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

We’re from the shadow-land that is modern post-industrial northern Britain. We were all in a covers band as teenagers and we started to feel that we wanted to express ourselves in a way that was a little bit closer to who we were. We wanted to express things about our experience and lives that people could connect with. We figured as long as we don’t try to be anything other than ourselves and put our personality into it, we’d be pointing in the right direction.

What kind of style do you play, and any other bands you’d liken yourself to?

The style of music is definitely alternative rock but in terms of what styles of music or bands influence us, we really have no idea. The bands we listen to are so varied that we don’t have any sort of genre bias. We want to incorporate the weird, the trendy and the un-trendy alike. If something wants to come out in one of our songs then so be it we aren’t going to try and stop it. However, with that being said we are definitely – at least – as good as The Beatles.

You recently released Put The Sun In My Hand. What does this song mean to you?

Lyrically and musically the song is definitely based around the theme of personal reflection and responsibility. What problems are actually caused by yourself and what are you gonna do about it, what do you need to move forward. Maybe failing is better than never knowing. Either give yourself the power to illuminate why you aren’t happy or die never knowing who you are: ‘Put the sun in my hand or bury me with a question mark’.

Where did the inspiration for this come from?

Post teen confusion? I don’t know what to call it. I think there’s this sort of existential mood people inherit as they end their teenage years and reach their early twenties. It almost seems like it’s meant to be that way, as if it’s hard wired in our brains to happen. What would happen if instead of making doomer memes, you leant into those feelings and used them to analyse the person you could become? Probably self-improvement.

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

Dave Anson from Glass sound studio’s has the patient of a saint and was incredibly helpful throughout the whole process. He is incredibly helpful without being intimidating and we would recommend Glass sound studios to anybody. Most of the idea’s came whilst in the studio and the atmosphere while recording was instrumental to that.

Have you had chance to play many gigs before lockdown? Do you hope to play some after we are all allowed back out?

Just before the lockdown happened we had secured a headline at Gullivers in Manchester for the release of Put the sun in my hand and a were asked to a play at Kendall calling. Nothing like global deadly pandemic to mess up your plans, but things are being re-scheduled and stream numbers are the highest they’ve ever been so it’s still on the up. Bigger things to come is actually a fact and not a hope. 

What artists are currently on your radar?

In terms of newer bands: Dry cleaning. They are so fresh and interesting and it’s gonna be so exciting to see how the develop. Other than that there are too many to name. However, if Sports Teams first album isn’t one of the best British debuts in a decade we will riot.

How else are you keeping yourself busy in isolation?

Boggling our minds at the streaming numbers is the main way that we’re passing the time in isolation. Other than that we’re just hopping around with anticipation to get some new stuff recorded, we can’t wait to blow people away.

Where can we find out more about you?

Follow us on our social media! That’s definitely the best way to get connected and get to know us.
Instagram: @ch_ncer 
Twitter: @chncr_ 
Facebook: @chncer.   

Anything else you would like to tell us?

We are telling you to follow us. Get to know us, and strap yourself in for the future cause we swear down you won’t regret it.

Well, you heard it here first, and this band is one that looks set for greatness. I’d like to thank them for taking the time to answer my questions, and wish them the best of luck for the future.

Tell us a bit about the band. How did you all meet and what kind of music do you play?

Toby is a folk musician, Tom used to play in rock & metal bands, and I (Sarah) began by writing pop songs in my bedroom so it’s a little bit of a weird mixture! Tom and I have been singing together for the past 7 years, then we all came to be in a band called Carousel with other people before we branched off into the trio that is now In Earnest.

Where did the name “In Earnest” come from?

Through our songwriting, we endeavour to be honest and genuine about lots of different topics and so we wanted our name to reflect that. I kept reading the phrase ‘in earnest’ in loads of books at the time so it just popped out at me.

You recently released your latest single Put Me Under. What does this track mean to you?

It’s a personal account of my depression and anxiety and how lonely these conditions make me feel when they impact my life so much. It’s a reminder to myself that I won’t let them win, and that it’s a lot easier to cope with a dog beside me.

