- 8 minutes ago
The cast of TV’s ‘Rivals’ (Luca Pasqualino, Alex Hassell, Bella Maclean) look back on their forgotten indie days – and reveal the embarrassing stories of their teenage bands and questionable fashion choices.
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00:00I was just sort of made a conscious effort to not do...
00:02Blum-a-lul.
00:03Yeah, not to...
00:03What?
00:04Not to drink...
00:05Not to drink too much.
00:07I don't think he...
00:08Not to drink too much before I presented.
00:12You deserve someone who doesn't leave you guessing about how they feel.
00:18Beautiful.
00:21Hi, I'm Alex from NME, and today I'm joined by the unrivaled cast from TV's rivals.
00:26It's Alex Hassel, Bella McLean, and Luca Pasqualino.
00:29How are we doing?
00:30Great.
00:31Good, mate, thank you.
00:32The rival soundtrack is absolutely stonking.
00:36It's 80s, it's pop, it's neon.
00:38Do you have a favourite needle drop from the show so far?
00:41No, yeah, well, there's so many yet to come.
00:43That's the difficulty, isn't it?
00:44Yeah, there's so many.
00:45There are so many yet to come.
00:46Do you love the...
00:47I don't think it's a spoiler, the use of Faith by George Michael?
00:49That is so special.
00:51In the new season?
00:52Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:54Bold as well.
00:55Yeah, definitely.
00:55This show constantly does that.
00:57Like, it's a really, really serious moment,
00:59and then to cut into Faith is, like, such a nuts thing to do.
01:02Do they ever tell you what song is going to be playing in a scene
01:04when you're shooting it?
01:05Yeah, sometimes.
01:06They'll have the rights for four.
01:07Yeah, yeah.
01:08One you can tell me about, or...?
01:09Well, it was in the first season,
01:10but I actually think they cut a massive part of that segment.
01:13Yeah, but I mean, even...
01:14I think the song...
01:15I can't remember what the song was, but the...
01:18You know, the morning, but...
01:19The entrance, my entrance, you know, coming up to the swimming pool.
01:22Oh, yeah.
01:23Because they were playing that on the day.
01:24Oh, right.
01:26Boys will be boys or something like that.
01:27Oh, OK, right, yeah, yeah.
01:28I don't know if that is what it is.
01:30Do we know what it is, guys?
01:31We'll get back.
01:32There's no one there.
01:33Oh, there's no one there?
01:33No, he's been doing it all day.
01:34He's been doing it.
01:35It's been really weird.
01:36Don't ignore him when he does it.
01:37You can't see your voice.
01:38Yeah.
01:39Well, I'm glad you answered first, Luca,
01:42because I'm sorry, but I'm going to embarrass you
01:44by taking you back to a time
01:45when the NME and yourself were BFFs, basically.
01:49Yeah.
01:49Do you remember...
01:51Falling up the stage.
01:53Do you remember the 2009 Shockwave NME Awards?
01:56Yeah.
01:56Tell us about them.
01:57What are your memories of them?
01:58What did you do?
01:58You fell up the stage?
01:59Well, I presented an award.
02:00And you fell over.
02:01You did.
02:01You presented an award to MGMT,
02:03but I didn't know that you fell over.
02:05Yeah, I tripped up...
02:06So, it was all quite dark,
02:08and I remember tripping up the steps,
02:11and I think I'd just managed to get back onto my feet
02:14before the entire audience saw me.
02:17Well, that sounds very smart.
02:17I only presented an award to MGMT, yeah.
02:19Nice.
02:20And I actually remember,
02:20that's something funny about that night.
02:21I bought these jeans from...
02:25Those same jeans?
02:26Yeah, these ones, yeah.
02:27They still fit me 20 years later.
02:30Oh, my God.
02:32Yod.
02:33Wow, look at you.
02:35Look at your hair.
02:37Jesus Christ.
02:38Those are the jeans.
02:39Those are the jeans.
02:402009.
02:42Oh, my God.
02:43So, these jeans,
02:44I bought these jeans,
02:45I bought these jeans especially for that event.
02:48Great outfit.
02:49Because I knew that I was going to present,
02:51and I got back,
02:52and the security tag was right here.
02:54Oh, excellent.
02:54So, I was staying at my friend's house
02:56in South London,
02:58and he managed to get his Dremel out,
03:00and he managed to cut the bolt off
03:02without getting ink everywhere.
03:04So, you'd walked out of the shop
03:06accidentally with...
03:07Well, yeah, so they basically,
03:08they disarmed it,
03:09but the beep didn't go off,
03:10but it still had the security tag attached.
03:14We're obsessed with this look, too,
03:15with the one button done up.
03:16Yeah, that's great.
