INTRODUCING : CARNIVALS

photo: c/o gatepostmusic

SOUTH-EAST LONDON QUARTET CARNIVALS ARE PUTTING IN THEIR TWO CENTS TO THE EVER-GROWING PSYCH-POP SCENE. I CAUGHT UP WITH THE BAND - CAL, HARRY, JOE AND GEORGE - TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHO THEY ARE, WHAT THEY DO, AND HOW THEIR FIRST VENTURE INTO MUSIC WAS SURPRISINGLY VERY FAR FROM ANYTHING YOU'D FIND IN THE 60'S/PSYCH SECTION OF YOUR LOCAL RECORD STORE...

> TELL US A BIT ABOUT WHO CARNIVALS ARE. HOW DID YOU START MAKING MUSIC TOGETHER?

G - WE ARE FOUR NORMAL GUYS WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH MUSIC AND NEEDED AN OUTLET. WE ALL CAME FROM DIFFERENT ROUTES INTO MAKING MUSIC THOUGH. JOE (LEAD GUITAR) AND HARRY (DRUMS) WERE OLD SCHOOL FRIENDS WHO'D WORKED ON VARIOUS PROJECTS TOGETHER, REINVENTING THEIR FAVOURITE SOUNDS. CAL (LEAD VOCALS/GUITAR) WROTE AND PERFORMED A LOT ON HIS OWN AND WITH THE BAND HE WAS IN PRIOR TO CARNIVALS. I PLAYED WITH WHOEVER WAS AVAILABLE AROUND OUR AREA, DOING ORIGINALS, COVERS AND BLUES OPEN MIC NIGHTS. THEN I MET THE OTHERS AT A GIG WE WERE ALL BILLED ON. AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH HOW WE GOT TOGETHER...

C - I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH JOE AND HARRY BUT IT WAS ONLY AFTER WE DISCOVERED OUR SIMILAR TASTES IN MUSIC THAT WE'D HAVE THE ODD JAM AT PARTIES, AND EVEN IN TESCO CAR PARK... THEN I JOINED THE BAND OFFICIALLY AND WE STARTED GIGGING. 

> FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T HEARD YOUR MUSIC, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND?

G - OUR SOUND IS INFLUENCED BY A COMBINATION OF ERA'S AND STYLES. WE HARNESS A LOT OF INFLUENCE FROM 60'S AND 70'S POP BANDS, WHO ARE SOME OF THE BEST MUSICIANS WITH SOME OF THE MOST WELL-CRAFTED SONGS. LIKE THE DOORS, THE KINKS, THE ZOMBIES, PINK FLOYD, LED ZEPPELIN...

J - YEAH ALONG WITH THE CLASSICS WE LIKE GROUPS LIKE ARCTIC MONKEYS, TAME IMPALA,  TEMPLES, THE GROWLERS, THE CORAL...

G - TO SUM UP OUR SOUND: WE MAKE INDIE ROCK WITH A TINGE OF PSYCH AND SURF RIFFS BACKED BY A DANCEABLE RHYTHM. 

C - YEAH, WE MAKE PSYCH POP, BUT WE TRY TO KEEP IT AS CATCHY AS WE CAN AND SPICE IT UP WITH TRIPPY RIFFS.

> IF YOU COULD ONLY LISTEN TO ONE ALBUM FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES WHAT WOULD IT BE?

J - THAT'S A TOUGH ONE. I LOVE ARCTIC MONKEYS' HUMBUG, IT'S A REALLY UNDERRATED RECORD...BUT PROBABLY RUBBER SOUL BY THE BEATLES CAUSE IT'S A CLASSIC. 

G - LED ZEPPELIN II - LED ZEPPELIN

C - THE DOORS - THE DOORS

H - TAME IMPALA - LONERISM

> WHAT ARE YOUR EARLIEST MUSICAL MEMORIES?

