What made you decide that music is the path for you?
Annie: I’ve really always wanted to do music, but it felt like I was kind of waiting for someone to give me permission. I ended up in a job I was struggling with, having to quit in order to protect my mental health, and I realised I was pursuing totally the wrong thing.
Introduce us to you all and your musical history.
Annie: I played a little piano and sang in choirs when I was young, and then Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift introduced me to songwriting and I knew thats what I wanted to learn. My brother and I have always had music in common, and over the years he’s the person I would first show all my songs to, but we didn’t think we’d get to take this journey together until we met the rest of the band!
George: I met Annie the day I was born and knew that we would be friends for life. I then met Roddy (lead guitar) at a murder mystery birthday of a mutual friend, and the music sparked from there. We collected more friends (Ben- bassist and Ryan- keyboard) along the way and haven’t really looked back since. Being the lead singer’s sibling, I have known these songs for years, but being part of the process of bringing them to life with the band is pretty special.
Roddy: I picked up a guitar ten years ago and started making fun little lo-fi songs on my laptop. I didn’t have any luck finding a band that would make it past a couple jam sessions until meeting this lot.
Ryan: My musical history has been all over the shot. Played the trombone, sang opera, dabbled with jazz piano. Didn’t stick with something long enough until this band came along.
Ben: Learned classical guitar as a kid and then switched to bass after trying it once at school. Then after school, didn’t play my guitar again until Annie got in touch.
What’s the live music scene like in Edinburgh right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Annie: the Edinburgh scene is pretty good and varied actually, although I think really there’s a lot of crossover across the central belt of Scotland. We’ve met some lovely and talented bands at gigs we’ve done, I would check out: Red Hearted Vibrations, Pink Cloud Season and The Urban (and us, obviously!) Katie Nicoll is also making some excellent pop music at the moment.
I’ve seen a lot of people struggling for support recently online. What’s your view on the industry?
Annie: I think we all know the music industry isn’t an easy place to be at the moment, but as tired as the phrase is I think you need to be the change you want to see, so we try to support our grassroots venues and create a community with other independent artists to support each other.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
Annie: I think people aren’t entirely sure whether to place us in pop, rock or indie and that’s exactly where we want to be – I don’t think you necessarily have to be one thing. Aside from that, we’re an independent grassroots act right now, but the last 6 months have been a whirlwind so it’s just the beginning.
Tell us two truths and a lie about you.
Annie: I have a degree in History. I’ve only been playing guitar for two years. I was on TV diving in a shark tank when I was 14.
Ben has a degree in Geography, he lived in Austria for half a year, and he hates two truths and a lie.
Ryan has a pet dog called Keith, wrote a sold out show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and is a big fan of the Rolling Stones.
Roddy has released his own music, plays the violin, and is an uncle.
George: I have all the prerequisites skills to be James Bond- skiing, scuba diving, go-karting, martial arts and a flair for drama. My dad was almost a member of the Bay City Rollers. My first instrument isn’t the drums.
Do you ever worry about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture? Discuss….
Annie: I think it’s easy to say that cancel culture can be extreme, but I honestly think it’s just as easy to be mindful about the choices you make, to be inclusive, and to hold yourself accountable. Apologies go a long way, and most people will ultimately allow you the grace to grow.
Do you subscribe to any conspiracy theories? If not, why not?
Annie: I like to tell people I think the moon landing was faked. Not because I think it’s true, but because I enjoy the chaos.
George: Ooh I love this question. Do I genuinely believe any? I am not sure.
There are a few I absolutely love- I find the moon landing being fake the most fun one to believe, and the Bermuda Triangle being a portal is also a good one.
Ryan: Do I subscribe to any conspiracy theories? Too many to mention.
Ben: The muppets caused 9/11 – look it up
What was your best experience on stage?
Annie: Getting to headline King Tuts was incredible, but also the first gig we played where people were clapping and singing along was an amazing feeling. That was at Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh, and the crowd was amazing.
Roddy: The first time I used my boost pedal for my guitar solo on “Too Shallow” and letting it wail.
George: I think my best experience on stage is also one of the worst days of my life.
