ANDY GOODWIN
JULY ARTIST FEATURE
〰️
JULY ARTIST FEATURE 〰️
If it wasn’t prior to today, you may know Andy for his cheeky, naughties-inspired indie pop tracks - suitable to soundtrack all your favourite romcoms). However, reflecting on the first few years of his career, Andy gives us an insight into how he feels both himself and his music are evolving, into something more exciting and experimental than ever.
Just two days before heading down to Worthy Farm to perform at Glastonbury with Spotify, Andy dropped by our studio to perform an exclusive cover and acoustic rendition of his upcoming single and have a chat about all things life, music and Manchester.
So andy, how has life been since the release of fred perry girl?
Andy - ‘Good, Cool. It’s kinda put me in a position where I can be seen as a musician, rather than just a lad, whose writing tunes. Maybe taken a bit more seriously? Done loads of shows, been in way more sessions, been writing loads more songs. Taken a year off to re-define what I want my music to be and sound like - and now I’m ready to just come back with a bang.’
we first saw you supporting balancing act at the deaf institute a few years ago, on your own without a band. if you could give your then self some advice, what would it be?
Andy - ‘Stick at it… You’re on somewhat of a path… It might not be the right path but follow it. There will be an avenue that will suit you eventually - take that. Keep going. Keep your head down, and have fun (mainly). Oh, and look after Balancing Act, because they’re good friends… Have a good time.’
‘The early shows when it was just me with a guitar had so much less production, a lot of the shows were carried by me telling stories about these songs or like trying to have a laugh, alongside the music. But now, the production value of the show is so much better as I play with a full band, but I’ve still got elements of the talking and the chattiness and the anecdotes (that you only learn from the shit one-man shows at the start). You really cut your teeth and figure out how to play to a crowd.’
How do you think moving to London helped / hindered you as a musician?
Andy - ‘It’s a bit of both really. I can’t live at home anymore; I have to work all the time to be able to pay my rent. But also, I think without moving to London, I wouldn’t have played the shows or met the people that have put me in the position that I’m in now. So as much as it’s fucking rough sometimes, and lonely, and because you’re always skint and then working and rehearsing all the time – it’s a very love-hate relationship. But I still love Manchester. I want to move back to Manchester eventually.’
Obviously, you had the opportunity of being younger and experiencing the music scene in Manchester at the time, how do you think the music scenes compare in London to Manchester?
Andy - ‘Nobody wants to go to gigs in London anymore. Well, I think they do, but it’s not treated the same. Like, I remember going to gigs in Manchester when I was younger and we’d have a proper night out and everybody would jump around and get really fucked and that would be the point in going. But I’d say London gigs are cool, but Manchester crowds are unmatched. ‘
Is there anywhere in particular you could see yourself playing a headline show in Manchester?
Andy - ‘Up here? Anywhere probably haha. Actually, maybe Gorilla? It’s quite big though. Or maybe even the Ritz? I did the Ritz with The Twang and it was great. But that’s like way further down the line.’
Holly - ‘Who would you have as your like dream supports if you were to headline the Ritz?’
Andy - ‘Haha, just my mates. I don’t know who I’d pick, this is a big question. I’d definitely get Madame Claude on. And then, it would probably be Balancing Act, but they’d probably be way bigger than me haha.’
If we go back to the first EP, you had the success of Fred Perry Girl following your every move and it felt like everyone was growing impatient for a larger body of work to be released. How important was it for you to be able to give your fans that?
Andy - ‘It felt like I was proving that it [the success of Fred Perry Girl] was backed up and there was an actual body of work to show off. It’s not just potluck, there’s not just one thing and it’s not just TikTok. There is hard work, and I could turn out 20 minutes of work. And then the next EP basically came from playing the previous EP live and figuring out some of the songs didn’t quite carry over to sounding good live or like getting a good reaction from the room. Whereas the second EP was written more with the intention of gigs being great and getting people jumping around and singing back to me. I can’t remember who said it to me but someone said “if you want to play to big rooms, you’ve got to write big songs”, which I kinda took into this EP, and the songs feel way more like stuff you’d grab your mate with and shout and dance. The music I write is very much appeasing my younger self and writing tunes I would’ve enjoyed as a teenage going to gigs.’