G - MY EARLIEST MUSICAL MEMORY WAS PRETTY TRAGIC. I WAS ABOUT 7 OR 8 YEARS OLD AND I'D SOMEHOW MANAGED TO PICK UP ON THAT REALLY CHEESY R'N'B TUNE THAT GOES 'LET ME LICK YOU UP AND DOWN...' WHICH MUST HAVE BEEN DOWN TO MY OLDER SISTER'S CHOICE OF CAR MUSIC. ANYWAY I STARTED SINGING IT IN CLASS AND EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT. SO I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND PERFORMED 'MAMBO NUMBER 5' AT THE END OF YEAR SCHOOL DANCE...BUT FORGOT HALF THE GIRLS' NAMES IN THE SONG, CRIED ON STAGE AND NEVER MANAGED TO LIVE IT DOWN. PRETTY ROCK AND ROLL...

> AND FINALLY, WHAT'S NEXT FOR CARNIVALS?

OUR SINGLE 'SHADOWS' IS OUT NEXT MONTH WHICH WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT CAUSE IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING. WE RECORDED IT AT THE FAMOUS PARR STREET STUDIOS IN LIVERPOOL. THEN ONCE THE SINGLE IS OUT WE'LL BE PLAYING A FEW HEADLINE SHOWS IN LONDON AND OUT OF TOWN TOO WHICH WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO. THERE'S A VIDEO FOR 'SHADOWS'  IN THE PIPELINE TOO. OVER THE SUMMER WE'RE PLAYING AT SOME FESTIVALS WHICH WILL BE AMAZING FOR US. WE'VE ONLY BEEN TOGETHER COLLECTIVELY FOR A YEAR SO TO HAVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES IS REALLY COOL. 

YOU CAN CATCH CARNIVALS LIVE ON THE FOLLOWING DATES:

12TH MARCH @ THE WINDMILL BRIXTON (LONDON)

1ST APRIL @ THE SOCIAL (LONDON)

29TH APRIL @ AMERSHAM ARMS (LONDON)

& FIND THE BAND ON:

TWITTER

SOUNDCLOUD

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

INTRODUCING | THE DESIGN STUDIO

IF FOR SOME REASON YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER DUO 'THE DESIGN STUDIO', WHO CREATE INDIVIDUALLY DESIGNED AND HANDMADE FAUX FUR JACKETS, THEN HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.
WARNING: YOU WILL WANT EVERY PIECE IN THEIR COLLECTION.

BEING BASED LOCALLY TO ME, AND HAVING SUCH AN  INTRIGUING CONCEPT FOR THE BRAND, I COULDN'T WAIT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE LOVELY LETTIE WHO TOLD ME MORE ABOUT WHAT THE GIRLS DO. 

> WHERE DID THE IDEA OF HANDMADE, ONE-OF-A-KIND FAUX FUR BOMBER JACKETS COME FROM? IT'S A PRETTY UNIQUE CONCEPT! AND BEING A TEAM, HOW DID YOU ARRIVE AT A MUTUAL DECISION ON THE STYLE OF THE JACKETS AND THE MATERIALS YOU WOULD USE? 

'MY MUM LECTURED IN FASHION AND TEXTILES FOR OVER 20 YEARS, SO SHE KNOWS A LOT ABOUT FABRICS AND TEXTILES. I USED TO GO FABRIC SHOPPING WITH HER, IT WAS SOMETHING WE LOVED DOING TOGETHER. SHE ALWAYS USED TO MAKE MY CLOTHES FOR ME WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. 

ONE DAY WE WERE FABRIC SHOPPING AND I SPOTTED A REALLY UNIQUE ROLL OF MATERIAL, SO I ASKED IF SHE COULD MAKE ME A CARDIGAN OUT OF IT. I WORE IT TO UNI AND ONCE THE WORD SPREAD THAT IT WAS HANDMADE, EVERYONE AT UNI WANTED TO BUY ONE. SO MY MUM MADE A SMALL BATCH OF THEM AND I SOLD THEM AT UNI. 

THE IDEA FOR FAUX FUR CAME IN 2014, WHEN I MADE AN INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT SELLING THE CARDIGANS. IT REALLY TOOK OFF AND GIRLS ALL OVER THE WORLD WERE BUYING THESE CARDIGANS. WE WANTED TO CREATE A SIMILAR PIECE TO THE CARDIGANS, BUT USING FAUX FUR. IT'S A POPULAR MATERIAL AND IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE HUGE.' 