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

Absolutely! Our next single ‘Come Upstairs’ is Tom’s perspective of the same story. We have a 6-track EP coming by the end of the year, too!

Who produced this music? How was it working with them?

We’ve worked with Peter Waterman of Longcroft Recording since our last band, and we couldn’t imagine having anyone else make our music with us. He’s a great friend and makes us feel so relaxed when recording – we were actually meant to be in the studio with him last week to record our 2021 EP. Sad times.

Is there any plans for any music videos?

At the time of writing this, I’ve just clicked the publish button on a music video for ‘Put Me Under’! It’s a timelapse video filmed every day for 10 weeks to document how my mood changes from day to day. There are 2 more music videos in the pipeline as well.

Once we are allowed back out, do you plan on playing any shows?

Yes, we cannot wait to get gigging again! Tom and I live together, so we’ve been able to play to a certain extent, but we really just want to get back into rehearsals with Toby and play our music to some more fresh faces.

How have you been coping with lockdown?

It was definitely strange and difficult for the first few weeks, but getting into a routine of dog walks and yoga and board games has been a turning point. 

Where can we find out more about you?

You can find everything on our website: www.inearnest.co.uk

Anything you would like to tell us?

Stay safe, pet your dogs for us, and eat ice-cream.

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

For those who haven’t heard of you before, how would you describe yourself?

We’re friends first and a band second. Sure, we play a load of shows and practice a lot, but if we were not in a band, we would get together just as much. Our hope is that our tightness comes through our sound. Our tunes are often described as ‘energetically eclectic indie rock’ and that comes from the melding of our individual musical influences. 

Who is in the band and how did you all meet?

Myself (Nick Acton – Singer / Guitar), George Wood (Guitarist), Steve Wheate (Bassist) and Will Daly (Drummer) all met at school. We were all in various bands before we eventually found ourselves together in a practice room.  

Where did the name Stealing Signs come from?

The name comes from the act itself. We grew up in a smallish town and there wasn’t a huge amount to do. One of our bonding experiences was the cheeky petty crime of nabbing the odd sign here and there. To be honest, we got a little bit too in to it. At one point, we were convinced that the police would make the connection between a local band called ‘Stealing Signs’ and the number of Street Names that were now missing. They never did.

You recently released your single, The Coast. What does this song mean to you?

The song is lyrically inspired by the oddness of disconnection with people you ought to be connected with. We’ve all had to collaborate with people we don’t get on with. We’ve all suddenly realised that our parent’s aren’t right 100% of the time. We’ve all been in a tricky situation when a co-worker or an acquaintance says something that you fundamentally don’t agree with, but it’s easier to not challenge them. The lyrics reflect that situation. Musically, we wanted to create something joyous and fun to play with strong melodic hooks that sit on weaving guitar parts, solid drums and rhythmic bass. The positivity of the music, hopefully, contrasts interestingly with the negativity of the words.     

Who produced the single? Have you worked with them before?

Our long time producer and engineer is Tom Peters. There is a bit of a theme here, but over the years he’s become a good friend. Our musical and production ideals all chime well together. It makes for a great recording experience because we’ve developed a short hand that makes tracking and so on, as easy as it can be. We’ve worked together on and off for many years.  

Tell us a bit about the music video. It looked fun to make.

We whacked a green screen up; set up some lights; grabbed some props and started filming. The result is a colourful, “beach based” video that is as bright as the song itself. It’s the first one of our music video’s that really shows off our stupid personalities. We have a lot of fun together and we make each other laugh all the time. The song is upbeat and fun, so it gave us the opportunity to muck about along to the music. Take away the camera and the video is a pretty good representation of how we interact as a band normally.  

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

It certainly is. We’re sitting on an album and we’re keen to get it out (the album that is). Fingers crossed, we’ll have a good idea of when that will be soon. We want to tour the album and promote it as much as possible which is obviously not an option at the moment. So who knows?   

