of your music recently.
Hahaha! Not a bad day, not a bad day at all..

Alright, some quick fire questions.. 

What’s your favourite colour?
Green

What’s your favourite food?
Curry

One thing you have to do every morning?
Brush my teeth.

Who is your musical hero? 
Controversial, but most likely Michael Jackson. 

Alright, you’re warmed up. First question I really wanted to ask about the album “Cowboys and Idiots” the name and the artwork struck me straight away, I love the guy on the moped.
To be fair “Cowboys and Idiots” was from Wallace. We were in studio one day and he said it. Between myself, Wallace and Dre’ we usually come up with the creative direction. We were just having the conversation in the studio one day and Wallace was talking about the concept of Cowboys and Indians and how it hasn’t really changed. These days though, the Cowboys are really just the little shits that are running around still trying to do a madness. So yeah, we were just going back and forth and then he just said “What about Cowboys and Idiots?” At first I was like “yeah, I think that’s sick” but then Andrew at the label was like “do you think people will get offended by it or take it wrong?” and we were like “nah man, because the narrative of it is obvious, it’s not like directed at anyone in that kinda sense.” 

The artwork, I can’t take any credit for it, It’s Scribbler. Scribbler is our pal who has pretty much done all our artwork so far and a lot of other labels commission him to do other peoples artwork. He is a real creative mind man, like we’ll send him the EP and he will come back to us and be like “this is what I see”. Originally we had like this whole other idea of being in this saloon car and making it look like some Wild West scene but then the Corona Virus happened. So Scribbler had a secondary idea like “I wanna get this guy on a Moped Like a cowboy on a horse” and we were like “yeah, let’s go.” So him and Andrew went off and got it all sorted. He sent us a drawing first so we can get an idea of it and it hit. We’re fortunate, artwork it’s one of them things we never really have to worry about because with Scribbler he will always come back with the goods. 

How does it feel to have dropped the record during Covid-19?
See it’s funny yeah because whenever you are about to drop anything I feel like you are sick to death of it, you’ve heard it over and over again and you even start to question whether the songs are that great. There were points where I was going through the playlists and I was like “yeah, this is alright but I don’t know how it will be received.” Since we have put it out though, we’ve had such a good response from it. I think because of Covid, people are at home and people are listening to music more. Although there are draw backs, like people cannot perform live right now, people now have the time to actually listen to something. Everyone who has listened has picked their favourites which is really cool, even songs I wasn’t too sure about. You kind of like hear it with different ears because you hear it as a listener as opposed to an artist, do you know what I mean? It’s actually quite refreshing man. It’s made me fall back in love with the EP again because we are halfway through working on another album, my head had moved on from this tape. But now it’s out and circulating, people are sending me what they like and stuff. It makes me realise that actually it’s a solid body of work that I am really proud of.

I hear you completely man, I think in a way for musicians right now it’s a perfect time, not to take anything away from the situation and the devastation that COVID has caused/causing, prayers to those affected, but we truly do have the time. As soon as I was assigned this interview, I started listening to your music and each song is like a different… The diversity is mad haha! Each song is literally a different journey, a different space. Once I heard Picture Frame I was like “oh, this is a bit poppy” but then you go to 26 Ghosts to Guantanamo Baby to Handstand and I was like “woah, this a mad introspective trip.” Comparing it to your older stuff, was it a big thing to be diverse on this record? 
Do you know what yeah? It was never intentional. We were just working on a bunch of new music and there was huge bunch of tunes that we had sort of half done. Then there was a couple of songs that we had finished that were kind of in a different direction to what we had done before. Then “Picture Frame” came about after having Miles in the studio. Once we made the tune we were like fuck it, let’s just keep it as a tune for us and that really set the tone for the project. I think if you listen through to a lot of our releases, it’s all over the place, kind of genre-fluid, which is sick and that’s always been the aim. Let’s get into the studio, if it sounds good, we run with it, if it don’t, it don’t. But let’s not put labels and boxes on it because all we are doing then is squashing creativity and what’s the fucking point of that you know?

One of the questions I wanted to ask was because this album felt much more introspective than your last work, was that intentional? Even in the instrumentation, from listening to foul your last EP, songs like “Guantanamo Baby” and “Handstand” definitely felt very personal, it feels a level above your previous work. 
I don’t know if that was necessarily intentional, it just became like it’s own journey in itself in writing it. With Guantanamo baby, we wrote the tune and and it got to the lively bit and then we was like “do you know what would be sick? If it’s cuts-away and it goes to some floaty little area and then we cut away again and we go to another section.” Then Johnny who was in the other room comes in and he’s like “I got this string section” and we were like “fucking sick, let’s do that.” Then the last section of that tune was a fucking weird day, everyone just dropped acid and we just ended up making these mad little things. Then we linked up in the studio the next day and listened through a days worth stuff like “what the fuck is all of this” and we just ended up with this snippet at the end. “Handstand” is another one people have really grabbed on to, at first and I didn’t even want to put that one out because that is a very personal song. Each of us are talking about a real personal situation that’s happened. I feel like this was more of a therapeutic session as opposed to a creative one if i’m honest.

What is your favourite track off the record? 
Errrrrrrrrrr, Guantanamo Baby was my favourite just because I love the energy of that and I love the journey of the whole song. The EP is a journey, but you play that record is just like 6mins of madness.