> TELL ME ABOUT THE DESIGNING AND MAKING PROCESS. DO YOU HAVE SET ROLES OR DO YOU WORK ON ALL ELEMENTS TOGETHER TO CREATE THE FINISHED PRODUCT?

'MY MUM CREATES THE JACKETS FROM HER HOME STUDIO. I CAN'T SEW, DUE TO MY EYESIGHT, SO I REALLY AM GUIDED BY MY TALENTED MUM. SHE DOES BOTH THE DESIGNING AND MAKING, BUT I LOVE DESIGNING TOO. WE WORK TOGETHER WHEN SKETCHING AND CREATING THE JACKETS. WE LOVE SHARING IDEAS WITH EACH OTHER.' 

> YOUR PIECES HAVE ATTRACTED A LOT OF ATTENTION LATELY, FROM THE LIKES OF VOGUE MAGAZINE, MODELS SUKI WATERHOUSE AND THE HALPIN SISTERS, AND EVEN KANYE WEST. GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, WOULD THERE BE ANYONE YOU'D LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH? CELEBRITIES, DESIGNERS.. ANYONE!

'SOCIAL MEDIA IS AN AMAZING THING, ESPECIALLY FOR BUILDING UP AWARENESS OF YOUR BRAND. SUKI ACTUALLY HAD OUR FIRST EVER FAUX FUR BOMBER JACKET; SHE'D FOLLOWED US FOR A WHILE WHEN WE WERE STILL DOING THE CARDIGANS. WE COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER CUSTOMER FOR THE FIRST FAUX FUR JACKET - WE LOVE SUKI! WE'VE BEEN LUCKY TO HAVE SOME REALLY TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOOT OUR PIECES. ONE OF THEM, WHO WAS A FRIEND OF JOANNA HALPIN HAD HER MODEL THE JACKETS FOR THE SHOOT. SHE LOVES THEM, WHICH IS GREAT!

IN TERMS OF A COLLABORATION...IT'S HARD...THEY'D HAVE TO BE COOL! AND PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT WE DO.'

> ON A SIMILAR NOTE, WOULD YOU EVER CONSIDER EXPANDING TDS TO INCLUDE A RANGE OF DIFFERENT PIECES, OR EVEN ACCESSORIES?

'MAYBE. IN THE PAST WE HAVE MADE SNOODS, BUT AT THE MOMENT THE JACKETS SEEM TO BE WHAT THE CUSTOMERS WANT.' 

> THE JACKETS ARE VERY MUCH STATEMENT PIECES. DO YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR PERSON OR STYLE IN MIND THAT YOU DESIGN FOR, OR WOULD YOU SAY THEY ARE VERSATILE AND ACCESSIBLE TO A RANGE OF STYLES?

'WE DON'T DESIGN FOR ANYONE IN PARTICULAR. OUR CUSTOMERS ARE A RANGE OF AGES, AND COME FROM PLACES ALL OVER THE WORLD. I'D SAY OUR PIECES ARE VERY VERSATILE. WE PRODUCE JACKETS IN MOSTLY NEUTRAL COLOURS; IT'S WHAT WE PERSONALLY PREFER, BUT WE LOVE EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW COLOURS AND FABRICS TOO. EVERY JACKET IS COMPLETELY UNIQUE, WHICH MAKES IT SPECIAL TO HAVE A PIECE THAT'S REALLY YOUR OWN.'

I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON ONE FOR THIS A/W. 

JUST A HEADS UP; THESE BABIES SELL OUT IN SECONDS AS THEY ARE ALL ONE-OFFS. SO MAKE SURE YOU'RE UP TO DATE WITH TDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO FIND OUT WHEN THE NEXT COLLECTION HAS BEEN CREATED. 

