Hiya Native, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
What was life like for you before you got into music?
I started writing and producing music at college. So compared to a lot of other artists I had quite a long time of not knowing what I wanted to do and finding it difficult to fit it anywhere to find out. I knew I had something to say that I couldn’t quite articulate, so when I got to college I found the spark.
Before that I tried lots of things, I played football and basketball, track and field, I even joined the marine cadets for a short time. I’m a person of extremes, so everything I tried seemed like ‘the one’, but nothing quite clicked. School is hard for everyone, so I felt the same pressures as everyone else. I was friends with most pier groups, again not quite knowing where I actually fit in. A lot of this is down to a traumatic childhood with a violent and then absent dad, along with everything else that entails. Life before I got into music was one of survival and confusion.
I picked up drums at an early age, I think I was around seven. My mum had a friend with a recording studio with an electronic drum kit in it. She brought me with her one day to visit the studio and I found my way to the kit and started playing. My mums friend, who was predominately a drummer, asked her if I’d had any lessons and if not said that I should get some. I then played in small bands and a one off local musical.
Rhythm has played an interesting role in my life, I can’t remember not having an innate sense of and interest in it. I have a mild speech impediment, its not nearly as bad as it was when I was younger. But I find when I speak in a rhythm, I never get stuck on a word. I don’t go around everywhere rapping to people, but its given me the confidence to trust my own voice. Rhythm and rhythm placement plays a major role in the creative process now. I tend to look at the instruments in a logic project and see it like tetris. The game of finding the right rhythm that slots into the melody and making all the parts work together is one of the few things that gives me genuine happiness.
What’s the live music scene like in Bristol right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Bristol is absolutely bubbling with art, always has been. Theres a genuine sense of community surrounding the creators in this city thats quite inescapable. It has such a wealth of history in terms of the electronic dance music scene that feels indestructible, its a scene thats built on genuine love and respect for the genre (s). Guitar music is alive and kicking in Bristol as well, with venues like The Louisiana, Thekla, Mr Wolfs, The Golden Lion, The Old England, Trinity and The Crown putting on incredible independent bands. Bands/Artists like Yesterdays Girl, Blufin, Redh3rring, George Lasbury, Windshake, Girlband, Gavel, Guzzlers, The Clangers, Hum Drum and Scaler are all doing there thing and adding to the already very dynamic music scene. There’s also incredible jam nights on during the week, The Community Jam at The Old England every Tuesday being the best. Im certain I’ve left out so many artists and venues in those lists but you get the idea.
Despite all this, like everywhere venues are getting shut down left and right, places that are absolute bedrock’ to the community and bring income into the city. If you’re living in a major city and a venue is in danger of closing and needs help, I just implore people to do whatever they can. Its really important.
It seems like being a social media curator has become added to the many jobs of a musician, how do you feel about this?
At first it made me feel uncomfortable to feel pressured into using a platform that I wouldn’t otherwise have used. However I then decided to use it to my advantage. From what I can see social media is very unfiltered and raw at the moment, this is just the place we’re in culturally. There weren’t many fictional characters, masks being worn or worlds being created. There are more now, its starting to swing back again, but at the time I wasn’t comfortable bringing a camera into the studio and recording each part of the process.
I thought to myself ‘no one cares, people just want the finished product’. I want to preface this by saying this is not quite where I am now, this album is more than three years old now so I’ve changed my position slightly. In my mind, as an artist there are two ways to go about promoting yourself and getting out there, online or live. At the time I didn’t have a band, but I had a very strong visual identity and world that I had to build along with the music, so online made more sense. So I thought if I’m going to do this, I’m going to really play with it and have fun. So I created Charlie L’Beau. I created a character and placed him in a fictional (kind of) world. I gave him a want and soundtracked him on his journey. This made me feel a lot more comfortable with the idea of social media being my primary form of presence in the world as Native.
I don’t like to moan about it, its just whats happening right now, and all independent artists are faced with the social media dilemma. I don’t want to waste time complaining, I want to accept and use the tools at my disposal to create something real and authentic.
How do you manage engagement on your socials?