Before lockdown, did you get many opportunities to play gigs?

We’re big on the gigging. We like to play as much as possible. Before the lockdown we had been on tour promoting ‘Arcadia’ (the single before The Coast) and we went up and down the country. Shows were booked to promote The Coast and well… I bet you can guess what happened next.

What were some of your most memorable shows?

We’ve been lucky enough to find ourselves on all sorts of awesome stages. We supported Nothing But Thieves; played the Main Stage at YNot Fest and even run our own stages at festivals. However, most recently we got to perform to Micheal Eavis at the Pilton Stage Glastonbury Competition. We won our heat and were all set to compete at the Final to win a Glastonbury slot but well… I bet you can guess what happened next again. The final is still going to go ahead (at some point) and so, we could be playing next year’s Glasto!!! 

How are you keeping yourself sane during lockdown?

Myself and Will Daly (the drummer of the band) have been in bands together since we were teenagers. Since then, we have always band practiced every week. It’s that kind of regularity that hits me the hardest. There aren’t many things that I have done (almost) every week for over ten years. We’re all keeping sane by keeping in touch and doing all the same things that everyone is doing. A lot of zooming. We’ll no doubt start to record things soon enough. 

What lies in store for stealing signs for the next year?

Who knows?! It’s a hard question to answer with all this going on. One thing is for sure though, we’ll be continuing to get involved in live streaming gigs and hosting our own. I’ve already done a couple of acoustic shows on Instagram Live. It’s good fun and makes you connect with your songs in a different way. Overall though, it looks as though the venues will be the last elements of society to open and even when they do, will people be nervous about going? We’re a gigging band. We’re at our best when we’re on stage so it looks like we’re going to have to make our own stages some how?

Where can we find out more about you?

You can find us on all the streaming platforms and all the socials. Check us out on Instagram to get involved in live shows. 

Anything you would like to tell us?

I’d like to tell you that this is great and we really appreciate you asking us these questions. Listening to new music is one of the only things in life right now that is in no way restricted. Thanks for helping us deliver our music to new ears. 

I’d like to thank Nick for answering my questions, and wish him and the rest of the band the best of luck for the future. Here’s also to hoping we can get back to gigs as soon as possible!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from and how did you end up where you are now?

My name’s Vladimir, I’m a songwriter and a massive fan of road cycling originally from countryside in the north-west of Czech Republic. Beautiful piece of land, but the fact that you’re growing up a 15min drive from much wealthier and thriving Germany makes it a bit depressing for many. I also lived in Prague for a few years and worked as a session musician there. Six months ago I moved to Bristol, where I now live and work. I quite like it here, definitely planning to stay, even if the summer is cancelled.

What kind of style do you play?

It’s hard to describe, I’m trying to avoid being a part of any sort of scene and getting stuck there. I understand that it’s quite tempting for someone, because everyone likes you, when you say what they want to hear and stuff, but that’s not really what I’m after. Sometimes I write candy-coated pop tunes, sometimes I write noise rock madness with squeaking guitars all over the place, so I can’t really say. At the end of the day, I guess it’s all just rock and roll, haha.

Where do you seek inspiration?

Everything just comes up quite naturally most of the time. I’m subconsciously inspired by the music and lyrics I like and listen to of course, that will always be there, but I’m not bothered too much, coming up with something completely unique and unheard of is a blessing and hats off to the very few who’ve  managed to do such thing, but I won’t desperately try do it just for the sake of it. If someone says it is just another Nirvana rip off, I’m fine with that, I write mainly for my own satisfaction anyways, and I love Nirvana.

You recently released your latest single, Diehard Fan Of Yours. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

It’s the last song I wrote in Prague  and recorded it with a band just a few days before my move to the UK, as a bit of a farewell to my old bandmates. It took some time to finish it so eventually it is going to end up on Lack Lustre Rush’ upcoming EP Grand Départ. It’s about a relationship clearly, not necessarily between two people, in a way it’s about a stranger in new town. That’s why the video looks how it looks.

