Exclusive Interview: 20 Questions with Chris Underhill from My Latest Failure!

There is something about the songs that My Latest Failure write that gets in your head and will simply not get out. They write the kind of earworm Hardcore Punk bangers that you find yourself singing along to during the second chorus the first time you heard the track and with “Failures Vol: 2” they even landed themselves on our top #5 list of EPs for 2021. So naturally with a new game called 20 Questions one of the first people we reached out to was Chris Underhill and the vocalist and guitarist was more than happy to join the party!

1. Did you toast in the New Year with a Beer, a glass of Champagne or something a bit stronger? “Think I was in the honey Jack by then… from what I can remember”

2. What’s your hangover remedy of choice? “I haven’t really got a remedy, usually just lay in bed moaning like a little bitch. Very Punk Rock?”

3. As a band what was your highlight of 2021? “Failures Vol:2 and the reception it had. Really positive reception and glad everyone (as far as I know) liked it.  Still can’t believe tracks from the EP became a regular on Ben Jekyll’s MMH Radio show and that we made it to the final of the Punk Rock Mag’s Good S*** Awards 2021. Definitely a big highlight for me”

4. What are you looking forward to most in 2022?  “Gigs, gigs and more gigs! Playing and going to them”

5. If you could go back to the early days of the band and give the younger you one piece of advice, what would it be? “Oh, tough one… haha, I know what I would say. When playing the New Cross show do not throw your f***ing guitar”

6. Your much loved long running documentary series the A-Z of failures has been great fun so far. What inspired you to start it in the first place? “This year has been hard for us to get back out there and social interaction was very limited after the Failures Vol:2 hype faded. I didn’t want to just post the same old stuff so the series was created to interact with our fans that wasn’t just about the music. Getting to know us as a band by sharing our likes, dislikes and experiences. It’s been really fun to do”

7. What’s your new year’s resolution? “Don’t have one”

8. What has been your anthem of 2021? “Been loads of bangers this year but my anthem is a song that came out back in 2007. Early in the year I came across a band called Drop Dead, Gorgeous. How I missed them back in the days I have no idea but their album Worse Than A Fairy Tale is a rager!! The song I am officially choosing as my anthem of 2021 is… 45224 by Drop Dead, Gorgeous”

9. You get the opportunity to do I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here or Strictly Come Dancing – which are you picking and why? “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here because I can’t dance for s***. If it was called Strictly Come Dad Dancing then it may be an option”

10. Where would you like to hear one of your songs – for 20 seconds in a Summer action Blockbuster Movie starring The Rock or as the weekly theme music for a season of “Mock The Week” with Dara O’Brien? “Mock The Week for sure! The question is what song? Anyway can’t imagine The Rock flexing his muscles with our music playing in the background but if he did, he would be a legend”

11. You’ve got a day out with the family, all expenses paid. Are you going to the Zoo or a Theme Park? “Theme Park for sure”

12. What has been the strangest moment My Latest Failure have experienced? “Depends what you mean by strange? We had someone buy a t-shirt and asked us to sign it, that was pretty strange, think he got us confused with the band Failures. We once shared the stage with someone who made the crowd including us make random noises into a loop pedal to create music while she does yoga… she still had more people watch her than us, found that pretty strange . Oh in an interview Jamie admitted he nearly shat himself on stage, funny as hell but could be seen as strange. I just see that as Jamie. Haha”

13. We know you’re huge lovers of “Does This Look Infected?” by Sum 41, so if you could cover one of the cuts from it for a charity compilation, what’s your first pick? “No Brains. Think that would suit us”

14. Fearless Records offer you a deal on the premise that you inject some Hardcore Punk into a Pop song for their long running Punk Goes Pop series, what’s your choice? “OMG, Love Punk Goes Pop! Hmmmm… I’m going to say FRIENDS by Marshmello & Anne-Marie. I reckon we would wreck the fuck out of it & would sound brilliant!”

15. Pizza and beer is a sensational award winning combination so what are you favourites? “I dare to say it but I’m so over Pizza these days. At the moment I am all over Hot Wings. So Hot Wings and Brewdog’s Lost Lager. A combo for failures”

16. What are your pre-gig rituals? “I’m sure I have some but can’t think of anything”

17. As a band who knows the underground scene and has played with a lot of other bands in all genres of Metal, who would you predict a bright future for? “Weaponry. They’re just doing the right things and their music is so good”

18. What’s your favourite venue to play? “I really enjoy playing at the The Fighting Cocks in Kingston and the Facebar in Reading”

19. What would mean more to you as a band, a huge one off festival appearance at Slam Dunk  (United Kingdom), Wacken (Germany) or Hellfest (France) or a 20 date European tour supporting opening for a band like The Amity Affliction? “Playing a festival is definitely on the bucket list so would have to say Slam Dunk but if The Amity Affliction asked us to support I wouldn’t turn them down”

20. Who would you thank in your Grammy Award winning speech? “I am the kind of guy that would walk up there hold the Grammy Award in the air and say something like, f*** yeah! Thank you everyone!”

“Failures Vol: 2” is out now and available along with some other choice merch over at bandcamp