Please explain to me the skits on the album like the one after Guantanamo Baby, the song just sends you into space with such a hard hitting end and then this girl and comes in with this sultry voice and breaks up the momentum completely. 
HAHAHA, bro, you know that girl yeah. Imagine we are all sat in studio listening to that trippy acid bit at the end and the other section but we knew we needed something that connects the two. Then Tom turned round and was like “we need like a Babestation girl to say this line” and Dre pops up next to me and says “bro, I am literally sat chatting to a Babestation girl right now” and we just laughed. He just said to her “can you send this line and send me as a voicenote” and she just nailed it in one. She’s just got that perfect sound in her voice. 

HAHAHA, I love that, that’s jokes. I feel like your studio sessions are you guys are jamming more time.
Bro, because Tom owns the studio that we work in, it’s not like we are stressing over time limits or anything like that. Like me Dre’ and Wallace, the three front men, we have been friends from day. I have been friends with Dre since I was four, I have been best friends with Quinton since I was year 8/9, us lot have been absolute brothers for years. We’ve known the other lot for like 4 years now so we all know each other well. Everyone is so cool with each other and everyone is so open to ideas, there is no “I know this” or “you should do that.” No one gets precious about anything, if Tom turns round to me and says “ahh I think you can do a better verse” then cool, scrap that, go again. When we are in studio, half the time it’s like work and then half the time it’s just a vibe.

I must ask, Miles Kane, what was that like working with him?
Yeah it was cool, Miles is a real bless guy man. It’s weird I grew up listening to Miles Kane so it was a weird experience at first but we met him through friends of friends and he’s just uber cool. He’s one of them that I almost would assume would carry more of an ego than he actually does but he’s a proper just down to earth and when you are working with him he’s just up for ideas, d’you know what I mean? Whatever I throw at him, he’ll be like “yeah yeah, let’s do this, let’s do that.” He’s not precious or anything like that, it’s just a really fun way to work.

Well, in terms of the album, I think I have asked everything I have wanted to ask. The next things were to do with the current situation in light of recent events with George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movement. I guess unintentionally, you guys are great example of diversity and togetherness. Have you guys had any conversations about that recently, or is it just come together, produce great music and just represent each other at the same time.
I think like again, like between us there is a natural chemistry as you have got three best mates and we do our best to make sure we present an honest representation of ourselves. We know who we are, what we think, what we stand by and we don’t budge on any of it. Then obviously, through meeting the rest of the band like Johnny, Cam and Tom, they’re from very different worlds to us, musically and socially, but coming together makes it what it is. I think we always try to make sure we represent that honesty fluidly and continually if that makes sense? Again, it’s not thought about, it’s never like we are consciously doing that stuff, it’s just that’s my family, we make fucking good music together, we want to have a good time and we want people to have a good time with us. There are topics we touch on in like new music that will probably piss some people off and that’s cool. We’ve always tried to just stick by our guns and know who we are. Ultimately, we just want to represent normal people, your average person. No one is trying to be something they’re not. We are all accepting of each other and we all love each other, when we do our gigs people notice it and it’s infectious. 

Question though, you don’t seem to do too many interviews as a band though, how comes? 
Don’t know to be honest, I don’t think it’s an intentional thing. I just don’t think there’s been that many people that really want to chat to us (laughs). Like we’ve done a few bits and bobs and genuinely anything that comes our way, as long as the person is not a dickhead, we are willing to talk to whoever wants to talk. We’ve done like lots of little mini Q&A’s things, you’re average and back and forth stuff but we don’t get that many people that actually want to get into it and chat about what’s going on, other than the surface level stuff.

Well thanks for letting me be one of the first.
Hahaha, no problem man. 

Looking into a crystal ball I mean, who knows what life will be like coming into this “new normal” but what are your plans for the rest of the year musically as a band?
Well originally we was going to put out the EP, get on the road and get performing again, but that’s all on hold. We recorded a live performance of the EP just before all of this kicked off at Studio Two at Abbey Road, obviously the video of the one we did with Miles Kane is out but we’ve filmed the whole EP there bar one tune I think, so, we’ve sort of got all of that that’s going to be released with the deluxe version of the EP.

We were meant to be putting out the album later this year. Obviously with everything going on we ain’t been able to get into studio so that’s now been pushed back to next year so the rest of this year is just going to be keeping our nuts down and cracking on with new music and bounce ideas around. All of us have been working on our own bits and bobs but like this has forced a pause in the band which we haven’t had since we started. We need to get back into the studio, I think we are going to try and work a way of doing it soon because it’s doing everyone’s nut being indoors and everyones got ideas. We’ve certainly got a sound, a direction, an idea and a good concept of what we want the next project to be about and oddly it kinda ties in well to everything that’s going on. I’m obviously not going to say too much but it definitely ties in well to the current climate. So yeah, it’s just gonna be a keeping quiet, keeping focused and drip feeding what we have got and focus on making next year the big year.

Well make sure you come back to Wordplay once you get that exclusive swoop on the new tape please?
Hahahaha no worries man, will do. 

But yeah, sweet man, that’s pretty much it. Thank you very much
Sweet, nah no problem at all, I enjoyed it, you’re welcome.  

Ah, great i’m glad you did, peace and love. 
Take it easy, bye man.

Take a look at Monster Florence’s new video “Handstand”, shot at Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios.

Words by Tim Ogu