ONE ON ONE: AN INTERVIEW WITH bambie thug!

THIS IS HIVE MAGAZINE, I’M DANNI BAKER AND TODAY I’M HERE AT 2000TREES FESTIVAL WITH THE INCREDIBLE BAMBIE THUG. HOW ARE WE DOING?

Bambie: Hi! - Hot! Roasting! - But good, a little rested. I just got back from Ireland yesterday, I was visiting my family so I got some nice Irish air right into me before here which is nice.

HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THE SET?

Bambie: I’m really excited! I’m really excited to play in the forest.

THE FOREST STAGE IS INCREDIBLE, IT’S VERY MUCH YOUR VIBE. LIKE A KIND OF AMAZING LITTLE WITCHY VIBE.

Bambie: Yeah I love that! I just, you know, I love trees. So it makes sense that I’m playing 2000 Trees. It’s my first time here, but it seems like a really, really lush festival. It’s lovely! Everything is so easy to get to and find. I love that. Everyone’s just good vibes. I mean it’s the old scene, so it’s always good vibes.

SUCH A GREAT COMMUNITY HERE, EVERYONE’S BEEN BIGGING THIS FESTIVAL UP TO ME FOR SO LONG AND I’VE BEEN LIKE “I DON’T GET IT,” BUT NOW I’M HERE I GET IT. I UNDERSTAND.

Bambie: Same! I get it, I get it.

YOU’VE HAD A GREAT FESTIVAL RUN BEFORE THIS AS WELL WITH GLASTONBURY – INSANE!

Bambie: Yep! Played Glastonbury!

VERY CASUALLY! – HOW WAS THAT? HOW WAS THE RECEPTION THERE FOR YOU?

Bambie: The reception was great! It was wild. It kind of flew by, you know? I wish I had more time to see the rest of the festival, because we had a show in Finland on Thursday and then Friday, and then we flew back and then we played. So flying visits, and I was hanging on by a thread of energy but it was really good. Adrenaline really does a lot for you. I love it. Thank god for adrenaline.

SUCH A BIG STAGE AND SUCH A BIG CROWD AS WELL. AND I THINK FOR YOU AS WELL, AND A LOT OF BANDS OVER THE WEEKEND, ARE AMAZING AT USING YOUR PLATFORM TO SPEAK UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN AND STANDING UP FOR EVERYONE.

Bambie: I feel like I’m just doing what any human should do, guys! [laughs]

EVERYONE WATCHING, THAT’S AT YOU!

Bambie: Not hard!

HOW DOES IT FEEL SEEING THE REACTIONS TO THAT AS WELL, ESPECIALLY ON GLASTONBURY, SUCH A BIG STAGE. BUT ANYWHERE REALLY.

Bambie: Do you know what, the reception is always mirrored and everyone really does care. The media portrays our support for all of everything in a twisted way where it doesn’t show the reality of it. And the reality of music listeners and festival goers, is they’re all for queers and they’re all for Palestine, you know? That’s it. I don’t know, the world will come around.

IT’S INCREDIBLE TO SEE YOU JUST DOING THE RIGHT THING, IT’S AMAZING.

Bambie: Well. I mean, is it amazing? Is it again just what we all should be doing?

OH ABSOLUTELY!

Bambie: Because the thing is, at the same time, it’s like we get praise for it and praise for it and I’m like, do you know what? Stop praising me, just do the same thing. Like it’s all for humanity. It’s just we’re all humans, no one deserves anything but love and just for them to live in their own whatever they want. Whatever they choose to identify as, where they are like.. It’s luck of the draw, where we’re born, you know? It’s not up to anyone. So, be good humans guys, please.

ABSOLUTELY! GOING BACK TO YOUR INCREDIBLE TOURING RUN AT THE MOMENT – THE BABYMETAL TOUR. IT’S INSANE. INSANE LINE-UP. BABYMETAL, POPPY, YOU PLAYED THE O2, HOW WAS THAT? HOW DID THE WHOLE TOUR COME ABOUT?

