A mere 10 minutes after the appointed meeting time, I'm greeted by a warm-looking Clovis Phillips, his cotton sweater lined by a smoky aura. He closes the large wooden door behind me (cleverly labelled 'The Door(s)') and sits himself on the other side of the room. A clear smell of incense fragrances 'The Mill' as we are re-acquainted. Band mates Darren Barnett and James Love are nowhere to be seen.
The last time I saw Clovis Philips he was stood at the back of a school jazz band, looking noticeably awkward. Now in a more comfortable environment, we discuss the bitter Welsh weather, and spend a good 20 minutes debating the previous night's football result.
After checking his watch, he moves over to his towering C.D collection, turns off 'Bringing it Back Home', and asks: "Shall we get started?"
For those who don't know, Clovis Phillips is singer-songwriter of Powys-grown band Like Child, alongside talented band mates James Love (bass guitar) and Darren Barnett (drums).
Q: Firstly, how are you feeling and how is the rest of the band?
Clovis: I'm feeling fine, I had a stomach ache but now I'm fine.
Q: Darren and James?
Clovis: James hasn't got insomnia so he's alright, and Darren probably off somewhere with some girls.
Q: Most of the local area know the band as Amok, was there any reason for the drastic name change?
Clovis: Yes we (Like Child) were on the internet having a look around, and we found there was a Norwegian death metal band already called Amok, so for copyright reasons we were forced to change.
Q: But why Like Child?
Clovis: Well we already had a song called Like Child, so that's where it came from. No! Actually it came from a Maths lesson. I was at the back of the class and wrote 'Like Child' there [turns wrist] in big black marker, then the song came about and we thought the title sounded quite cool. Plus Amok seemed too heavy and rock, whereas we're a bit more subtle, softer, more acoustic. Amok just didn't fit.
Q: With this change in musical style, how would you say the band has evolved since its birth?
Clovis: It's got better musicians in [Smirks]...
Q: Do you prefer the sound now?
Clovis: Yes. In the past we've been typical rock, an electric guitar-based sound. The usual Hendrix, Led Zeppelin-influenced stuff was nice at the time, but tastes change. Now we prefer our more acoustic, subtle stance instead of 'let's play a riff for ten minutes', which is great but not for an entire concert.
Q: Speaking of past influences is there anyone now you truly idolise? Is there someone who plays an influential role in these softer songs?
Clovis: Well, mainly it was an album, '13' by Blur, the really weird one. Take away the strange bits; there are some really nice simple melodies. And there's also the first part to 'Bringing It Back Home' by Bob Dylan, which we were listening to a minute ago. It's a simple acoustic sound, and any electric isn't distorted, it's just, just 'wore' [glaring eyes], and clean. Especially the song 'She Belongs To Me' has been a big influence.
Q: How do you go about getting inspiration for a song, is there a certain place or does one just spring to mind?
Clovis: Well I write nearly all the songs in bed, around 1am, with a really crappy guitar. If you write songs with a really bad guitar then you have to make what you're playing sound really nice, forcing you to write better songs, I think anyway. So when I come to put it on the good instruments, it sounds really really good. The effort's there.