‘Peace was the first gig I bought a ticket to with my own pocket money at Academy 2, and I remember that being the best night of my life when I was younger. It’s so different now. Tickets are too expensive, bands can’t afford to go on tour anymore, so it’s just a once in a year opportunity. And then if you don’t have the money at the time you can’t go. I don’t know if people are making as many bands or playing as many gigs anymore. You can’t just walk into a random pub and there’ll be a band on, and I feel like that used to happen all the fucking time.’
‘I think TikTok and Instagram are both huge helps and I would not be where I am without them. But you know you’re being filmed. It’s almost like you’re asking people to be fans instead of letting them chance walking in and making their own mind up, which is always a weird thing to navigate. But I don’t know, we’ve done gigs where people don’t know who I am and still seem to enjoy it. Social media is obviously a huge fucking part of the industry now, so you know. I’d love to just be on tour all the time and that be the way of gaining fans, but it’s just not like that anymore.’
Thinking about the new EP, what can people expect?
Andy - ‘The songs are much more authentic to me, I think. I’ve taken time to sit back and realise what I liked about the first EP and then what I would’ve wanted to chance. It’s all just been much more thought out and written with more intent. Also, from playing loads of live shows we’ve been able to figure out what works well and what doesn’t. I want people to come away from an Andy Goodwin gig and have had fun and be really sweaty from jumping around, so to get those gigs you have to write the songs that match that energy. But also, they’re a lot more introspective and meaningful to me, which if they mean something to the singer, the crowd resonates way more. It’ll be nice to show people a new side to me, as well as the old stuff.’
Do you think it’s important to please your audience or satisfy yourself as the artist?
Andy - ‘Please yourself as an artist, I think. Definitely. If you’re not getting excited about what you’re doing anymore and you feel like you’re doing it for someone else, you’ve lost it. And I also feel like if you’re putting out something that’s more true to you and your fans want something else, they shouldn’t be your fans. Your fans should be there to support your direction and ultimately you. I feel like the second you start writing with the intent to please people and not yourself, you’ve lost your way. Which is kinda why I took this year off, as I felt I was going down the path of doing what other people wanted me to do and not what I wanted to do.’
As we are called Pass It On, we ask all of our artists to pass a question on to our next interview.
Your question is from the guest list, they asked: What is your least favourite song you’ve written?
Andy - ‘Funemployed. It was just something where I thought I was doing it for something else and not me and it just flopped haha. I was young and stupid and it was one of the first songs I wrote. At the time I thought writing music was just this whole having a laugh sort of thing. But, if I hadn’t had the hate on that song, I wouldn’t have taken that step back and started writing songs I wanted to write for myself, which are way more introspective. So, I kind of credit it for where I am now, whilst not looking back at it that fondly haha.’
THE GUEST LIST
APRIL ARTIST FEATURE
APRIL ARTIST FEATURE
Hailing from the musical metropolis that is Manchester, our April Artist Feature have taken the pressure that comes with starting a band in this musically sacred city and used it to create a diamond. The Guest List aren’t yet another copy and paste indie band, with mature lyricism and drawing the attention of the likes of BBC Radio 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins, this is band with talent that reaches way beyond their years.
We caught up with the band in our studio in Manchester, prior to their weekly Weatherspoons pub quiz (who even knew that was a thing?!). We found out about their plans for 2025, life on the road, and got to hear an exclusive performance of their new track, Plasticine Heart.
From the start, The Guest List stood out with their blend of melodic guitar riffs and relatable lyrics, capturing the essence of a modern band while maintaining a fresh and authentic sound. In 2024, tracks London and Loose Tongue significantly boosted the band’s presence in the live music scene. Both songs were produced by James Skelly, frontman of The Coral, at Liverpool’s Kempston Street Studios. These tracks caught the attention of BBC Radio 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins, who featured them as his Track of the Dawn selections on his morning show.
You’ve been a band for about 4 years now haven’t you? How did you start playing music together?
Cai: Yeah so its been about 4 years since we formed. We were in school together us 4, everyone other than Sid. We played in the school band together and stuff. Then I met Sid at a party, a few years ago and he joined us to play bass.
Can you remember what the first gig that you all played together was like?
Sid: It was about 2 years ago now, in Birmingham, I was very hungover. It was my first gig ever with the band and I woke up like oh crap. But two paracetamol later I was fine.
