DISCOVER… Childcare

London alt-pop quartet Childcare are no strangers to Sync, but just in case you’ve not been paying attention, we thought we’d go back to basics and introduce our dear readers to one of our favourite bands.

Their debut album Wabi-Sabi was born at the very end of last month, and they’re pretty much everywhere throughout festival season this summer ahead of a selflessly thorough UK tour in September. So now seemed as good a time as any to catch up with Ed Cares from the band for some spiritual healing…

SYNC: Can you tell us a bit about yourselves and how you started as a band?
Ed: We began in the normal way; a few friends trying to make some nice music, appear more attractive to the sex we were attracted to etc, but then fortunately morphed into something a lot more holistic – the Get Well Soon project.

SYNC: What is the most exciting thing that has happened to you as a band?
Ed: Recently at our Wabi-Sabi album playback party we were meditating so strongly that as people settled in, we didn’t notice that the venue set on fire.

SYNC: What was it like touring with Bastille and Marsicans recently?
Ed: Pure bliss – the energy from both acts was positive, apart from Kyle from Bastille who we feel we must point out likes to sing Bewitched in his sleep, backwards.

SYNC: Your single Sugarcane is out now (and features on our latest Sync List)! What is it about?
Ed: It was at an early time in the Childcare journey, when I was still concerned with sins of the flesh. I’d rather not dwell on it.

Childcare – Sugarcane

SYNC: Do you really buy hugs on the deep web?
Ed: No, but I do buy drugs.

SYNC: Your lyrics are really unique and interesting. What is your songwriting process? What, or who, inspires you musically?
Ed: The world and it’s people inspire me everyday. It could be as simple as a small fish, or even a larger one. I meditate in my room for maybe 4/5 hours then I spin around on my seat screaming – whatever comes out gets written down and then we work on it as a group.

SYNC: Your debut album Wabi-Sabi is out now. What does ‘Wabi-Sabi’ mean and what can we expect from it?
Ed: Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese world view which considers beauty through imperfection – it recognises the inherent irregularities and flaws in being and embraces them as a way to a truer life. For this reason the album features some slightly out of tune singing which as a result is very beautiful.

SYNC: What’s the best gig you have ever been to?
Ed: Every morning as I wake I am lucky enough to be present at the great bird song performance.

SYNC: Where can we catch you live? Do you have any dates coming up?
Ed: Join us for live healing here:
13 July: Hidden Herd Festival, Brighton
19 July: Latitude Festival, Suffolk
2 August: Neverworld, Kent
3 August: 110 Above Festival, Leicester
4 August: Staycation, Godalming
23 August: Leeds Festival
25 August: Reading Festival
4 September: The Bullingdon, Oxford
5 September: The Horn, St. Albans
7 September: Heartbreakers, Southampton
9 September: The Junction, Plymouth
11 September: The Anvil, Bournemouth
12 September: The Forum, Tunbridge Wells
13 September: The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
14 September: The Boileroom, Guildford
15 September: Esquires, Bedford
18 September: The Fighting Cocks, Kingston
19 September: Clwb lfor Bach, Cardiff
20 September: Moles Club, Bath
17 December: Scala, London