INSTAGRAM: @thedesignstudiohawarden

TWITTER: @designhawarden

FACEBOOK: THE DESIGN STUDIO HAWARDEN 

SHOP ONLINE @ WWW.THEDESIGNSTUDIOHAWARDEN.CO.UK

PHOTO CREDIT: ALL IMAGES IN THIS POST BELONG TO THE DESIGN STUDIO AND/OR ANY AFFILIATED PHOTOGRAPHERS. 

interview : hooton tennis club

Hooton Tennis Club are fast becoming regulars to Liverpool's ever-growing music scene. Signing a deal with Heavenly, after almost a year of playing shows under that attention-grabbing moniker is no mean feat, so I wanted to find out just how they did it. 

Ryan (vocals, guitar), Callum (bass) and Harry (drums) kindly agreed to meet me for a chat on a sunny Saturday afternoon - amidst their hectic schedule of signing contracts and going to festivals. Alright for some eh?

photo: twitter

Callum: Hi, we're Hooton Tennis Club!

me: OK, that's a good place to start - tell me about the name.

Ryan: We were making music in Harry's bedroom, and we went to get some chips.. then we walked past the sign for Hooton Tennis Club. We thought "oh, that'd be a good song name!", but it stuck as a band name. And that's how interesting that story is!

Harry: Maybe we need to change it though, because no one ever gets it right. We've had Hootin, Hootun.. someone even did it with an A.

me: I'm not going to ask the typical 'who are your influences' question, so I'll ask you to describe your sound.

Callum: Describe our sound? ..rubbish.

Harry: People trying to play Pavement songs, but they're not quite good enough.

Callum: Sloppy?

Harry: Yeah, people always say 'slacker'.

me: Isn't that an insult?

Harry: A backhanded compliment..

Ryan: Someone called it 'melodic sloppiness'.. so we'll go with that as the tagline.

me: So you've just signed with Heavenly, and you're going to be recording with Bill Ryder-Jones.. is that right? Are you allowed to tell me when you'll be bringing out new stuff, or is that top secret?

Ryan: I have absolutely no idea.. January is when they're aiming for. But it's already been pushed  back twice. All I know is that it's going to be in 3D. With listening glasses.

me: What about gigs for the rest of the year? Or will you just be in the studio?

Callum: No, we're playing Dalston two weeks today, and then the Palm House in Sefton Park.

Ryan: We've got a Halloween show. 

Harry: Me and Ryan made this hidden EP when he got a synth, so we might learn some of those for then.

Ryan: It's like shouty garage, with ghostly overtones. Stories about ghosts and vampires and werewolves.

me: Are you going to dress up?

Ryan: I think we should. Get sheets and cut holes in them for eyes.

me: I've noticed that your song titles all involve names. Is that intentional?

Harry: Yeah, we get a random book and pick a random sentence. Sometimes we change the name though.

me: So they're not actually based on real people? Everyone just thinks you write about mysterious ex-girlfriends.

Harry: Well Jennifer was because we were obsessed with Supergrass when we were like 16, and their band before was called The Jennifers.

Ryan: Some of the girls were real! Camilla was one I met in Copenhagen.

Callum: And she actually drew 14 dots on her knee.

Ryan: *demonstrates the method* 'there were no windows in the little hospital'. 

me: So that's the next single?

Harry: Add a girls name in.

Ryan: Done.

me: Liverpool's music scene is really thriving at the moment - who are you rating?

Callum: Well obviously that's because of us.

Harry: ..or in spite of us. I like Strange Collective. *all agree* Really loud garagey psych. The OC's kind of thing.

Ryan: We listen to Stealing Sheep. *to Callum* I like that thing you say about Liverpool.

Callum: Well, I don't think there is a scene. There's not a sound. There's loads of good bands doing really different things. It's very varied in Liverpool. But at the same time, somehow, it's a scene.

Harry: Liverpool has always been a melting pot of things.

Ryan: I think it's because it's a port. We're lucky to have things like Sound City, Music Week.. that festival thing in Sefton Park. There's always something going on in Liverpool.

Callum: And there are loads of great people working in the music industry here. The press are good guys, and we've got some great promoters too.

me: I feel like Liverpool bands aren't weighed down by a certain 'thing'. Because the Beatles are so big, nobody's going to try and match that.

