After the release of latest single, Wide Awake, released back in July, I thought it would be a good opportunity to have a chat with Nick Howe. Nick has also released IT BELONGS TO HER this year, and his debut EP, The Struggle Is Real, was released back in 2016. This multi-talented singer-songwriter is definitely one to watch out for.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where are you from and where did music start for you?

My name is Nick Howe, I am a Singer/Songwriter and I was brought up in a household of musicians, my Dad actually signed to EMI the same week as Kate Bush. He didn’t have massive success in music but has been a successful actor for many years. At the age of 15 I was really inspired to get into songwriting after a trauma and watching my dad write songs for many years.

Songwriting is and was one of the most therapeutic things I do.

If you were to sum up your style in three words, what would you say?

pop/folk/acoustic

Tell us about your latest single Wide Awake. What does this song mean to you?

The song was inspired by a friend’s battle with addiction, subsequent realisation and path to recovery. The song is especially relatable during lockdown, as many of us have been forced to look inward without the usual distractions and temptations of life. I hope it might provide comfort for people going through the same struggles during these strange times.

Is this a hint at more new music on the way?

Yes! I cannot wait to share the next singles and EP coming out for the rest of the year. The new music video will be out very soon.

Did you have any help with the making and producing process? How did that go?

Yes, I love the process of collaboration, My producer Callum Rose was really inspiring to work with on this.

It was a pleasure to work with Billy Lockett on this too, he’s a great songwriter and has taught me a lot about the process of writing. 

How do you look to find inspiration?

Jeff Buckley had a profound effect on me.  Other inspirations include Bon Iver and Trent Reznor, I like that they focus on pushing boundaries. 90% of my songs are written about people in my life.  I tend to be inspired by people and by situations. I find falling in love and falling out of love can be the best inspirations for the raw powerful songs.  In my experience, being in a heightened emotional state tends to inspire the best songs.

Who made the lyric video?

Mertcan Mertbilek http://mertcanmertbilek.com/

Did you play many shows pre-lockdown? Any plans to go back on the road when we are allowed to gigs?

Yes! I was gigging like crazy in the past five years. I actually just moved to Prague as it was one of the only cities with Live music during Lockdown. We are setting up some big events here and in Germany. All will be announced soon. I am heading to Berlin next before I come back to London.

Where do you hope to be this time next year?

My main ambition is to headline festivals so playing more festivals and push boundaries with my music and touring. I love playing in unconventional locations and next year we will be announcing an unconventional tour in Museums, galleries, natural spots.

In addition to this we hope to break a record collaborating with the most dancers in lockdown in a music video.

Where can we find out more about you?

www.nickhowemusic.com
www.facebook.com/nickhoweuk
www.instagram.com/nickhoweuk

Anything you would like to tell us?

Please keep an eye out for the follow up music video out in 2 days Aug 6th. Also, the follow up single coming is out on 28th Aug.

Well, you heard it here folks. Go and check out Nick’s latest single, Wide Awake, as well as the rest of his discography, and I hope to be able to catch him at show one day!

After the release of their latest single Feel Better – a indie tune hoping to show things in a bit of a better light, I decided to catch up with Midnight Mouth about all things music. Read our interview below.

Tell us a bit about the band. Where are you from and how did you all meet?

We’ve all known each other for about 15 years and have always played music together from time to time. It then got to the point where we were all available to start our own band and the stars aligned. So here we are…

Where did the name Midnight Mouth come from?

It came from Scott’s mind. He was getting intimate with a lady many moons ago and it just popped into his head. He had to write it down. She wasn’t happy but Scott was because he got a band out of it 10 years later.

If you were to sum up your style in three words, what would you say?

Driven emotional state.

You recently released your latest single Feel Better. What does this song mean to you?

It means a lot to us because it was part of the first cluster of tunes we developed as a band. It’s been in the set since day 1 and we’re so psyched that it’s finally out there.

Where did the inspiration come from, and where do you normally look for inspiration?

It came from Scott after having one of those days where things were not going his way. In terms of inspiration, we take it from a variety of different places: relationships, other bands, mental health, etc. It’s all the things we experience or have experienced in our 20s (a couple of us nearly 30).

Is this a hint at more new music on the way?

Yes absolutely. Next single will be out at the end of July and then a third single along with the EP in September.

Did you have any help with the writing and recording process?

Nope. We recorded everything DIY during lockdown. Poppy mixed and produced everything as well.

Can we expect any music videos to come?

We’re planning on it. Arthur tried filming something during lockdown and the footage was so bad that he didn’t even show the rest of the band.