A couple of weeks ago, we got the opportunity to headline King Tuts in Glasgow, however I was extremely unwell very suddenly and spent all evening running to and from the bathroom. It was very touch and go, but I splashed water on my face, said “let’s do this!” and I think I performed our full half an hour set without mistakes.
Ben: King Tuts – was wild playing on stage somewhere I’d been to so many times.
Ryan: The first time people sang along to our music. Was so cool and I don’t think it’s something anyone can ever get used to.
What was your worst experience on stage?
Annie: The very first ‘gig’ we ever played was when we were only a band of 3 and we played my Dad’s garden party. I think it’s fair to say the crowd went mild, and we knew we had a lot of work to do after that.
Ryan: Probably forgetting and entire song and having to vibe out. Everyone has off days I suppose.
George: Weirdly it was our first gig, if you can even call it that. Our dad was hosting a garden party and asked us to do an opening set. We didn’t really know what we were doing, so it was one of our most awkward gigs to date, but it didn’t help that halfway through a song, one of my cymbals fell off its stand… so yeah, it was defo up there with the worst onstage experiences I’ve had.
Roddy: Having my guitar sound cut out right at the start of a song because of a dodgy cable. Awkward.
Ben: Having to play Sunday Girl by Blondie without knowing it.
Tell us something about you / each member that you think people would be surprised about.
Annie: For most of my life I thought I had crippling stage fright, and I only discovered this year that I actually don’t at all, I love performing. That’s been a surprise to even me! Also Ryan is too humble to say, but he’s also a talented director and is working on a short film, so keep your eyes out for that.
George: Annie and I are related, and our current producer used to be in a band with our dad in the 70s.
Roddy: I am incapable of playing Happy Birthday on guitar as the rest of the band can attest to.
Ben: I have intense stage fright.
What are the next steps you plan to take as a band to reach the next level?
Annie: well… I’ll give this as an exclusive here. Our first EP is actually number 1 of a planned series that will continue over 2025, so hopefully we can bring everyone who’s enjoying it along for the rest of the journey, and keep putting on the best gigs we can. We’re manifesting a couple of festival plays and your supports for next year too, so cross your fingers for us!
George:
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
Annie: well do! Our debut EP, DUSK, is fundamentally about love, loss and healing, but I also think it has two main messages. One is that if you let them, your insecurities and bitterness will start to lead you to a DARK place, but the second is that you are not alone in that dark place, and you can get out of it. We hope this EP gets to people who need to hear that, and know that someone else has been through the same thing.
George: Yes! We have recently released our first EP- Dusk. Dusk is all about reflecting on past relationships and learnings from life experiences- both good and bad. From what we’ve been told by listeners, there is a little something for everyone to relate to within the EP, and for those with keen ears, there’s no end of hidden references and Easter eggs to future projects in the lyrics…
What was the recording process like?
Annie: we tried to spend as much time as we could planning the sound before going into the studio, then we go in with all of our plans and see which ones will actually work. We then send the recordings off to Brian Spence and he mixes them. Callum at Brookwood Recording Studio has been great at Engineering and helping us with inspiration and problem solving. My and George’s Dad also comes to most of our recordings too as invaluable wisdom!
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
Annie: For me the biggest learning curve was to finish songs. The best piece of advice I ever got was to finish a song, no matter how silly or bad you think it might be, and decide once it’s finished. When I got that advice I set out to write and finish 50 songs for this project, in the hopes I’d end up with 15 good ones. The project started before there was even a band, and the 50th song I wrote was Shipwrecked which I wrote together with George and Roddy.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Annie: I’m a bit of a perfectionist so honestly there’s a million things I would change, but I don’t see the songs as ours any more. They belong to the people who are enjoying them, and if people are enjoying them as they are, then who am I to say they need more changes? We’re still learning but I think we’re getting better all the time, and I’m very excited for what we have ready for 2025.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Annie: For me, the main thing I want to share is the message at the core of our song Drifting Out – sometimes the night is long and dark, but there’s always a sunrise at the end, and that’s worth waiting it out for. And while you’re waiting it out, we’re here with you.
George: Just appreciation for how the last year has been. We hope our songs will resonate with people and can give them situations to relate to and connect with. We will also have several gigs coming up between end of January and end of February, so we would love people to come and check us out live.
Ben: Jaffa cakes aren’t biscuits. 👊
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