Callum: Yeah, and they're not just Liverpool's band, they're everybody's band. 

me: And finally, if you could only listen to one band for the rest of your life, who would it be?

Callum: Us.

me: You can't pick yourselves..

Ryan: I'm going to go with Animal Collective. They've got so much music and it's really varied. I'd never get bored.

Harry: I'm going to cheat and say Motown. Rather than one artist, like a 'Best of..' album.

Callum, (after much deliberation):  Beach Fossils.

Ryan: No! Where's the longevity in that?

Callum: Whenever I dont have anything to listen to, I always go back to that first album of theirs.

Ryan: Who would James pick? (the 4th member of Hooton Tennis Club)

Harry: Bullet for my Valentine. But don't put that one in. 

See below for a list of the band's upcoming shows:

introducing : horsebeach

photo: bandcamp

Horsebeach is the creation of Manchester-born-and-bred Ryan Kennedy. Recording in his flat and self-releasing the debut album earlier this year, his aim was not to sell thousands of records but to put out something he was proud of, for the world to hear - and proud he should be. The album is dream-filled and dazzling, whilst remaining dappled with Manchester's never-shifting drizzle. It's perfect for fans of anything released on Captured Tracks. 

I caught up with Ryan himself to find out more about this still largely secretive project of his, which - just to warn you - won't be a secret for much longer once people catch a glimpse of the album's sheer beauty from start to finish.

I've got to ask you about the name.. Your music definitely falls into in the same bracket as that of Beach Fossils / Real Estate / Wild Nothing who all have a 'beachy' vibe. So did your sound play a part in choosing an appropriate name for the band?

I think our sound at the beginning definitely influenced the name... right at the start I wanted to have a more surfy sound but yes, we also listened to Beach Fossils, Beach House..that sort of thing, so it seemed right to have 'beach' in the name. The 'horse' part just came out of nowhere, but I guess if you say a band name enough it starts to sound right no matter what it is. Horsebeach just stuck.

Rather than me continuing to speculate about influences, how would you describe your sound?

It's difficult for me to describe my own sound without explaining the influence behind it but I'll have a go. It's a distorted reflection of all the American, sunny-guitar/dream-pop, but instead of chiming through the streets of Brooklyn it echoes through the rainy, red-bricked alleyways of Manchester, which brings a slight morbidness.  

What inspired you to start the band, or to start making music in the first place?

I started messing about with making music when I was around 14. Me and a few school mates got together, wrote some songs and played them to our friends for a while. We had a few gigs, nothing big, but it was fun. I didn't write anything for a long time after that. I carried on playing my guitar and joining bands but didn't really take it seriously. As time went on I started getting interested in recording music and the whole recording process, so I ended up building up a little system using a cassette recorder where I could layer up the guitar and create repetitive loops. The point where I decided to start writing Horsebeach material was when I stumbled across Ducktails' album 'S/T' and thought "wow, this is great, and this guy is just doing it on a small four track or something, so maybe I should try that". As I was writing the songs I would send them over to Matt, who wasn't the drummer at this point, and he would let me know what he thought of them. Matt suggested I try doing it live, so that's how we ended up forming the band. Matt recruited his brother Dan for guitar and I enlisted our school friend Tom to play bass. I showed everybody which parts they needed to play, and Horsebeach finally materialised.

Releasing your debut LP earlier this summer was a pretty brave move for a band that are still very much 'under-the-radar', but what made you do it?

I've always enjoyed the whole do-it-yourself ethos, and from the beginning I kept myself as independent as I could. I think being a part of an album from writing the songs, to the cover design, allows you to stay 100% genuine. I was just writing stuff and releasing it off my own back. We had two singles to start out with; the first one sold out straight away, and the second started to gather some interest, so I just decided I would get an album out before the year was over. I was doing this all for personal reasons anyway, I didn't think about whether there was enough promo, or whether it was the right time, I just wanted to capture this particular moment of my songwriting. So I re-recorded it all properly in my flat and got it pressed. I was happy just selling records in Manchester and never expected it to get very far, so it's great that people have started to pick up on it, and word seems to be spreading. I'm so happy with the reception it's had and people's feedback so far!

