Artist Interview: Flat Moon

Flat Moon

This week, Leeds-based funk band Flat Moon chatted with me about their backgrounds in music, inspirations and highly anticipated upcoming album. Consisting of Sam Jones on drums, George Copeland on percussion, keyboard and vocals, Ali McCarthy and Mr Dic Dohmon on bass and vocals, Matt Floon on guitar and vocals, Jacob Kendrew on lead guitar, piano and vocals and Scarlet Bishop on saxophone, Flat Moon describe their music as “frantic space funk, crazy-ass psych punk, janky latin-y dancey freak-out music”. 

“After watching a documentary where flat earthers proved themselves wrong, we were inspired to start a movement to gain supporters for our own ridiculous theory – the earth is round, but is in fact the moon that is flat! So far we’ve only got as far as making a band to promote our 2D lunar message; as we’ve started to rather enjoy playing music we’ve kinda put our conspiracy missionaries on hold (just for now) to see how far we can take this funk punk psych thing.”

What’s Your Background In Music?

With varying backgrounds in their instruments, the band come together to create eclectic soundscapes with experimental playing styles and inspirations. 

“Sam has been drumming all his life, as you can tell from his unprecedented chops”. Already playing at a high level before the age of eight, Sam is a “lover of all things drums”.

Matt started learning guitar at eighteen and joined the band that same year, “he’s been learning on the job, picking up skills at live shows and developing his now synonymous funk rhythm style, inspired predominantly by Nile Rogers.” 

Scarlet has experience playing in orchestras, primarily in more classical styles, but has the ability to change her sound depending on who she’s recording for. She joined Flat Moon after a recording session, and has continued to experiment with her playing style “reaching freakier heights than ever before”. 

Jacob has been playing piano from an early age, and started playing guitar at 13, “a blues enthusiast for a long while, he developed his lead style from listening to other guitar players like Rory Gallagher and Peter Green. Since then, his affinity for the weirder side of rock and funk has sent his playing style spiralling into the freaky abyss, inspired by artists like Primus and Frank Zappa.” The band also mentioned that Jacob wasn’t originally their lead singer, but had to wing it in their first ever gig when their original vocalist didn’t show up, “the decision was made not to bother contacting the other singer, and Jacob’s been screaming down a mic every show ever since.”

George is described as a “lover of trinkets and antiques”, collecting weird and wonderful instruments over the years and making good use of them in each show. “He joined Flat Moon after a spontaneous feature on the congas at a show at Belgrave in Leeds, and since then he has expanded his live set-up to the tardis we see before us today.” 

Not originally intended to be the bassist, similar to Jacob’s experience gaining lead singer status, Ali asked to join Flat Moon at a house party. At that time, they already had two guitarists (Jacob and Matt), so Ali “picked up the bass and has since become one of the fastest players we have ever seen! Taking inspiration from bass playing legends Jaco Pistorius and Victor Wooten, he has grown into a phenomenal player and also a powerful vocalist!”

What Are Your Biggest Achievements So Far?

Flat Moon spent the summer of 2025 playing at festivals like Tramlines, Kendal Calling, Glastonbury, Humber Street Sesh and Beatherder. They have also featured on BBC Introducing multiple times, including live sessions and interviews on air, whilst recording for their upcoming album release! Not only have they supported the likes of WITCH, High Fade and Alfie Templeman, but they have also sold out multiple headline shows at venues like the Brudenell Social Club, Hyde Park Book Club, and Sidney & Matilda in Sheffield. It’s fair to say that Flat Moon are carving out a space in the industry just for them, and the exclusive, funk/psych masterpieces that they will be releasing more of soon.

Who Are Your Biggest Inspirations In Music?

“We love all funk music, from James Brown to Funkadelic, from Rick James to Chic! The rhythm, the sounds, the style just gets everybody going, moving, dancing, having a good time, and for us that’s what playing music is all about.”

Flat Moon mention their love for Primus and Frank Zappa, as well as modern psych rock like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. They also state that elements of other music tend to pop up when they compose like latin, “a favourite album of ours collectively is the Cuban masterpiece: ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ – truly one of the greatest albums ever released”, as well as afrobeat “Fela Kuti and Tony Allen are two artists we adore.”

When asked who they’d love to collaborate with in the future, they responded with King Gizzard, “that would make George the happiest fella in the world”, as well as Amy True who they saw perform at Kendal Calling, “it would be a vibe to create a tune together!”. 

“If we’re talking producers then possibly a far-fetched dream one would be Kevin Parker, cos everything he touches seems to turn to absolute gold, or alternatively Sean Ono Lennons would also be mad to work with.”

Recommend Me An Album/Single/Soundtrack

Already singing the praises of ‘Buena Vista Social Club’, Flat Moon recommend Skinshape’s ‘Life & Love’ – a warm and comforting “collection of modern british soul tunes” that transport you straight back to the 60s. 

Secondly, the band also mention ‘Moon Safari’ by Air – “classic electronic trippiness that just drips through your brain”. 

What’s Next?

Flat Moon are releasing their debut album ‘Cookin’ Up A Groove’ on the 5th Dec 2025, exclusively on physical media and digital download. 

“It’s our first full length LP and explores the many avenues of our collective tastes, we’ve been describing it as a culinary-themed exhibition of our collective tastes and influences, musically and otherwise, as each track features a combination of a number of musical styles and cultural references. Throughout the album we merge our erratic funk with elements of latin, psychedelia, progressive rock, afrobeat, hip-hop and jazz, as well as field recordings of archetypal human experiences, captured in both solitary and social settings. Lyrically, the song topics on the album range from insomnia, overstimulation, social anxiety, manipulative relationships and substance abuse to pure elation, self-confidence, inner strength and untapped potential.”

You’ll be able to find the album on Bandcamp, as well as links to purchase the vinyls, which will be available in both black and pink for fans of unique items and supporting physical distribution! “We are unbelievably proud of this album, and we can’t believe we’ve also got it pressed to vinyl! We need to move away from streaming services like Spotify, and towards media formats that can provide independent musicians with the proper support needed to create!”

And that’s not all, as Flat Moon are embarking on a UK tour in 2026! “We’re just completing the finishing touches, but watch this space – we will be announcing where we’ll be playing and when on our socials very soon! We can’t wait…”

How Can We Find You?

You can find updates about ‘Cookin’ Up A Groove’ and Flat Moon’s upcoming tour on Instagram and Tiktok, or contact them via their email flatmoonband@gmail.com.