Cai: Yeah and I remember we were all in like jeans and a t-shirt, and he rocked up in tank top and leather boots, speaking French to a girl that we met.
Angus: It all went downhill from there though, it was pretty empty, it was our first ever headline in Birmingham, and I think the crowd was mostly our friends and family. But we did meet our photographer there though.
your lyrics have been described as mature, despite your young age. Are there any artists that specifically inspire you?
Cai: I like lyricists that are just as can be, like Joy Division and The Velvet Underground. People that don’t try to be too poetic, but at the same time they end up being by just saying things as they are.
At the end of 2024, you released London and Loose Tongue, which were both produced by James Skelly of The Coral, how did that all come about?
Cai: James has worked with our manager for a while, I think he worked on some of the Blossoms stuff. It was suggested we go and try these two songs with him, so we went to The Coral’s studio in the Wirral. It was great, he has such a focus on making things sound as authentic as they can be, getting you playing together as a band and stripping everything back. He’s great at identifying when something isn’t actually contributing to the song and taking it out.
Is this the first time that you’ve worked with a different producer?
Cai: Well we worked with Martin Moscroft from A Certain Ratio on our first EP, which was when we were about 15 or 16 and had absolutely no idea what we were doing.
Since then we haven’t really worked with a producer, we’ve more just won studio time in various competitions and stuff, so this feels like the first time we’ve been a mature band sitting down and working on the track with a producer.
You also released an acoustic EP earlier this year, do you think it’s important to strip things back even further sometimes?
Cai: Yeah so we wanted to give our audience a bit more of a songwriter's perspective to the songs. The idea doesn’t start with a full band arrangement behind it, it starts with a piano or acoustic guitar, and I think people like to hear that. London I wrote on the acoustic, but I always thought it sounded nice on piano.
You’ve got a jam packed festival season as well?
Cai: I think we’re playing at least 9, but we can’t talk about all of them yet.
Angus: It was pretty mad, I think the first one we got, if it would have stopped there we would have been happy. When it just kept piling on, we’re playing TRNSMT, Neighbourhood Weekender, Kendal, Y Not, Truck – they’re all the big ones that you dream of playing as a new band.
Tom: Even to be punters is great, we’re planning to stick around for a few of them. We can’t wait for James and Stereophonics at Neighbourhood.
Do you think that’s important then, to keep that love of music alive as a punter?
Angus: There’s nothing quite like a festival for discovering new and different music. You can walk past a tent, catch a band you’ve never even heard of before and they can become your new favourite.
Last year we got really lucky with Y Not, we got an afternoon slot in quite a big tent and at least 500 people turned up.
Leio: I think the mindset of people at festivals as well is different, they’re more open to hearing new music and up for it.
How are you preparing for festival season?
Cai: Well we’re heading out to Europe, then festivals start and we’re playing one pretty much every week, it will be a bit full on but we’re very excited for it.
You’re playing a new song for us today, Plasticine Heart, can you tell us a bit about the track?
Cai: Yeah so, Plasticine Heart is about submitting to the jealousy you have for the success of others, and the lengths you would go to for your own.
The Guest List have quickly made a name for themselves in the Manchester music scene and are now taking it nationwide, with a UK tour set for November 2025. Tickets for all dates go on sale at 9am on Friday 14 March.
SPANGLED
MARCH ARTIST FEATURE
MARCH ARTIST FEATURE
Our Pass It On artist feature of the month for March is no other than the marvellous Mancunian quartet Spangled.
Spangled are band that we have loved for a long time over at Pass It On. No matter if you’re watching one of their high energy festival sets, or listening to fan favourite Little Tom full blast in the car, Spangled’s sense of fun is simply infectious.
This band truly feel like a breath of fresh air in the ever saturated landscape of the modern post punk scene, with their sincere yet silly songwriting style taking them to new heights with each release.
We met the band at their practise studio where they were preparing for their upcoming UK tour, to find out a little bit more about their latest single, B-line to Bruges and their favourite festival memories.
How did you start playing music together?
Jamie: I was a big time nerd, he laughed at me in school (looking at Ben) then he decided I might be alright. I thought he can dance, he can't sing yet but maybe he can. Then we went for a pint, said 'band?', and the band occurred. We decided we might need a few more people, found these two on the street and they were alright so we let them stay.
Ben: You've just skipped out our entire friendship there mate.