Where was the music video filmed? It looked good fun to make.

We filmed it with Paul Skawinski and his crew on North street here in Bristol. He had this idea of me walking backwards on a busy street and we actually managed to do every take in one shot…I think we had to start over only once, because we bumped in to a blind fella along the way. Had loads of fun doing it.

What were some of the greatest challenges you faced when making your single?

Everything went quite smooth I think, the only actual challenge was walking backwards for two minutes straight on a busy street, but even that went surprisingly well, no tumbles. We had a friend guiding us, shouting at me and Paul so we knew what’s happening behind us.

Any plans for more releases in the future?

As I already mentioned, I’m working on my debut EP. It should have been out by now, but I’m unable to finish the recording as long as we’re in lockdown, so that’s a bit shit. On the bright side, there’s another song from it that’s nearly mixed and coming out very soon, it’s called True Romance and it’s about finding pleasure in being sat at home alone in underpants on a daily basis. Timeless.

And how are you keeping yourself sane during lockdown?

It’s hard without being able to watch cycling man, the most exciting part of the season has been postponed, that totally crushed me, but I’m constantly writing something. I have loads of demos and I’d be well happy actually If I had a fully equipped home-studio, but unfortunately I don’t. Besides that, I do all the usual boring stuff like watching films and day-drinking… and a bit of exercise cause I feel like I’m pushing 60 some mornings.

Where can we find out more about you?

You can follow me on social media like Instagram and Facebook. Hopefully you can find out more about me very soon over a pint in a pub or something.

Tell us a little bit about Pyro. Who are you, and what do you do?

Connor: We are just mates who like to make music together nothing more nothing less I would say. 

Cameron: We play and write alt rock/indie rock music and have done for a few years now.

Who is in the band, and how did you all meet?

Connor: There’s just two of us me (Connor) and Cammy. We met in school and it was love at first sight.

Cameron: We met at school about 5 years ago, we played in a cover band with some of our other pals but wanted to write our own music.

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

Connor: Probably twin Atlantic and Arctic Monkeys, I’m not entirely sure as I don’t think we really sound like anyone else

Cameron: I’m not really sure who we sound like, we’re quite unique I think. I’d say if anything it’s gonna be to do with Connors vocals with a particular accent and my guitar being a bit heavier so probs the likes of Twin Atlantic or Fatherson.

Is this where your inspiration comes from?

Connor: My inspiration comes from experiences I’ve had and I put it in lyrics and my drumming probably has a lot of influence from John Bonham and a guy I used to go to school with. I take inspiration form experience more than what I listen to or watch.

You recently released your latest single, I’ll Understand. How did you go about the song writing process for this?  

Cameron: I’ll understand is a single we released a couple weeks back, it’s a song we wrote with a few others whilst on a writing spree for a tour we done last year and this track really stood out so we really wanted to release it. We got into the studio in September and got it recorded!

Connor: Usually I will come up with lyrics and from there we will piece together the music, once we’ve got a general thought of how it’s going to sound we then add all the subtle details. Very simplistic and generic but it works.

Who produced this music? Have you worked with them before?

Connor: Our good friend Mark Morrow produced it. We have worked with Mark since 2017. We get on really well and the guy is a wizard when it comes to the recording process. I wouldn’t work with anyone I didn’t get on with or respect so Mark is always the guy to go to. 

Cameron: He has done the last few, we love the way he works he has a great work flow and the end results are always class.

I’d normally ask about tours, but as the world’s gone a little bit crazy at the moment there won’t be any soon. Is there any plans for anything after this madness is all over?

Cameron: Yea unfortunately due to everything that’s going on everything we had planned has been cancelled or still waiting on new dates for the postponed gigs so nothing groundbreaking yet. We have been writing so hopefully will have achieved something.

What are some of the best stories from gigs you’ve played before?

