Tell us a bit about the band. Where are you from and how did you all meet?
Ello, we’re Askies, an alternative indie rock band formed in Leeds in late 2017. Two of us are from Lincoln, one from North Yorkshire, and one from Shropshire, so we’re from all over the place really, but we all met at University in Leeds. We were all good mates before realising that we all played the right instruments to form a band together and been going ever since that moment really!
Where did the name Askies come from?
Not going to pretend there’s a really interesting and inspiring story behind the name, although we’ll think of one and get back to you when we’ve got one. Let’s just say it involves ice cream cones and avoiding lawsuits.
How would you sum yourself up in three words?
Skint, money please.
You recently released your latest single Easy. What does this song mean to you?
In terms of our sound, this song is definitely a pivotal point in realising the kind of songs we really wanted to create together. As soon as we finished writing it, we all knew that this was probably one of our favourite songs to date and couldn’t wait to get it recorded. Every time we get to play the song live, I think we all still feel that same excitement as when we first wrote it, which is a pretty nice feeling!
Is this a hint at more new music on the way?
Definitely, we were lucky enough to all be living together during lockdown, so this gave us a lot of time to work on a load of new material. We’re heading back into the studio next month, and we are buzzing to get these next tracks recorded.
Did you have any help with the making and producing process?
We were lucky enough to work on Easy with Ady and Lee from Sugarhouse, who have produced a load of our favourite records released over recent years and they really helped bring the track to life in the studio, as well being quality people to work with. We were also excited to work with Charlotte Humphries on the artwork for the single, as we’re big fans of her work!
What have you been doing to keep busy during lockdown?
Luckily, we managed to re-arrange the spare room in our house into a (kind of) rehearsal space, which kept us busy most of the time, when we weren’t tearing up the pitch in Rocket League or watching some terrible horror films in the dark depths of Netflix.
Any plans to play any shows when we are all allowed back out?
Definitely, and we’re absolutely buzzing for them! We’ve got our biggest Leeds headline show to date at Belgrave Music Hall booked in, although we are currently re-organising the date to make sure it’s safe to do so! We’re also heading to London on February 6th to support The Covasettes at Camden Assembly, London has always been good to us in the past and we can’t wait for this one. We’ve all missed both playing and going to gigs, so as soon as they are allowed to happen, you bet we will be playing anywhere that’ll take us.
What advice would you give to people looking to start making music?
To be honest, we’re still learning all the time so probably not qualified to give any advice, but if we had to, I’d say that when you’re starting out, you’ve just gotta make as much music as you can, and not be too critical of yourself! Nowadays, there are so many tools to create music, as well as outlets to share it and it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed by it all, we reckon just take your time and really enjoy the process of learning, as well as taking inspiration from others and collaborating as much as possible!
Where can we find out more about you?
We’re on all the usual socials, @weareaskies , and our new single is available to stream on all major streaming platforms!
Anything else you would like to tell us?
Our drummer is currently cat sitting for a week, if anyone has any tips, get in touch.
Well I’d like to thank the guys for answering my questions and wish them all the best for the future. And my advice would be – get a big packet of cat treats and keep it happy that way!
TrueStyleMusic 