03:17And the high belt.
03:19Catherine and Megan Prescott, of course.
03:20It's so good.
03:21Stars in Skins.
03:22But what was the night like?
03:23I mean, I remember I had, like, a drink,
03:25but then, obviously,
03:26because I was 19 and very nervous
03:28about presenting that,
03:30I was, be sure,
03:32I was just sort of made a conscious effort
03:33to not, you know, sort of, do...
03:36Blum-a-low.
03:37Yeah, not to...
03:38What?
03:38Not to drink too much.
03:41I don't think...
03:42Not to drink too much
03:45before I presented.
03:47You've been watching too much Rivals.
03:48But I remember it was pretty riotous.
03:51I remember I was on a...
03:51We were on a table with Girls Aloud.
03:54Oh, wow.
03:55Oh, really?
03:55That's fine.
03:56I remember we were on a table
03:56with Girls Aloud.
03:57My love.
03:58And I remember Pete Docherty was there.
04:00Nice.
04:00Oh, really?
04:01The dance all back together.
04:02Doing Pete Docherty things.
04:04Do you guys remember that era?
04:05I remember that.
04:06I was a bit older than you,
04:07so, yeah, I was...
04:08I was out.
04:10Yeah, I was out.
04:12It was very late at night.
04:13Yeah, I do remember it.
04:14Yeah, it was great.
04:15It was an amazing time for music, yeah.
04:17You had a pair of tight jeans as well?
04:18I had, yeah.
04:19I did have quite a lot of tight jeans.
04:20It is a nice...
04:21There's slightly less tight.
04:23Yeah, exactly.
04:23But, yeah, and, yeah,
04:24going to gigs
04:25and going to festivals and stuff, yeah.
04:28Lord Battingham,
04:29there's nowhere left to hide.
04:31I need you to win.
04:33Here I come!
04:35If you keep on like this,
04:39you will run out of hearts to break.
04:42I intend to leave hearts
04:43well alone in the future.
04:45What's an album you always go back to?
04:47Only one album you can pick.
04:49Why?
04:49You know what?
04:49I know what wine is
04:50because I got asked a similar question
04:52the other day
04:52and I've just gone back to it.
04:55It's Stevie Wonder's Songs
04:56in the Key of Life.
04:57Oh, that's a good one.
04:58Oh, that's really good.
04:59I recently bought it on vinyl.
05:02I found it on vinyl
05:03and I've, yeah,
05:04I started playing it again
05:05and it's just...
05:06same pick as Leonardo DiCaprio.
05:09Oh, really?
05:10Really?
05:11Yeah.
05:11Excellent tasting.
05:12Nice.
05:13He had a story about how
05:14he got Stevie Wonder to play
05:15his favourite song
05:16at his birthday party.
05:17Love her.
05:26So I've got a really obvious one
05:27which is OK Computer
05:29because that's just one of the
05:30gross albums of all time
05:31but a slightly deeper cut
05:32that I'd like to go for
05:33from this era
05:33is The Long Pig's
05:35Sun Is Often Out
05:35which is an unbelievably
05:37brilliant album
05:38that seems to have
05:39somehow not made any lists
05:41and every single song on it
05:43is completely amazing.
05:44When did you first see that album?
05:45When it came out
05:46and I saw them live.
05:46I remember really distinctly
05:48seeing them live
05:48having the lead singer
05:49Crispin Hunt
05:50I think maybe his name was
05:51had a cigarette
05:52between his fingers
05:53the entire time
05:54he was playing
05:54and like a see-through Mac on
05:56and he just looked like
05:56the coolest guy I'd ever seen
05:58and that was at V97
05:59and like
06:01the Blue Tones played
06:02I think Iggy Pop played
06:03Beck, Prodigy
06:05it was absolutely amazing
06:07amazing, amazing gig.
06:09I was going to say
06:10Cleo Soul
06:11I think it's called
06:12Mum or Mother
06:14and I love that album
06:16and I listen to it
06:17whenever I sort of need
06:19it's like so spiritual
06:20and beautiful
06:21and her voice is like an angel
06:23and weirdly SZA also
06:25listens to her
06:26like on repeat
06:26me and SZA
06:29some birthday party
06:30it's going to be
06:31you, SZA, Leo
06:31Stevie, Luca
06:33they just won't reply
06:33to my messages
06:34it's really weird
06:35they're like
06:36that's enough
06:36who is this person?
06:38yeah
06:39restraining order
06:40gotta get that checked
06:41but yeah
06:42that would be
06:42I actually
06:44when I was filming
06:44Rivals last series
06:45I listened to that album
06:46for so much of filming
06:48and I love it
06:49and I always use it
06:50whenever I'm doing
06:50like what
06:51if I ever use music
06:53to work on a role
06:54it will
06:54she'll always be
06:57in my album
06:58my playlist
07:00that's quite interesting
07:01though isn't it
07:01because lots of actors
07:02use music
07:03to get into roles
07:04so what did you guys
07:05use for Rivals?