Whilst the majority of your material sounds as though it's been created in the (sunnier) States, there are definitely elements of your music that could only come from a band out of Manchester. Do you think location plays a part on the way a band sounds? 

I guess it does, yes. The sunny side comes from listening to all the American guitar bands, but I never intended on giving the music a Manchester tinge, it seems to have crept in there on it's own. Maybe it's a combination of the weather, the people and the heritage. I did grow up listening to The Smiths after all.

And finally, what's next for Horsebeach?

We've got a few shows coming up to finish the year with; we're supporting Lust For Youth on 27th September at Soup Kitchen (Manchester) and we're playing Primavera Club in Barcelona on 2nd November, which I'm excited about. As far as releases go, I'm already working on new stuff for the next album and I'm looking at getting a new single out at the beginning of next year.


Horsebeach's self-titled debut album is out now. 
Visit their bandcamp page to download it. 

introducing : public access tv

photo : facebook

Public Access TV are probably the first band from NYC that are eager to shake the inevitable Strokes comparisons, and it's for a good reason too. They are making infectiously catchy - but substantial - guitar music in their own right, which is more comparable with early 2000s British indie-rock than anything from their home turf. 

The band surfaced online earlier this year with 'Monaco', which is one of the 5 tracks featured on their upcoming debut EP, and they have since been picked up by the likes of NME and Q magazines.

One of the most appealing things about Public Access TV (aside from their ability to make great music) is that they're not concerned about aesthetics; it's all about the music for these guys. 'Rebounder' is their first video release, to accompany the EP of the same title, and captures their 'no frills' approach perfectly. DIY clips of the band out and about in the city are combined with them practising, and playing live. No chance of chiaroscuro shots of models here anytime soon.

To find out a bit more, I asked lead singer John a couple of questions:

You guys seemed to appear almost out of nowhere online with 'Monaco', but how long have you been making music? 
I've been making music my whole life. This particular project I started about 9 months ago though with songs that I was writing the year before. 

What do you think you'd be doing if you weren't in a band? 

Music is literally the only thing I can do. I'd be in laying in the gutter somewhere...or a brain surgeon. 

You've had a good amount of coverage so far from UK press - such as NME, Q and The Guardian - and the British journalists always seem keen to be the first to discover emerging talent. How has your band's reception differed over here from the reception in the US? Are they equally as interested and excited about Public Access TV? 

It's different because America is so much bigger geographically. It takes a little longer for word to travel. Everything has been great so far though. We're really excited to tour and play for more people. 

And finally, how would you describe your sound? 

Rock and Roll. 

Public Access TV's 'Rebounder' EP is out in the UK on 24th August. 
 Pre-order it now on iTunes to receive a download of 'Middle Child' instantly.

The band will join Circa Waves on tour in the UK this autumn. For a full list of dates, click here.

interview : bill ryder-jones

Bill Ryder-Jones is possibly the most underrated man in the music world. Most people know him as lead guitarist of 00′s indie band The Coral – whom he left to pursue a solo career in 2008 – but his talents stretch so much further than that. He has produced and written music for short films, as well as working with a select few individuals on various projects, such as Alex Turner and Miles Kane. He also performed with Arctic Monkeys on their latest album ‘AM‘ and its respective tour. 

Both his solo albums are very different to his other projects, and show his ability to vary and develop his sound as he progresses as an artist. On his debut, ‘If…’, he explored a more orchestral approach to songwriting, whereas ‘A Bad Wind Blows in my Heart’ is much more refined sonically, stripped back to piano and guitar and has much more personal lyrics.

What’s your earliest musical memory, and what was it that made you want to be a musician yourself?

My earliest musical memory would be hearing my brother play his violin. I would have been around 6 I think. He was learning Dvorak’s New World Symphony actually.  I don’t think I ever had the thought ‘I want to be a musician’ – certainly not consciously at least. Having said that, it was a long time ago that I picked up my first instrument so I could be wrong. My impression has been that music was always something floating around at home and at school. I’d had bits of piano and violin tutoring, but it wasn’t until I was 13 that I became obsessed.

