Hiya Modern Marriage thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Thanks for joining us today… Tell us bit about where you are from and how you got into music?
Greetings, we’re a three piece indie rock band from Merseyside! We’ve just released our debut album ‘Grim Up North’ on legendary Birkenhead independent Skeleton Records.
Ben (vocals/guitar/keyboards) – I’ve been musical as long as I can ever remember. I think it’s some sort of an unwanted gift as I play eight instruments and could probably get a tune out of a Toblerone if you gave me half an hour.
Eloise (bass) – Music has been important to me since my early teens and I look towards it to add a bit of colour to my days. Make walks to and from anywhere interesting and I love finding songs and albums that get me excited!
Danny (drums) – My dad is the main reason I’m into music. I picked up his guitar at 14 and then transitioned to the drums during my Music A-Level 🙂
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
Ben – Our debut album ‘Grim Up North!’ It’s a collection of stories about growing up in an unfashionable Northern town like Birkenhead and me reacting to all the strange characters I encounter in everyday life. Life is nothing but mildly amusing a lot of the time and I hope it comes across in the songs.
Eloise – It’s available on LP, CD, digital download and on all major streaming services and we’d be delighted beyond words if you gave it a listen!
What was the recording process like?
Ben – We self-funded the album and recorded it in our spare time over three years. I co-produced alongside engineer d’excellence Andy Fernihough, so you can blame me if the trumpet is too loud! Eloise – We played every instrument ourselves, excluding the string quartet on ‘IKEA Flatpack,’ where we were joined by ‘Margo and The Fiddlers,’ who feature Ben’s Mum on violin!
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Ben – We did actually, the first test pressing was rejected in favour of a remix of side one. Very glad we did – the new mix is much better.
Danny – Shout out to Andy Fernihough at 3rd Planet Studios for his genius and his patience!
What’s currently in your ears and on rotation at the moment?
Ben – XTC, The Jam, Buzzcocks, TV Personalities, Half Man Half Biscuit, Captain Beefheart, Captain Birdseye, Captain Hook and Captain Sensible.
Eloise – Carnival by The Cardigans, In This Room by Ride and American Football’s most recent album are big hitters for me at the moment.
Danny – Anything and everything that helps me with learning Japanese! Podcasts, music, etc.
What are your ambitions for the band?
Ben – We’re genuinely delighted with the reception the album has had and we’re in the middle of scheduling a UK tour to promote it! We’ve frankly no idea what the future holds, but we intend to enjoy the ride whilst it lasts.
Eloise – Carry on having fun. If we make it big and a load of people end up liking our music, then great, but as long as it’s fun and fulfilling creatively then I think I’ll continue to enjoy it!
What’s the live music scene like in Liverpool right now?
Ben – There’s just been an article in the Liverpool Echo this week where Stealing Sheep have outlined how bad it is, saying they can gig everywhere in the world but not in Liverpool(!) There’s some highlights – the IPO is good every year – but we find there’s no middle ground. There’s a handful of grassroots gigs for bands just starting off, and then a massive jump up to the big venues. C+, could do better.
Do you think it’s easy to become a victim of our surrounds sometimes?
Ben – Well, you have to take the rough with the smooth. Some of our best gigs have been on the road (Holmfirth Picturedrome with Half Man Half Biscuit being a personal favourite venue). At the same time, growing up in Merseyside has definitely shaped my sense of humour, my attitude to the world, the way my songs develop, and a growing desire not to be yet another band that copy Oasis.
Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Ben – I hear this new band ‘Long John and the Silver Beetles’ might be ones to watch, they’re just off to do a residency in Hamburg… Buy everything Half Man Half Biscuit have ever released!
Eloise – Come across a really cool band from Glasgow recently called Plant Science and can’t stop listening to their most recent single ‘little alien!’
Danny – One of the best bands we have played with in recent memory are The Drop Jonnies. Great bunch of lads and they had an awesome sound/vibe!
What’s your favourite social media platform to use and why?
Ben – I hate them all. They’re a necessary evil to spread The Word, but I’d rather pretend it was 1846 and rely on semaphore signals and carrier pigeon.
Eloise – I do communications in my day job, so naturally I loathe all social media platforms with Facebook being the most loathsome.
Danny – Does YouTube count?
We believe it’s essential to have a presence on Facebook, Instagram and X to introduce yourself to all the different types of audiences out there, what’s your thoughts on that?
Ben – In honesty, we leave the social media to the fantastic Lizzie Griffin, who’s also our artistic director and painted the album cover for ‘Grim Up North.’ She’s great. Most of our social media seems to consist of me doing daft things that I’m not entirely sure I was aware she was filming…
Eloise – I think anyone with good morals and remaining hope for humanity trying to build a platform on “X” is fighting a losing battle.
Danny – We’ve made six music videos now and they’re on YouTube. I got to hit someone over the head with a banjo on Mersey Ferry – quality entertainment.
What’s your view on the Music Industry today?
Ben – I love how diverse it’s become – there’s a niche for every subgenre and there’s so many scenes all going completely independently of each other. It does mean it’s almost impossible for an underground artist to become “mainstream” as in the past, as everybody lives in their own musical world, driven by playlists instead of by everybody listening to the same radio stations.
Eloise – It feels like a lot of Indie bands are now judged primarily by the aesthetic and mystique of their social media presence rather than their musicality or originality, and it can all be a bit of a soul vacuum if you let it.
Danny – ‘ere ‘ere.
What’s your thoughts on AI generated music?
Ben – I’m in no danger, AI could never write lyrics as daft as mine.
What’s the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
Ben – Your neighbours don’t respond well to you trying to learn the tuba. Stick to something sensible. Bagpipes for instance…
Eloise – the note C sharp. It’s quite cool, yenno. Kind of like C but a bit sharper?
Danny – sometimes, life calls for more cowbell…
What was your worst experience on stage? Any funny stories to share?
Ben – We once did a gig where our performance was interrupted with somebody announcing that the sound engineer’s labrador had defecated in a guitar case. All’s well, it wasn’t my case…
Got any fun, funny stories from life on the road?
Eloise – The unfortunate height of touring japes were going on stage twenty minutes late after being accosted by a traffic warden in Wigan (affectionately known by us as ‘So Very Sad Samuel’) for loading out in front of a venue we were playing. Still waiting on the parking ticket!
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Ben – Rumour has it our second album has already been recorded and is scheduled for release next year…
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