Jamie: (Laughing) No we are best buddies, we met wayyy back in 2016.
So you've just released your new track, B-line to Bruges which is about an accidental trip to Ans, can you tell us the story?
Ben: So it was me and my two mates Stan and Ash. We went to Belgium, and arrived in Charleroi and was like: "Right, let's go to Bruges for the day". I was sat on the balcony and was like "let's take a b-line to Bruges boys" and they were like "that has to be a song", so we decided to write a song throughout the day.
One of us would say some random words, and someone would go "that's a lyric, write that down". So some of the lines don't make sense because we'd been drinking.
We got on the train, but we had to change in Brussels, and I SWEAR the train said Bruges on the side. We got on it, and it did not go to Bruges. We were travelling for a bit, went on Google Maps, zoomed out a bit and realised Bruges was in the opposite direction. We ended up in a little town called Ans, there was nothing really there, so we tried to get back to Bruges, which took us 7 or 8 hours on trains, we stayed for about 4 hours and then had to head back to Charleroi on the last train. All in all, a dreadful, dreadful day, but good fun.
For those who have listened to the track, who is Fork, who is Shop and who is Vespa and why?
Ben: Well I'm shop, because .... you're gonna love this, I went to the shop.
Ash did something with a fork.. I think he used a fork.
And then Stan was stood in the middle or the room and went: "If you're Shop and he's Fork, then what am I?” So we just decided he was Vespa and he was like "yeah alright".
You're heading out on tour this month, where are you most looking forward to playing?
Niall: All of them really, its always a good time at every single gig. We always have as much as, if not more of a good time than everybody watching us.
Ben: I'm looking forward to our Manchester headline the most. We've sold out Band On The Wall, and we've not played in Manchester since Gorilla in 2023.
Have you got anything special planned for Band On The Wall?
Niall: We’re actually doing an after party at Night and Day Cafe ...
Ben: And Professor Brian Cox is coming (whole band erupts into laughter).
Jamie: We thought he was our boy, he replied to me once on Twitter, but no. BUT if anyone is reading this and DOES know Brian, send him our way.
How do you find putting on a tour as an independent band?
Jamie: Rough, fun and expensive.
What have you got planned for festival season?
Jamie: We've just been confirmed for 110 Above festival, and a few more that we can't talk about yet.
What's your favourite ever festival memory?
Jamie: (Pointing at Joe) seeing him coming back with a shower tent at 6 in the morning.
Joe: Yeah we went on a wonder through General Camp and ended up just nicking things for a laugh. Walked through the whole arena with it and took it back to Artist Camp. Security stopped me and was like "Where are you going with that mate" and I told them it was my girlfriend’s tanning tent and they let me through.
Ben: My favourite has to be at Isle of Wight when Jamie got stuck in a portaloo. He thought that we were holding the door shut. He was calling us but our phones were in the tent and we were just frolicking around.
Jamie: I eventually managed to slam the door open and there was this poor little girl outside just stood staring at me.
Any new music on the horizon?
Niall: Nothing recorded yet, but we do have some songs on the horizon that we plan to get done soon.
Ben: It's hard to decide what we want to record, because we'll think we want to record one song and then we write another one and think "no no, let's do that one". They're all different genres as well, we wrote a reggae one the other week.
As we are called Pass It On, we ask all of our artists to pass a question on to our next interview.
Your question is from James Petralli from White Denim, he asked: What was the last book that you read, and did it lead to a song?
Niall: Dairy of a Wimpy Kid.
Ben: Yeah and it lead to 'Good Life Better' (band fall into hysterics).
Catch Spangled on tour now, head to https://spangled.band/
THE KAIROS
february ARTIST FEATURE
february ARTIST FEATURE
This month our featured artist is The Kairos. A four piece from the fabled part of the UK that gave us The Beatles and The Coral, this band are here to show that the famous Merseybeat continues to beat on, louder and faster than ever.
Continuing a legacy curated by some of the greatest names music will ever see - The Kairos are reimagining the sounds of the North West, more excitingly than we have previously seen. With pounding drumbeats, unbelievably catchy riffs and lyrics beyond their years - there really is no-one doing it like these lads at the moment.
Fresh from a tour across the UK supporting The Reytons, we caught up with lead singer Tom Dempsey who told us a bit more about the band’s history, along with his favourite tour moments.