Do you plan to play any live shows once we are allowed back out?

Hell yes. Pierce is working on it right now. He’s having to re-book the shows that we had lined up already. Dates will be released soon.

Where can we find out more about you?

All the socials. Head to midnightmouth.com and sign up to our mailing list where you will really find out about more.

Anything you would like to tell us?

We’ve had a look at your blog and think it’s great so thanks for having us! Oh and keep an eye out for our next single in July…

I’d like to thank the band for taking the time to answer my questions and I wish them all the best for the next year.

Tell us a bit about the band. Where are you from and how did you all meet?

Joe: We met eachother whilst studying at the University of Leeds. Leeds is a great place with a great music scene so it was the perfect place to get started as a band! We are now located in London which is giving us an opportunity to conquer a new city with loads of new venues.

If I were to use the phrase “for fans of”, who would you most liken yourselves to?

Finn: Bands like Rex Orange County, Larkins and Circa Waves spring to mind. Also Harry Styles on his most recent album particularly. 

Can you tell us a bit about your latest single 6 Weeks? What does this song mean to you?

Alexi: Last summer we were looking through Tom’s instagram and found an instrumental from 2014 that he made when he was 16. That instrumental became the chorus of this tune which we went on to write the rest of whilst cramped together into a grimey Leeds uni house in Hyde Park. It’s a tune made with summer in mind, it’s about a character that doesn’t want to get too deep into a summer relationship – “I don’t wanna call it a fling, but you’re not my everything”. 

How, would you say, does this song differ from Red Wine, released back in February?

Tom: We think that 6 Weeks and Red Wine go really well together, as part of what we call ‘Phase 2’ of our journey as a band. They have a similar vibe and could easily sit side by side on an EP. Saying that, every time we go into the studio we try to push ourselves a little and incorporate something new. This time, you’ll hear a lead synth line, as well as a few more sudden textural changes. It’s important to evolve but not to do it for evolution’s sake. If it sounds good, keep it in! 

Do you work with any producers to help bring your music to life?

Alexi: We’ve worked with a couple producers but the one who has produced Red Wine, 6 Weeks and the 3rd single of Phase 2 is a dude called Bob Cooper. He’s a genius really and is the only man to have ever equaled and sometimes even surpassed our anal perfectionisim. He is beyond technical and knows more about the art of production than we’ll ever know so it’s a real gift having him in the studio with us. He’s also super calm and collected under pressure which is needed when we’re biting each other’s heads off during the inevitable chaos that ensues during the last few hours of our recording time.

Where do you look to find inspiration?

Finn: I’d like to think of us as musical magpies, happy to find inspiration in a wide range of genres. Alexi particularly is a huge hip hop fan and an advocate for new music, and this has shown more and more as his songwriting has developed. Artists like the Orielles, Michael Kiwanuka and Phoebe Bridgers have come out with albums in the last year or so that have been really big for me personally. We’ve also had times where inspiration for a song has come from a particular scene in a film which can be a really interesting starting point. Having our own distinct sources of inspiration which we each bring to the table is definitely beneficial for our writing process. 

What is next for Ten Hands High?

Joe: We have a single out on the 24th of July (probably out by the time you’re reading this) which we can’t wait for everyone to hear. We put a lot of work into this one and think it’s the best song we’ve recorded to date. We have loads more songs in the pipeline which we are going in to the studio to record very soon as well. In terms of live playing, it is uncertain due to recent events but we will gig as soon as we are able to in London and Leeds. We can’t wait to get back playing again, we miss it so much!

How have you been keeping busy during lockdown?

Alexi: Finn’s been crying about having to come home prematurely from his year abroad in Turkey because of Covid. Tom bought an electric drum kit so sits on that until his bum gets sore or he needs to apply to another 47 jobs that will inevitably reject him because he has too high grades and too much experience. I’ve been spending my time trying to write a song that Finn likes and Joe is in love so has definitely been ‘keeping busy’.

Any plans to play any shows when we are allowed back out?

Joe: As soon as we can we will be back in London and in our hometown of Leeds. We can’t wait to start playing again, it’s one of the things we enjoy most about being in a band so it’s been tough over the last few months especially as we had a bunch of shows booked across the country for March. We know though that when we will be back we will be better than ever as we have been working hard over lockdown to continually improve as a unit, so bring it on!

Where can we find out more about you?

