Tebi Rex

Name, where are you from?
Matt Ó from Tebi Rex. We're from Kildare in Ireland. Gang gang gang.

Describe your style in three words?
Trashy yet sophisticated.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Brockhampton at Longitude was a brawl and I loved it. They went banger after banger to a crowd of sweaty, dusty, summer moshpits.

If you could be on the line up with any two artists in history?
Kanye West & Chance The Rapper. In 2015/2016 I became obsessed with Chance, and how his lyricism felt like pure poetry to me. His storytelling had this line by line sporadic nature to it and it really influenced how I began writing hip hop music. I'd be lying if I didn't say Chance got me making hip hop music. Kanye is just Kanye. I know he's crazy but when we were kids he felt like a God to me, like some sort of genius I would never understand; and to be fair, I still don't understand him. Being on a lineup with him and Chance would bring me to tears - without a doubt.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
Spoken word & poetry have been hugely important as a subculture for Tebi Rex. Poetry was how I began to write raps. And poetry slams gave us a chance to perform when Irish venues weren't booking hip-hop acts; we used to show up to slams with a guitar and do a few poems then start performing songs like 'HA SURPRISE IT'S A GIG NOW B*TCH.' We still have some spoken word pieces on our SoundCloud and although I write poems less often now, I wouldn't be where I am now in my career without it.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Sadly he's not famous, but my late great uncle; Pascal Slevin. He passed away a few years ago after a long bout with dementia. After he passed he was given an award posthumously for his years of work as a priest in Zimbabwe, after he stood against racist white regimes and educated local rebels. I wish I spoke with him about this when he was here, and it's a big regret of mine now.

Of all the venues you’ve been to or played, which is your favourite?
For me, it is probably the Little Big Tent at Electric Picnic. At the time we were just off the back of our first headline show, and we got a daytime slot on the last day of the festival - we weren't expecting the crowd we got and the tent was packed out at like 1pm on a Sunday. Insane.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Frank Ocean. The way he feels free to express himself musically and limit himself in the public eye is something to admire. I assume he's just trying to take care of his mental health, and live a normal life as much as possible. Yet his music is still original, surprising, and full of sincere depth. I'm all about it.