So let's start at the beginNING, how did you guys start playing music together?
‘A bag of happy accidents. Including some failed subjects and some questionable footballing ability. We found eachother through various music and football stuff as kids and eventually you get to the “let’s be in a band” age.’
Can you remember the moment you decided to become musicians? Do you think being from Liverpool had an impact on that?
‘Possibly. I wanted to become a musician because of my mum & dad. I went to gigs and festivals with them every year. It was after going to festivals like Beautiful Days and Glastonbury that I decided I wanted to be in a band. I think being from the North West in general comes as a bonus later on too.’
You ended 2024 on a high with your headline tour and a sold out home town show at Liverpool Academy, What was your favourite moment of the tour?
‘A lot of my favourite memories come from being in the van. Sometimes leading up to the first show or the Jack Daniel’s victory lap on the trip back to the Travelodge. The bits no one else gets to keep except us.’
You've just finished a tour supporting The Reytons, how did you find playing those bigger venues?
‘It’s a cracking opportunity for any band to cut their teeth on. It definitely takes some getting used to from a club tour, the operation is very different. But I feel like as a group we can apply ourselves to any situation and still put on a show as good as ours.’
Kate Nash has recently been in the spotlight calling out the industry to do more to support artists financially to enable them to tour, how do you find touring as an up and coming band?
‘Rough, mate.’
At the end of last year you released ‘Punchline Fistfight’ which was your first release for a while, can you tell us a bit about the track?
‘There are a handful of songs that when I write them, they are the exact songs I have always wanted to write. Songs with infusion, with a good chorus, infection and have their own sound. When I hear someone tell me Punchline sounds like nothing they have heard before, that’s what I get off on.’
What do you have up your sleeve for the rest of 2025?
‘We’re working in some trapezium backflips through rings of fire into our live set.’
Can you shout-out 3 other bands/artists that we should be listening to right now?
‘Ellis Murphy, The Kowloons and King Hannah.’
Now as we are Pass It On Magazine, we ask all of our interviews to pass a question on to our next artist. Your question is from the lovely James Petralli of White Denim, He asked:
‘What was the last book that you read, and did it lead to a song? ‘
I finished the second A Song Of Ice And Fire (Game of Thrones) book last year. No it didn’t lead to fuck all.
With only a few dates left of their UK tour with The Reytons, The Kairos released their incredible new single Keep It On The Low on Friday the 28th February, with a highly anticipated SOLD-OUT Manchester Headline at the Deaf Institute also on the cards in May.
We cannot see the hype for this Merseyside quartet simmering anytime soon, with the excitement and anticipation surrounding the band growing on the daily.
WHITEHORSE
JANUARY ARTIST FEATURE -
JANUARY ARTIST FEATURE -
Whitehorse, a name you’re bound to become extremely familiar with if you have a good ear for music. Born within the depths of Yorkshire, now dispersed across the country - the excitement and anticipation surrounding this band is brewing at a rapid rate.
A new project and a fresh start.
For Pass It On’s January Artist Feature, we spent the day with the band in a location of their choice. One that represents the womb in which their sound was conceived within; one that frames the backdrop of their style.
With a live, acoustic session of two unreleased tracks, an exclusive interview with frontman Thomas Haywood and a first look into the band, we present to you our featured artist of the month - Whitehorse.
There will be many people aware of you, but maybe not knowing of you. Who exactly are Whitehorse?
‘Well what is it you want to know?’ - laughing.
Take me from the start, where did it all begin?
‘Personally, I was in a place of not really knowing what was next or what could be next. But, at that time - wherever I was, whatever I was doing - it wasn’t really something to be thought about. But then, for whatever reason, coming out of Manchester and going back to Sheffield began to fill the cup up with new things and allowed me to revisit a lot of old, that had already been written and existed anyway. But I guess, for whatever reason, down to insecurity or just an apathy of not really wanting to do something anymore - that’s what this comes from, having that spark. Everything’s moved pretty quickly. It’s been quite explosive, things have lined up in quite an instinctive way - very intuitive and that couldn’t really be possible without having met the lads that are Whitehorse.’
‘Where I was at, I could’ve easily jumped on a stage with an acoustic guitar and played some songs and seen what that was like - ending up playing to forty people every night for the rest of however long I fancied doing it or whatever. But, I definitely didn’t want to do that. So, to then begin this, it was as important to me as it was to them - starting the band.