You’re from the small town of West Kirby on the Wirral. Do you think your material is more influenced by your coastal home town, or more by the city life in nearby Liverpool?

The short answer is: I don’t know. I guess West Kirby being my home has had the most direct influence.

You’re pretty comprehensive as a musician. You write it, play it, produce it. So what’s your favourite part?

That’s kind. Like most of the people I know who do what I do, it’s the addiction to creation that keeps you going. Writing something new and pure can give you a feeling that lasts for months, well it does for me anyway. The production is great too; it’s good for the soul to help someone achieve something. Playing live is fine but it’s weird and certainly not why I do it. That level of performance seems very odd to me. I don’t really trust people who are obsessed with performing in that way.

I’ve noticed that you tend to work with the same people – such as Alex Turner on his various projects – and local lads By the Sea, producing both their albums. It must be pretty rewarding to go back and work with these people and be a part of their evolution as musicians?

I guess so yeah. Like I said earlier, being part of anything that someone you respect or love does is incredibly rewarding. By The Sea are just wonderful. It’s silly that they aren’t massive. I think they’re the kind of band that in ten years time, everybody will pretend they loved them in the early days.

On the topic of collaborations – if you could collaborate with anyone, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?

I bang on about him all the time, but Euros Childs is still my favourite writer to this day. If he ever wanted me for any kind of work then I’d be there. The others I’m thinking of would be people whom I’d love to see work and to learn how they do things… Warren Ellis is an incredible musician, and someone I’d love to be able to watch work closely. Lou Reed – I’d have loved to have seen him live or in the studio, also Bowie too. Being able to see Nick McCabe in the early Verve days would’ve been quite something. There are some people whom I’d love to work with as a producer, like Mick Head (we’ve been trying to do something for a few years now), or Echo and the Bunnymen, who are one of my favourite bands ever – I think they’ve had some top records ruined by bad sound in the past. Tell you what actually, it’d have been fun to work on some kind of collaboration with Bukowski! Don’t know what it would be but I reckon he’d have liked West Kirby.

Written for PostMusicDepression

introducing : by the sea

photo: thisisfakediy.co.uk

Wirral 5-piece By The Sea are creating sounds that would seem more at home on the West Coast

of America, than on the West Coast of England. 

Despite this, there's an underlying 80s-alternative echo that's distinctively British.

The band formed in 2010, and their self-titled debut album was released in November 2012, 

yet they're still almost unknown beyond the perimeters of Merseyside. 

With album number two currently underway, I'm hopeful that the new year will bring these lads 

the recognition they deserve.

I got in touch with lead singer Liam, who kindly agreed to answer some questions:

How would you describe your sound?

Chorus pedals, reverb, Fender guitars, and the good side of the 80s.

Was there something in particular that sparked your interest in music, and made you

want to start the band?

Nothing in particular, just the endless creative element of music.

I would have loved to have been an artist but I'm shit at drawing, so music was option 2 on the list.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I just got The Triffids' album 'In the Pines' as a Christmas gift, it's pretty cool.

BEAK>>, Guided By Voices, and Audio Dynamite are also on my iPod at the moment.

What do you like doing when you're not making music?

Worrying about not making music.

And also the driving range for a spot of golf, on occasion.

What's next for By The Sea?

Well we've just finished our second album at Parr St. Studios, with Bill Ryder-Jones 

and Chris Taylor at the controls. We're made up with how it sounds and we're preparing to release

it sometime in 2014, before the summer we hope. 

So we'll be playing lots of gigs around the UK, and hopefully a couple of European dates too!

You can watch the band's latest video for 'Alone Together' here.

Find them on:

Twitter

Facebook

iTunes

interview : drowners

photo: thisisfakediy.co.uk

Drowners are one of New York's best kept secrets, but won't be for much longer.

Named after a Suede song, fond of a good leather jacket, and frontman Matthew Hitt even had a brief modelling stint..

What's not to love?

Their debut album is due for release early next year, and they've already given us a preview with the single, 'Luv Hold Me Down'. 

You can watch the video here, (which consists mostly of skateboarding, beer-drinking, and travelling around America). 