Bambie: Yeah it was wild! It was so nice. Do you know what? I don’t know because I met them at Download, we just stopped each other for a picture last year when I played the main stage. Then I just got offered it. And it was as if we had manifested it through that photo because I don’t even know if they knew who I was then. And yeah, I mean they’re super sweet, the girls. And Poppy’s sweet. Like it was real, it was real wholesome.

Like it was a really wholesome tour and big stages, which I love. The O2, mad. I just can’t wait to have my own show there, you know? Cause I’m like, you know you’re small and you don’t have as much budget as the other bands and you’re like “god I wish I had pyro”. Can’t wait to have pyro and just production, and I’m just super grateful for every opportunity that’s coming my way. Everything seems super aligned. We’ve been working for ages, and it’s finally things starting to align. It’s wicked.

ON THAT TOUR AS WELL YOU PLAYED REDRUM RAVE. VERY EXCITED TO HEAR IT!

Bambie: I did! I’m playing that today as well.

WHAT’S NEXT MUSIC-WISE THAT YOU CAN TELL US ABOUT. IS THAT PART OF A BIGGER PROJECT?

Bambie: Redrum is next. Can’t tell you the date, though the pre-save’s out soon, so that kind of gives you a hint. Yeah, a bigger project. It’s time for an album. I’ve got to write it though. After festival season I’m [jumping] in. And I’m really excited. I’m just going to continue to play with sounds. I just feel like I’m so lucky, we’re so lucky as musicians, we literally just get to play and imagine and have a laugh as a job. Obviously there’s more to it and it’s very stressful too, but it’s a beautiful place to be in and I’m just grateful and I’m excited.

OBVIOUSLY YOU HAD SOMEWHAT OF A BREAK AFTER THE CHAOS THAT WAS LAST YEAR

Bambie: Yeah! I did, I was so burnt out after that, like mentally, physically, everything. Did I have long enough of a break before everything started again? Probably not, but I am healed.

WAS THAT JUST A LOT OF DOWNTIME? HOW DID YOU SPENT THAT TIME?

Bambie: I actually spent a lot of the time in Brighton with Cassyette just watching horror movies and eating food [laughs] and napping. I’m quite boring outside of music, I’m not gonna lie. I just do my little spells and I just sleep a lot.

AS YOU SHOULD! I’VE SAID ALREADY, YOU LOOK INCREDIBLE ON STAGE, YOU ALWAYS LOOK INCREDIBLE. HOW DO YOU DECIDE ON YOUR STAGE OUTFITS? WHAT’S YOUR INSPIRATION?

Bambie: Well it depends, so for the Babymetal show I kind of wanted to be like this.. I’m very insect-y at the moment, I’ve just realised. Babymetal, I was like a beetle-y insect. Glastonbury, I was just like blue beetle insect. Today I’m actually just wearing a mash-up of loads of costumes I’ve worn because it was so hot and I was like, I can’t be wearing anything too heavy. I have loads of bits and bobs that I can just put together, you know. I don’t know, like I just love black. I love metal-y things. Like, obviously but like, metal bits. I love spiky. I love minimal clothes for the heat. And, I think I just have an eye for putting things together. I kind of just pick them up. I’m grateful that I have so many costumes that I can just yeah, that’s fine, I’ll just have that. Yeah, so today I’m just gonna give in a bit. My PR lady said that I looked like your man from KISS. So I guess that today is the inspiration.

ARE THERE ANY UP-AND-COMING BANDS YOU’RE LOVING AT THE MOMENT THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHOUT OUT?

Bambie: I love LustSickPuppy, an American rapper. Got to shout out my Darklings, girlies. Do you know what? I’m actually really bad at listening to too much new music. I’m such an old fogey, like I’m literally like Dolly Parton on my fucking playlist. Yeah, I’ve been listening to a lot of Carol Fennig recently, so she’s from the 70s so probably not –

STILL SHOUT OUT, WHY NOT!

Bambie: Yeah! To the greats, to the greats!

MY FINAL QUESTION FOR YOU TODAY, WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HEADLINE 2000 TREES IN 2026?

Bambie: Bambie Thug! [laughs]

ABSOLUTELY, LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN! – THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH ME.

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