Hiya folks thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today, grab a brew and take a seat.
What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
From a writing perspective, I’ve found it provides an element of catharsis that I struggle to get from anything else. It’s allowed me to navigate some deeply painful things by creating something I can hold onto when my sense of self is all over the place.
Introduce us to you and your musical history.
I’m Sarah (vocals/guitar/bass), and I’ve been writing songs since I was 12. Then there’s Brad (guitar/bass), who undoubtedly has the most charisma on and off the stage. Tom (drums) is the calm and collected guy who adds all the weirdness to our songs. Last but not least, Toby (keys) is our resident artist who certainly has a way with ambience.
What was life like for you before music?
For Brad, life before music was largely playing with transformers and watching Lord of The Rings on repeat – which I think speaks for most of the boys now that I think about it.
What was the first song you heard that steered you into a music path?
During a 10-hour drive circa 2009, Tom accidentally stumbled across No Surprises by Radiohead on his iPod shuffle. He found the riff so immensely satisfying that he saw little reason to listen to anything else, and the quality of what had been an otherwise boring French holiday skyrocketed. Ironically, for Toby it was also Radiohead – Videotape specifically!
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
I’d say we are kind of on the precipice of something good if we can just keep it together. While we have been lucky enough to get some amazing opportunities, our big hope is that we are able to share our music with a wider audience. I think there’s people out there that would appreciate what we have to say, but we’ve really had to work on our live shows to make sure we actually deliver that message at every chance.
What’s the biggest thing you have learned from someone else in the industry?
Our manager, Gareth, has taught us to be more strategic with gigging. We were always of the opinion that as many gigs as possible was the best way forward, but he’s taught us that this isn’t necessarily the case.
Tell us Two truths and a lie about you.
I think Tom’s is the best so here you go:
He is a survivor of latent Tuberculosis.
He was scouted to play in a Mozambican football team.
He was scouted to play in a Tanzanian football team.
If you could wish for one thing to aid your career what would it be?
More time! And maybe enough money to set up camp in the studio
Do you ever worry about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture? Discuss….
A little, but I guess the best you can do is be a decent human being and trust that that’s gonna be good enough
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories? If not why not?
When I put this to the band I got a real mix of answers. Tom was predictably steadfast as a non-believer, but Toby seems to believe “The real Sarah died and was replaced by a lizard in a very convincing outfit.”
What was the worst experience on stage?
Oh boy there’s been a few low points but having the mic taken off me by a lady who simply NEEDED to announce that the raffle would be closing imminently was definitely up there.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
I’m actually a lizard in a very convincing outfit
What makes you stand out as an artist?
It’s so hard to say when you’re talking about your own music, but we truly don’t try to be something we aren’t. It falls together from a very genuine place, and we never restrict ourselves to one sound or mood.
I hear you have a new music, what can you tell us about it.
We do indeed! It’s a song called Pockets, and it’s maybe our most danceable track!
What was the recording process like?
We did our standard practice of trying to lay out a very comprehensive demo at home before heading to our main man Faz in the studio. I actually managed to convince all the boys to join me in the vocal booth for this one, and you can faintly hear them providing some extra warmth in those final lines (in between a lot of laughing fits)
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
Finding a way to make something that is commercially viable whilst also maintaining a sense of artistic integrity is the main challenge when writing. Still learning how to balance the two!
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Maybe we should have ended the track with a 20 minute spoken word piece about the history of pockets and their utility. It would’ve been both topical and informative
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Toby would like to share his crisps with you, but he’s unsure whether there’s enough to go around
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