Charlie Bennett: An Interview With the Bedroom Rocker
Charlie Bennett, a 23-year-old indie/bedroom-pop artist from Birmingham, has released his latest EP, “Sweetie,” through the London-based indie label YOUNG POET. Known for his unique blend of indie sounds and bedroom pop, Bennett continues to build his reputation in the music scene with this new release.
Charlie is currently on the road taking part in his first headline European tour, and despite his busy schedule, he was kind enough to sit down with Counteract and answer a few questions for us.
So it’s lovely to meet you, Charlie, let’s dive right into it. How did you start playing music and at what age?
I started playing the drums when I was 10 years old, funnily enough, my drum teacher taught the drummer from Snow Patrol how to play which as a kid I thought was pretty cool. Then four years later I picked up a guitar and since then I have pretty much been hooked. All I wanted to do was play music ever since I started.
What musicians inspired you growing up?
Well, it was my mother who got me into music she was a massive influence on my musical tastes especially in my formative years. My mother’s dinner lady at school was John Taylor from Duran Duran so I had a soft spot for them. I’m a huge fan of The Cure though, they have produced some of the best records that have come out of the United Kingdom so I have to give them a shout.
What is your thought process when it comes to writing a song?
I tend to think of a song and try to see if I can imagine it in a movie. If I can picture it in a film and it fits then I will most likely enjoy the song I’m working on. There is a film I love called Duvet Days, There is a scene where a bloke walks back from the pub and I always feel this is a good point of reference when deciding if one of my tracks will fit into a movie. I like my guitar riffs to have what I would call a fizzy sound about them, and I hope this comes through to my fans when they hear my music.
You recently played Reading Festival. How was that!?
Honestly, it was amazing, I studied at the University of Birmingham with the drummer who I am touring with now and we joked about playing at that festival one day. This was back in 2021, three years later we were playing at the festival which was pretty surreal but, it was an incredible experience for us.
How are you feeling about the upcoming tour?
Honestly, I am a little nervous as it’s my first headline tour, but of course, I am also excited and I’m hoping I will learn a lot. I always aim to put on a great show and I really appreciate the fact that people are coming out to see me and I get a chance to express myself in such a cool way and express something I’m passionate about with other people. It’s going to be great to headline my first show in my home town of Birmingham, I am really looking forward to that one.
I now get the chance to see people I frequently see online in person which will be a nice feeling. I started this in lockdown so as you can imagine most of my interactions were online. As tough as that time was it was a catalyst for my music. I studied how to use SEO to give myself more reach online and help people discover me. TikTok was a big part of that, but I do feel people were gravitating towards me at first as they thought I looked like Harry Potter.
So you blew up online and ended up playing reading 3 years later? That’s pretty wild!
Yeah, that’s exactly it. As I said I really put a lot of time into studying the seo side of things. I got first noticed on TikTok dancing around in my bedroom to Billy Idol. Now I record most of my tracks in my bedroom which is why I call my music Bedroom Rock. I’m not saying I’m the first person to of ever coined that phrase, but I think it’s very fitting to what I do. I’m looking forward to seeing how my music will translate on this tour now I’m playing in front of a crowd and not in my room.
Tour Dates:
- 01/09/2024 | Hit The City Festival, Eindhoven
- 11/09/2024 | The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham
- 12/09/2024 | Deaf Institute – The Loft, Manchester
- 16/09/2024 | Komedia, Studio Brighton
- 17/09/2024 | The Grace, London
- 18/09/2024 | Exchange (Basement), Bristol
- 09/10/2024 | Le Supersonic Records, Paris
- 11/10/2024 | Prachwerk, Berlin
For more updates, follow Charlie Bennett on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube at @charliebennettmusic.
Press Contact: info@young-poet.com