Finn: Check out our website tenhandshigh.com for merch, pics and gigs (when they return anyway). Check out our insta @tenhandshigh, for a meticulously curated feed is courtesy of the most anal-retentive frontman in alternatuive music. Our twitter is @Tenhandshigh_ if you fancy some takes on new music which range from tepid to hot. And if you’re at the more mature end of our demographic, do not fear – you can also find us on Facebook.

Anything you would like to tell us?

Tom: Just keep an eye on us in the coming months! Our insta is a pretty good place to keep up to date: @tenhandshigh. We’ll be releasing new music that’s unlike anything we’ve done before and we’re so excited about it. As lockdown eases, we plan to gig as often as possible, with many of our March to July dates rescheduled for later in the year. We have no intention of slowing down. In fact, we are ready to hit the ground running. 

I’d like to thank the guys for taking the time to answer my questions and wish them all the best with all their latest music.

Ahead of the release of Universal Sigh, set to be released on the 7th August, I chatted to Orchard about everything music, and their latest single Universal Sigh

Tell us a bit about the band. Where are you from and how did you all meet?

Hi we’re Orchard and we’re from Staffordshire. We’ve all been playing music from an early age and we met through gigging in different bands. We’d often do shows around Staffordshire together and then we finally got together as this band in 2017.

If you were to sum up your style in three words, what would you say?

Gosh that’s a tough one! 
Lots, of, things (that’s three)!

Tell us a bit about your latest single Universal Sigh. What does this song mean to you?

It’s got a killer intro! It was one of the first songs we worked on as a band when we formed. This song is written as a bit of an instruction manual to deal with a diminishing connection with someone close to you. You know, like trying to strike a match that’s soaking wet.

Is this new single a hint at more music on the way?

Yeah! We’ve got more singles coming out through out this year. We’re really excited to get them released! 

Who produced this? Have you worked with them before? How was it working with them?

The single was produced by Tom Bishop. We’ve all worked with him over the years when we were in different bands, but we’ve always loved how Tom works! Apart from being an amazing person and producer, he’s a real music lover and just really great in the recording setting. He brought out the best in what we were trying to achieve with this single. 

Before the world went crazy, did you get to play many shows? How did they go?

Yeah, we’ve played some amazing sell out shows around the Midlands. We’re looking forward to getting back to it, to promote our music coming out, when we can. 

Are you planning to get back on the road as soon as gigs are allowed?

We were constructing our live set, trying to creating the album sound we’d capture before everything was halted so yeah, we’re keen to finish that up and play some shows! It’s been particularly hard for music venues and they’re critical for Artists, so it’ll be ace to see them open their doors again. 

If you had an endless budget and no time restrictions, what is one thing you would love to do musically (or generally)?

I’d love to build a music academy based on everything you need to write, create and record music, collaborate and produce artworks and videos and generally be as creative as you want! Think Andy Warhol’s studio with music gear! 

What advice would you give to a new band looking to start making music?

Buy a laptop and get writing! Being in a practice room is so important for crafting your sound for shows, but music has changed over the years and the inspiration you can get by using certain software instruments is amazing for setting yourself apart. Be brave with your sound, write what you like and work hard. 

Where can we find out more about you?

You can go to check us out by this link and pre save our single ‘Universal Sigh’ 

Insta – orchard.band
Facebook – Orchard Band 
Twitter – @band_orchard 
Soundcloud – Orchard

Anything you would like to tell us?

Just to say how much we enjoy playing as a band. We are four close knit mates, who enjoy going out for a beer together and I think this really comes through in our music – both recorded and live shows.

You can check out Universal Sigh, released across all streaming platforms from the 7th. Until then, I’d like to thank the guys for taking the time to answer my questions and wish them the best of luck with their new single

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!

Tell us a bit about the band. Where are you from and how did you all meet?

We’re all from Coventry. It’s a really cool scene in Cov, we were all a part of that, although at different ends of it, if you know what I mean. By the time we were all in a room together playing for the first time, we’d all seen each other in our different bands, played shows together and been to the same shows. It was really cool how it had happened because at various times there’s been crossovers. Andy Lowe and Andy Hall had been in a band together for ages, Andy Hall had been in a band with Reid, Kirk had played drums for Reid for a show and been in a band with Andy Hall and Andy Lowe briefly, so it was like we’d all hand picked each other and it felt right.

Where does the name “The Institutes” come from?

From the beginning of the band, we knew what we wanted to do. We wanted to make great songs that people could sing and dance to. We wanted to create a party, like the ones we experienced growing up and listening to all our favourite bands. An institute is literally an organisation for a particular purpose. We’re organised and our purpose was defined from the start. So that’s that, I guess.

