Hiya MORA 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?
Performing live; nothing else compares the ultimate dopamine hit of playing a great show for an audience who are absolutely losing themselves in it, that exchange of energies is the best part of it all. Music connects people, and that feels most real when it’s happening in person. Truth be told, it never even felt like a decision or a choice, I can’t imagine my life without it.
Introduce us to you all and your musical history.
So, we are quite an inviting rambling band and often play with an unreplicable changing line-up of familiar friends and special guests. But the current core musical group for MORA & the Fabulous Wonderfuls are: MORA (me) on lead vocals, George on rhythm guitar, Wolfie on bass, Trish on lead guitar and Eddie on drums. The Fabs all sing too, but Eddie still needs some convincing. We met in Manchester & Cheshire at local open mic and folk nights, and formed the group building on songs George had written, and we are now writing together for our next album.
What’s the live music scene like in Manchester right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (Bar you of course)
Despite being constantly endangered by MADCHESTER 90’s stagnation, the Manchester live music scene always manages to keep thriving, I think mainly down to the massive student population and dedicated music schools, as well as tons of open mic opportunities – special shout out to the incredible Shut The F*ck Up Open Mic nights at The Whiskey Jar with Joe Bagpipes, the militant host who keeps the audience respectful and has cultivated a really special platform for emerging live music showcase.
Jazz might be struggling a little, but there’s venues and collectives for pretty much every genre in the city. A couple of acts I’ve seen in the last 12 months who had electric live energy and are findable online are TTSSFU, Pyncher, Ask My Bull and The Sprats.
I’ve seen a lot of people struggling for support recently online. Whats your view on the industry?
That it’s never been easier to find an audience, and harder to make a living as an artist than right now. It’s heartbreaking. Artists deserve to be able to make a living, as a bare minimum. Streaming platforms have killed music sales and the expense of touring and live concerts has squeezed many new developing musicians into debt.
But if your art can find an audience, that power can be harnessed – fans are and always will be our greatest support. Our single released on Bandcamp for £1, and a handful of sales made us the same as a few thousand streams,. It’s still up there on Spotify and all the rest though, it’s unavoidable now if you want your music to reach people online. The model has changed probably irreversibly, but audiences are aware and still willing to support artists in new ways as well as more traditional ones.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
Outside it. Maybe in a sidecar? Being dragged along Marty McFly style? Something cool and detached.
Tell us Two truths and a lie about you.
I always try to tell the truth. I never lie. I rarely lie.
Do you ever worry about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture? Discuss….
Cancel culture doesn’t really exist, everyone can connect with their audience somewhere, so as long as you’ve got supporters you can’t really get canceled. So if you actually do, probably time to take a look at yourself.
You can’t control how people interpret art, but I know our intentions and that the message of our music is positive, unifying and inclusive, so if someone takes it the wrong way it’s just that – the wrong way.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories? If not why not?
Not really, but I did have my head turned by the Kurt Cobain documentary ‘Soaked In Bleach’. I do find the psychology behind them fascinating. There are loads of active conspiracies in the world, but I think the real explanations behind the motivations, and the ills that follow, are much simpler than most of these ‘theories’ suggest.
Greed just isn’t a very interesting villain, I guess. Immortality is much more mysterious and alluring. And anyone who has tried to organise even 6 adults for any activity should be sagely sceptical of the larger scale ones.
What was your best experience on stage?
There are amazing moments of magic scattered through all our performances, and it’s a struggle to think of a show where everything went 100% perfectly. That’s how you know it’s really live, the little mistakes so you know we’re not just holograms up there. There are flashes of out-of-body in-the-moment euphoria for me almost every time we play live, so my best experience on stage is just being up there with the Fabulous Wonderfuls, making our righteous racket.
Oh, a couple of years ago we were playing Stainsby festival, and a young girl in the audience was just openly weeping at the power of our performance – that felt pretty special, to see someone so moved by the music. That’s why we make music, to reach people. I have songs I adore that affect me like that, help me work through things, so it’s weirdly joyful to do it to other people.
What was your worst experience on stage?
I can’t even remember the name of the festival now, maybe I’ve blocked it out, but it should have been canceled due to bad weather. It wasn’t. Booked to close the festival, we hopscotched gear across makeshift stepping stones of foam pieces and carpet, in darkness, on what was pretty much a swamp by this point. We played our set to the 8 crew members who were left, but to be honest they were actually really loving it and appreciated our efforts. So it could have been worse. Probably.
So that’s not really a bad experience on stage. Oddly, some of the higher level venues have left us cold, and it’s not just the increased capacity. Our biggest gig last year was probably my least favourite, but there weren’t any major disasters. Sometimes the stars just don’t align.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
I’m not vegetarian or vegan. People always assume I am. I think it’s the nose ring?
What are the next steps you plan to take as a band to reach the next level?
We’ve got another single coming out this year at the end of November, and then a couple more next year along with the album – ‘Hot Property’. We’ve been playing together for a few years now, but only got around to recording last year, so it feels deliciously satisfying to get some tracks out there for fans to follow, and new people to discover. We’re planning another tour next spring, and have our fingers crossed to break into some new festivals next summer too!
I hear you have some new music, what can you tell us about it.
We do! We just released our first single at the end of September – Can You See. There is a common thread of righteous rage that runs through most of our songs, and this first single is the initial flare – a perfect example of who we are and what we want to say. It’s a lightningstorm of a track, with plenty of what I have started to call ‘bruised blues’, since seeing Lunatraktors and their ‘broken folk’ in Oxford this summer. George writes these incredible songs that can rip your heart out and put it back together in under 5 minutes, and this is one of those.
What was the recording process like?
Honestly it was amazing, and a lot of fun. We were adamant on doing it all together, everyone in the same room, to capture that live energy and retain the ability to be flexible, to push and pull as the song requires. We put the call out for spaces, and our good friend Iain ‘Mack’ Stead came up with the perfect place – The Lion Saltworks in Northwich.
We were in an apex room (read: loft conversion) in an old mill with this gigantic triangular window across the whole back. Incredible forest views and rippling green leaves in the Northern rain. It was the ideal creative seclusion. Iain provided the gear, John Ellis and Will Scrowther engineered the sessions, and John even managed to put some keys down for a couple of the tracks. We had an incredible 3 days up in our recording treehouse.
Tragically, Iain suddenly passed away recently, and I am sad that he won’t get to hear the finished product. Iain gave me my first gigs, was a constant source of support and encouragement, and was a cornerstone in getting this album recorded. He was an absolute champion of live music and making every space inclusive and welcoming, and this album will be partially dedicated to his tremendous spirit and all he stood for. Miss you, Mack.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Oh, loads! We could keep adding things, the tweaks and edits and samples could honestly go on forever I think, but we tried to keep it raw and real without too much fairy dust. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fantasy lover, but I like music with some grit and rough edges. And at some point you have to just say it’s done, but working with a tight budget is effective motivation.
FOLLOW HERE // STREAM DOWNLOAD HERE
MORE RGM INTERVIEWS HERE