Two idiots, one stage, and a whole lotta love: snake eyes talk positivity and playing for all ages
Jim Heffy and Thomas Coe-Brooker gave us the lowdown after their last-minute Truck Festival slot. And, yes, they refer to themselves as idiots.
Photo: lee london
Brighton-based gritpop duo snake eyes are all bite and no bull. Delivering grunge-flecked riffs, slacker-rock energy and melodies that stick like glue, their sound is scrappy, loud, and built to last.
Having already wrapped up their make you feel better UK headline tour this year, the duo are now eyeing up an even bigger end to 2025 – with support slots, a German headline tour, and more new music all on the horizon.
We caught up with Jim Heffy (frontman/guitarist) and Thomas Coe-Brooker (drummer) backstage after their last-minute set at Truck Festival to talk cross-generational crowds, spreading love in a dark world, and why bananas and Bad Nerves are the key to a killer show.
You were playing The Nest stage earlier today – how was your set?
Jim: I put some new strings on my guitar like a professional, and they didn't hold their tuning at the beginning of the set. Swapped out [for] a new guitar and it was beautiful after that.
Thomas: Yeah, it started with avant-garde noise-rock, and it became a snake eyes show over time. The crowd were awesome considering we jumped in at the last minute. I don’t know if some people caught wind that we were playing. If not, people were expecting to see KEG, who are a seven-piece. So, when two idiots got on the stage, they’re like, ‘Who are these guys?’. But the crowd was rad. It’s been amazing every time we’ve played Truck. Three times in a row now – three for three. Let’s see if we can make it four for four. Truck, it’s on you.
You say you weren’t sure people caught on that it was you guys playing, but you attracted a crowd of all ages. I saw a kid on shoulders with ear defenders and an old guy bopping along. What was that like compared to your usual crowd?
J: The nice thing about our band is that we don’t really have a ‘usual’ crowd, which I like. It seems to appeal to all ages. Our audience is eclectic.
T: Yeah, it’s funny you said that. We get sent videos sometimes of people’s children rocking out to our songs, and they’re like, ‘You’re my daughter's favourite band,’ or asking, ‘What’s the age restriction for your show? Because I want to bring my kids’. And I’m all about it. We probably swear a little bit too much for a young audience, which we need to work on. But yeah, I love it. I honestly do.
You were very vocal on stage about the importance of showing love and kindness, given how shitty the world is right now. Is that the main thing you want to inspire with your music?
J: The thing evolves, doesn’t it? I moved to Brighton five years ago, wanting to start a band, and I wanted it to be like Courtney Barnett or The Cribs – some kind of indie rock thing. But as the thing gets going, you realise that the important thing is to communicate. It’s not about playing a wicked rock show, it’s about spreading a message – and ours is positivity for sure. Times are incredibly dark, and I know that for me, sitting at home on my phone is not good for my brain. So when we do these things, I want to communicate that we’re here with you. We love you. Love yourself. Because it’s really important. You need to keep your head up to make a difference.
And with festivals and tours keeping you constantly on the move, how do you avoid being permanently knackered?
J: I was hoping you’d tell me, because I’ve not figured that out yet. My girlfriend got me a coffee machine with the proper head you put ground coffee in. That helps. Other than that, it’s just adrenaline, isn’t it?
T: A banana and a Coke Zero, half an hour before stage time. Job done.
Do you have any pre-show hype tunes to help you out?
J: We have a hype tune playlist, and on there you’ve got Bad Nerves, The Hives, our mates from Germany, Pabst.
T: Generally, just music that makes you wanna pogo. But, if in doubt, I think we stick on Bad Nerves’ debut album just to really get us pumped up.
J: It’s got to be something that makes you wanna punch a hole in the wall. It can’t be something groovy. It’s got to be balls to the wall, let’s do the thing. But usually we run out of time, so we just do a vocal warmup and then run out and that’s it.
You’ve also released three singles this year, including hdtv, which was accompanied by a video that saw you recreate some classic TV shows. So naturally, I was wondering, do you have any guilty pleasure TV shows?
T: I don’t really believe in guilty pleasures, as in, I’m not ashamed of anything that I do. But I do like things that a lot of people turn their nose up at. I like a series where you have a lot of time to get really into the characters. Things like How I Met Your Mother, American The Office, [It’s] Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Friends. Things that span a long time. I get so invested in the characters that towards the back end of the seasons, I’m crying in every episode. I don’t know what it is. I feel like I know the people. So, maybe my guilty pleasure is crying at American TV shows.
J: Since the Prince of Darkness passed, I’ve been rewatching The Osbournes, which is just quality. There’s no guilt there. They’ve got so many dogs. There are so many swear words. It’s awesome.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would you pick?
J: I would personally really love to sit in a room with Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile and just pluck away on a guitar and see what comes out. For our band, someone outrageous. Like if Daft Punk came back and we could do a tune with them, that would be very sick. I’d be really into it.
T: Interestingly, we have a number of collaborations on our debut album, which we’re going to drop some news about when that comes out soon. One of them’s our friend Erik [Heise] from Pabst, who we’ve toured with. Another person is someone who’s won Grammys and Brit Awards, and we’re going to keep that under wraps because if anyone guessed it, I’d be shocked. But it’s happened and it’s cool.
You’ve kinda already answered my next question there, but what’s next for you guys? Anything you can reveal at this point?
J: We’re touring in the UK with a very exciting British rock band in September. It’s not announced, but it’s big time. And then, we’re touring across Germany in October, doing some headliners, and playing with Adam Angst. And then, yeah, debut album time next year. So, lots of headline stuff, lots of festivals, lots of lovely times.