Like I said, I don’t want to post everyday and do a ‘get ready with me’ or ‘day in the life of me’ type thing. Because right now I’m in a curated world of my own and I need to adhere to the plot. I only post when I have something that will progress the story and build the world. That approach is probably hindering me slightly, but the art is more important. Right now my Instagram and Tik Tok are places where people can come and be in that world for a while. Its less of trying to attract people than creating a place for myself that people can visit.
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
Its funny, when you asked that I got a overwhelming sense to make a big sigh. Honestly I don’t know, its such a confusing, conflicting and at times dangerous place. I try not to think too much about it if I’m honest, I think a heavy focus on the industry when you’re doing anything creative is a slippery slope. I’m more interested in the culture surrounding music, I understand that includes ‘the industry’ as well. While I do just want to make good work and progress as an artist, I’m not naive to how deceptive the industry can be. We’re all aware of the blatant misogyny and capitalistic ideology behind it, but I think young people are now finding other ways to promote their music that undercuts corporations like Spotify. They are also a lot more vocal about it. After this album, I’m not going to put my music onto Spotify anymore. I cant in good conscience support a machine that has zero interest in art or artists and deliberately stifles creativity. Its going to be difficult but I think we’re moving in a positive direction.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
I’m not focused on the industry. I’m focused on making good work.
Whats the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
I’ve learned about community. For a while, and whilst I was making this album, I was so focused on doing everything myself. Maybe I felt I needed to prove something. I played all the instruments, I came up with visual treatments blah blah blah. I’ve learned, and am now implementing into my next album, about the value of collaboration. Art, but especially music, is a team effort. Someone needs to have the initial idea and auteur that but the idea of one singular genius is very boring to me now. It also has a ceiling, you cant carry on like that forever. Even the most prolific and singular artist went off and had a collaborative period of their career.
What was your best experience on stage?
I’ve not played live yet as Native but I have a lot of onstage experience from the bands I’ve played in. Its not one particular experience for me, but that feeling when you’re onstage and everyone is in the flow state and feeding off of one another. That’s absolute magic. Its the same feeling when I’m in the studio, again in that flow state and the song is working. Those are two feelings I’m chasing.
What was your worst experience on stage?
Probably getting into a state and trying to play a set. But that happened quite a bit so again I can’t quite pin down an example.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
I auditioned for Stomp on the West End once. Didn’t get the part but got to perform on a West End stage. Maybe not that surprising but I was just reminded of it.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
The album is called ‘The Lonely Nature of Charlie L’Beau’. Its an album bred from a very specific time in my life. One that came after a period of hurt and change. Its also a pandemic album, I’d just left a band that I’d been with for seven years, broken up with my girlfriend and moved back in with my mum and her ex. I was very lucky that I had the time and freedom to put everything into making this album. I think theres a feeling of trying to get everything out, I’d felt the push to create something solely for myself for a while so when the time came I just creatively vomited into my laptop. It traverses a few genres, and lyrically explains exactly where I was at the time. In limbo, lonely, optimistic, tired. I was truly at a crossroads in my life, and this album helped me make sense of everything. Im sure people can make their own minds up about the inspirations, so I wont bore you with that. There’s Indie pop, Garage, Ambient and an a cover of Kermit to finish it off, so people will connect to something in there. Like I said, its quite an old album for me, so I’m quite far along with the second one and a couple of releases in between.
The next album is very much in the works as well. I’ve got an acoustic cover of ‘Think About It’ from the album and a new single coming out this year, along with getting the live show ready.
What was the recording process like?
It was very isolated, which don’t get me wrong was perfect at the time. I converted the mums exs cabin at the bottom of the garden into a studio as soon as I moved in and spend most of my time in there. The sounds and scenery of the iddilic garden and countryside really helped shape my outlook on the album. I mixed the whole album myself, so it was infuriating at times but I’m so happy with the outcome. I remember feeling very creatively free at the time.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
I just want to push myself. I want to feel like I’m moving forwards and going somewhere. So the learning curve is just to trust my instincts as much as possible.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
That was my best effort at the time, so I try not to think about it. Theres maybe some production bits I would’ve done differently but I just remember spending so long on it that I try and go easy on myself.
Lyrically I really like it, sometimes when I (and this happens very rarely) listen back to it Im quite proud of how succinct and spot on some of the lyrics are.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
I was deciding whether to go for sentimental, practical or funny for a sendoff, so screw it.
Be kind to each other, or piss off.
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