These guys are seriously good, so if you haven't already checked them out then I suggest you do.

I managed to get in touch with Matthew, and he very kindly agreed to answer a few questions.

Tell me a bit about yourselves..

We formed in late 2011 after we all met in numerous bars. 

I'd written some songs and decided to book a gig before we'd played together, 

so we kind of had a self-imposed deadline to get our heads down and work on some songs. 

We've kinda had that work ethic ever since.

How would you describe your sound?

It's sort of melodic post-punk influenced guitar music. 

Someone said neo-Britpop once and I quite liked that.

Your lyrics seem very 'real'. What do you tend to write about? 

Pretty much all of the songs are about actual people/situations that've happened. 

Otherwise, I write down things that I hear people say while they're arguing on a street corner or on the subway.

You guys met at a bar, right? What made you want to start the band together?

We just eventually realized that we had this massive musical common ground and we'd all played in bands before. 

It was something we all wanted to spend time doing and Jack had already gotten a practice space,

 so we kind of started meeting there instead of the pub.

What do you like doing when you're not making music?

Personally, I like walking around New York. I don't spend much time doing anything else. 

Writing, practicing, walking round and boozing...

Your debut album is due for release early next year. What should we expect? 

We recorded it with Gus Oberg and Johnny T in about 3 weeks. 

It's pretty fast paced and, to me, sounds romantically aggressive. 

It's out on January 28th through FrenchKiss Records.

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where i went : x&y festival

Last Saturday I went to X&Y Festival at Liverpool's O2 Academy. 

With many city-based 'festivals' springing up around the country (Dot to Dot, Sound City) it's no wonder X&Y has taken off, despite only being in it's second year of running. 

The lineup was a mixed bag - bigger names, emerging bands, and bands just starting out. For £10 it was definitely worth a try. The festival took place over two days; Saturday at the O2 Academy using both stages, and Sunday at East Village Arts Club.

photo: X&Y Festival/I Love Live Events

We arrived at about 6pm, and caught the end of Run Tiger Run's set - a new contribution to the Liverpool music scene with a sound reminiscent of Dance a la Plage, and guitar riffs to rival those created by a certain Yannis Philipakkis. You can check out their Youtube channel here.  

Next up were Jaws, one of my favourite new bands, from Birmingham. Their new single 'Gold' (and every other track they've released) will be top of your summer playlist, I can guarantee it. 

Then we had to divide our time between Discopolis on stage 2, and Catfish and The Bottlemen on stage 1. Discopolis are an electronic four-piece band from Edinburgh. Their sound is hard to describe, but you can listen to their debut single 'Lofty Ambitions' on their Soundcloud page here. 

Do I even need to tell you who Catfish and the Bottlemen are? They played a fantastic set, as always. Probably my favourite of the day, but then maybe I'm just biased..? You can check out the interview I did with them back in January here, and their new single 'Homesick' (with an even catchier B-side, 'Pacifier') is available on iTunes now.

Lastly, but by no means least, The Heartbreaks who were brilliant as expected. They played mostly new material, which sounded really good! I even got to ask Matthew a few questions..

photo: louderthanwar.com

You're from a little seaside town with a pretty much non-existent music scene. Was this a reason for starting the band - to get out of Morcambe?

Certainly. I’ve been trying to escape since the first time I ran away from home; five years old, a bindle over my shoulder and a bottle of lemonade under my arm. The best pop music is all about escapism. And we make the very best pop music. 

If you weren't in the band what do you think you'd be doing? 

We’d be in the gutter. Looking at the gutter.

Your top 5 bands at the moment?

We hate everything.

Aside from a new album this autumn (?), what else is on the cards for The Heartbreaks?

Oh, I don’t know about the autumn. A single certainly, but not an album... Until then? I dunno. A little miniature golf, a little football perhaps... 

Who did you enjoy seeing at X&Y?

Catfish & The Bottlemen. They're sweet guys. They remind me of ourselves, before the cruel and shallow money trench that is the music industry sucked out any joy that we once felt for life. 

You can find The Heartbreaks on:

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Their website