If you were to sum yourselves up in three words, what would you say?

Constantly writing tunes

Tell us a bit about your latest single, Heal In Time. What does it mean to you?

It’s a song about hope. Something we need right now. 

Where do you look to for writing inspiration?

It can hit you anywhere really. Thats a very general answer but you never know where or when it’s gonna come to you.

The music video looks like it was a lot of fun to make. Can you tell us a bit about what and who was involved in making it?

It was made by Aaron Malin at 82arms Media who we’ve known for a while. He walked us around Coventry and did his magic.

Who designed the single artwork?

Kirk our drummer did it. Usually for any sort of artwork, he’ll do a couple of designs, the rest of the band pitch in with suggestions and preferences, he goes away and refined it and then we have our artwork.

Pre-lockdown, did you get to play many live shows? Are there any plans to go back on the road when we are allowed out?

We played as often as we could and that still didn’t feel like enough so we can’t wait to get out there again. We were due to be touring the USA in May but obviously that had to be postponed so that’s really something to look forward to.

Other than making music, how have you been keeping busy during lockdown?

It’s been a weird one but I think we’ve all managed to keep pretty busy with family, etc. You’ve just got to keep your head down and try to stay sane.

What lies next for The Institutes?

It looks like we are signing to a UK label soon. We are already signed to a US one (New Rivals). USA tour to reschedule. Beyond that we are just keeping writing and releasing tracks.

Where can we find out more about you?

Facebook Instagram

Anything you would like to tell us?

Buy us a few beers and we’ll tell you everything 😉

I’d like to thank the guys for answering my questions and wish them all the best for future, and hopefully I’ll be able to take them up on the beer offer sometime soon!

Tell us a bit about the band. Where are you from and how did you all meet? 

The band was founded when we were 12/13. In a little Staffordshire village of Alrewas. we were school friends all into the same scene so  I (Ricky Bass) invited Liam (guitar) and Sam (drums) round to my house for a Jam, trying to play old Hendrix, Bowie and Neil Young songs. We kept things going over the years becoming a fixture on the local midlands music scene, trying to find the elusive front man who would fit right in. Liam met Steve at Derby University, he was the best singer in the class so Liam made the natural move and the rest is history.

Where does the name Esteban come from? 

One thing which brought us all together as kids was our love of cult cartoon classic ‘The mysterious cities of gold’ Esteban was the main character and following our old band name of Onion seemed like a good option and stopped the puns of us being ‘good enough to make your eyes water’.

If you were to sum yourselves up in three words, what would you say?

Funky, Driven and conscious

You recently released your latest single, Suburban Paradise. Where did the inspiration come from for this song? 

The inspiration came from the world around us and from those who mean the most to us.  Seeing the beauty in what is in-front of us and celebrating it.

What does the song mean to you? 

To me the song is an anthem for our loved ones, the ones who have put up with the many hours of rehearsals and gigs over the years and driven us on to keep pushing.

Is this a hint at more new music to come? 

Yeah I would say so, Since we were kids our sound has remaining even back then. The upcoming Jackpot Motel is a culmination of all our years playing together, brought together in our most cohesive offering yet. We’ve grown up and matured. I think the sound of the new album reflects that whilst still maintain our Desert Funk vibe.

Who produced it? Have you worked with them before? How was it working with them? 

Mat Leppanen from the Animal farm produced this. We hadn’t been in the studio for almost a decade and after amazing experiences in the late 00’s working with the Animal Farm was always going to be the natural fit. True to form after so long it felt like we had never left. Jokes going around as usual and us managing to record 16 tracks in two weekends with no click tracks.

Pre-lockdown, did you play many shows? Are there any plans to play any when we are allowed to? 

Pre lockdown we were busy recording, rehearsing, and writing new tracks ( we have a decade of experiences still to write about) As soon as all this craziness ends we are itching to get live and take the new material to the people.

If you could go back 10 years ago and tell yourselves one thing, what would it be?

 ‘ keep your mouth shut and don’t rat on your friends ’

Where do you hope to be this time next year? 

We have lots of new releases and remixes coming out soon so this time next year it would be good to be mid way through a tour with a few festival dates to look forward too!

Where can we find out more about you? 

You can find us across all the usual social media platforms which are all linked from our page www.weareesteban.com

Anything else you would like to tell us?

Yeah if you like the desert funk vibe be sure to check out our Spotify we have the new album coming out at the end of July along with more singles until the end of the year.

I’d like to thank the band for taking the time to answer my questions and wish them all the best with the new music.