Cameron: We have played some amazing gigs with some amazing people and after parties so have many stupid stories but one that has stood out was after our gig at EXPO North where we ended up going out with a bunch of friends, a night out in Inverness is messy at the best of times, but this was by far the best Tuesday night I think we’ve ever had, not going to go into too much detail but we had to stand outside primark for them opening to buy sunglasses for an acoustic set at 10am the next morning.

Do you have any merch lines? Is there other ways we can support you as a band?

Cameron: Yes we have a bunch of merch going cheap from last years tour so if you wanna support us and add some great quality T-shirts to your wardrobe for not a lot of money slide into our DM’s and we can sort that out. 

Connor: We are happy as long as people are listening to the tunes.

Where can we find out more about you? 

Cameron: Get us on all the socials @pyromusicband and check out our website officialpyro.com
Is there anything else you would like to tell us?

Connor: Stay safe and wash your hands.

I’d like to thank Cameron and Conner for taking the time to answer my questions and wish them all the best with the new single, and I hope to catch them at a show when this is all over.

Even though the world may have gone mad, it doesn’t mean I couldn’t (safely) interview Dan about his latest release. Read our conversation here:

So tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did music start for you and what have you done previously?

I think I always enjoyed music. When I was a child, I was always singing and making up little songs, but it wasn’t until I heard The Marshall Mathers L.P by Eminem when I was about 10 years old that I really started to write songs. Raps, to be more specific. But then when I was 13, I heard the untitled album by Blink-182 and that’s what made me want to pick up a guitar. So lots of bands and 17 years later…here I am today! Heartwork came about when I put a previous solo project (Dropout Dan) to rest after 6 years.

What about your latest release, Six?

‘Six’, for me, is almost a fresh start. It’s been almost 3 years since my debut album ‘Things I Wish I’d Said’ was released, and despite releasing the odd song here and there since then, this was a way for me to wipe the slate clean and see where my head was musically. I’m really happy with the results!

Why the name Six?

2020 is my sixth year writing and performing under the Heartwork moniker. My first Heartwork E.P was called Five and as that was the start of something new, it seemed fitting to follow that tradition. Even the artwork is a callback to that E.P.

Where did the inspiration for these songs come from?

Inspiration doesn’t really just happen the way it used to for me. I have to work for it. I can spend hours in my little home studio working on music and then that night, I’ll scrap it all. I’m very fussy when it comes to my Heartwork stuff. I can’t really explain what I’m going for, but when it happens…I know. The six songs that make up this new E.P are the ones that I worked on the most and made me the happiest. It’s as simple as that really!

Who helped you with recording/producing?

I did it all myself in a spare room in my house. I’d play rough ideas to my girlfriend or would send them to Ben Sydes (B-Sydes) or Adam Boucher (The Restless Coast) for feedback, but mainly it’s just me in my own head. 

Once the world returns to normal, any plans to go on tour?

Honestly, probably not. It doesn’t make sense for me to go on tour right now. I’ll be playing shows, but I like doing the odd appearance here and there. If I get an offer, then I’ll consider it, but I’m not going to be going out of my way to book a tour. Been there, done that, but it really wasn’t for me. I get a huge kick out of recording and releasing music, so that’s where the love comes. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy playing shows, but it’s not the main reason I do this. Who knows, my mind could change when we’re finally allowed to go out and do things again! 

What have been some of your most memorable gigs you’ve played or been to?

Oh wow. Erm…I’ve played a lot of really fun shows, so it’s difficult to pinpoint the most memorable ones exactly. I guess that the best ones are when I’m on a bill with people I consider to be my friends. So let’s just go with that! Haha. 

In terms of going to shows, I’d have to say that watching my buddy B-Sydes play to the forest at 2000 trees last year, that was pretty life affirming stuff. Had a big grin on my face, had a little cry, it was perfect. 

What artists are you currently listening to?

Recently I’ve been listening to a load of Phoebe Bridgers, Sylosis, Loathe, Eminem and Taylor Swift. 

Where can we find out more about you and order Six?

I’m all over social media and the streaming sites so they’d be your best places to go! 

I’d like to thank Dan for taking the time to answer my questions and wish him the best of luck with Six