07:06I've made a
07:07really big playlist
07:08in the first season
07:10a sort of
07:11sexy 80s music
07:12is that the name
07:13of the playlist
07:13on Spotify?
07:14sexy 80s music
07:14I think it's like
07:15Rupert
07:15I think it's probably
07:16like Rupert
07:18does that
07:18every morning
07:19I would pretty much
07:20start with Kiss
07:21by Prince
07:21and then
07:22Need You Tonight
07:24in Excess
07:24they're two of the
07:25sexiest songs ever
07:26I think
07:26and then
07:27I think
07:28Physical
07:29by Olivia Newton-John
07:30there's a good one
07:31but there's loads of great
07:32like a lot of Blondie
07:33yeah
07:33it was really important
07:35to me to do that
07:35I remember doing
07:37the playlist thing
07:37for other characters
07:40I didn't do it for Baz
07:42didn't need to
07:43for me I was just
07:45yeah
07:46you just had
07:47brown noise playing
07:51ASMR
07:53no for me
07:54I didn't do the
07:55playlist thing for Baz
07:56I
07:57yeah
07:57I just
07:58I mean
07:58for me a lot of the
07:59characters
07:59with Baz
08:00came from
08:01when I went for
08:02my very first
08:02costume fitting
08:03and I tried on
08:04some of the clothes
08:05I felt
08:05sort of felt
08:06you know
08:07a bit more
08:07Baz-esque
08:08especially Series 2
08:09yeah definitely
08:10oh my god
08:11no god
08:12go on
08:12blue suit
08:14blue don't rest it up
08:17he's just
08:17it's his favourite
08:18outfit in the show
08:19he's done a lot today
08:21they're gonna give you
08:22the suit
08:22they're gonna give you
08:23and Bella
08:23I know you've
08:24got some
08:25singing talent
08:26basically
08:27but what I like to ask
08:28people that I interview
08:28is whether they were
08:29in any bands
08:30during school
08:30or whether they
08:31performed any gigs
08:32or stuff like that
08:33that I can kind of
08:34dig into
08:34and find out more
08:35about
08:35there's actually
08:36a couple of
08:36friends at school
08:37where we definitely
08:38tried to be in a band
08:40but none of us
08:41played guitar well
08:42enough and none
08:43of us had any
08:44writing ability
08:45what was the band name
08:46do you remember
08:46did you have one
08:47no and I was about
08:48to make something up
08:48and I was like
08:49just don't do that
08:49just don't speak
08:50just don't
08:50say anything
08:52no but there was
08:53oh my gosh
08:54I actually remember
08:55one of the songs
08:56no I actually
08:57after this
08:58when we
08:58oh go on
09:00no no I actually
09:01remember it
09:02it's so bad
09:02no no no
09:04I actually got
09:04it's giving me
09:05anxiety
09:06because I want to
09:07so badly
09:08to sing it to you guys
09:09but I'm remembering
09:09the lyrics
09:10and it's like
09:11are they like
09:11rude or
09:12no it's more like
09:13I love
09:14it's like
09:14it starts with
09:15I love the way
09:16you smile
09:16and it goes
09:18it gets worse
09:19from that
09:19oh my god
09:20don't stop
09:22great
09:24I was in a band
09:25when I was about
09:25eight
09:25eight
09:26that we called
09:27well I mean
09:28it wasn't a real band
09:31it was like
09:32it was an eight year old band
09:33in my bedroom
09:35Wembley Stadium
09:35eight year old
09:36yeah exactly
09:37but my brother
09:38decided it should be
09:39called SPS
09:40for short
09:40back and sides
09:42so the first
09:43one was called
09:43do the SPS
09:45you know you like it
09:47did you have
09:47an SPS then
09:48do the SPS
09:50that's basically
09:51how it went
09:51you know you like it
09:53and it involved
09:53a dance routine
09:54it was great
09:55and I bet there was
09:56a tap number in there
09:58it was like a tap
09:59crossover band
10:01it was a roaring success
10:04didn't take off
10:04for some reason
10:05I had to go into
10:06the much more stable
10:07career of acting
10:09I'd love to talk to you
10:10all day about your bands
10:11oh I'm sorry
10:12that we ended on
10:13thank you so much
10:14true love does happen
10:18but you have to fight
10:19for happiness
10:25tell him
10:25that you love him
10:30life's not all magic
10:31and fairytales
10:39why can't it be
10:40here I go again