If we go back to the time between starting the band and your first gig at the Rose and Monkey, for the John Hall Foundation, let’s talk about that.
‘With the idea of the band, it’d been something we’d just talked about for a long time. We’d got a bit daft with us imaginations. We never really thought about actually doing it. But, then I got offered to do a gig for the John Hall Foundation - which is a charity founded in the name of a very close friend of mine, who passed away - and they asked if I wanted to play a few songs. And I thought “I’ve got loads of new stuff, I might as well start now” and the more I thought about it, the more I thought about wanting to do it with a backing band.’
‘So, I bounced the idea around to the boys, there wasn’t a hell of a lot of time to think about it, so we got in a room and I taught them songs I thought would work - and then there ended up being a lot more to it than I’d initially envisioned. That’s down to them really, we just all know what direction we want to go in and what we want. We had two weeks of rehearsal, gave it a go and we’ve not really seen any reason to stop.’
Do you think it helped, having the mindset of not expecting too much from it and just allowing things to happen?
‘The pressure was definitely off - pressure as in there was no pressure. I think that's why it was so easy to pursue as there was nothing attached to it like there was before. It was easy, you didn’t have to think about it too much. It was instinctive. The less you think about it, the easier it becomes. It was easy anyway, but when you recognise that - you have to go down the rabbit hole and see how far you can go with it, because those moments don’t come very often. You can spend a lot of time in what you call analysis paralysis, you can just be crippled with thinking what and where and how - why being the worst one. But for this there was none of that.
Talk to me a little bit about your writing process. Aside from one cover being ‘Heading For Heartbreak’ by the Amazing Snakeheads - the entirety of your sets have been new material.
‘Well, I’m not really one to write for a particular reason or project. It’s pretty sporadic. Bobby who I really got close with, when we were going through shit at the same time, really magnetised towards each other. We ended up spending a lot of time in a place in the countryside, where he was living at the time. We got together in this barn and began to put music to material I just had. I think it took him to actually say ‘this is really fucking good’ to actually then persue it. Like I said, I don’t really write for anything in particular - I just do it because you have to do it you know. It’s a form of self-therapy, if you know what I mean? It’s an exercise of the mind, you can’t sit down and say you want to write a song.’
‘And then the wheels have just been spinning faster and faster, as we got together, and now we’re going in to record a body of tunes. We’ve already written the next one just because of how fast that wheel is spinning and how well it's working. So we’ll most likely be recording two sets of work in one year, and hopefully get them out as quickly as possible.’
What about the images created within your writing? Talk to me a bit about those.
‘Well, a lot of the music comes from images - trying to capture a picture and sit it alongside whatever my thoughts are. It’s much easier to hear rather than explain, but that’s been a running theme throughout the lyrical side of things. From an observational point of view, you do get better at trying to match what you’re trying to capture musically and what you’re trying to capture lyrically. Eventually they do end up matching a lot easier together. It just feels that this is more natural, more pure. That’s where ideas of water and waves come into it I think, purity. I don’t try and think about it too much, I try to just trust the subconscious, my intuition. I guess you could say where your heart takes you. Instead of trying to write for something or someone - you’ve got to just write what’s inside of you. I think that’s why I’m taking so much pleasure out of what we’re doing, it’s just rolling off the tongue - like water.
‘I just see it a little differently to how it was for me before, compared to your classic record label shit. Write, record, sit on it, book your gigs, release it in drip drabs, have some sort of campaign towards it all… I don’t think we’re interested in that. We just want to do it because it feels right.’
Did you find this mechanism, this ‘well-oiled machine’ of the music industry that churns out albums and artists, can be detrimental to musicians like yourselves. Did you want to move away from that?
Right, it’s completely backwards for a creative process. There’s no cohesion, it doesn’t work. I appreciate and respect bands that can and will do that, with the discipline that is required of them. Keeping your mindset in one place, whilst moving on through your life. We’re ever changing as people, it’s human nature. So, to then try and carry that discipline through can be extremely difficult. I wouldn’t consider myself disciplined in any way shape or form. To be asked to be disciplined, well it doesn’t work like that (laughing). You are or you’re not.
Do you find moving away from that regimented structure, taking things at your own pace (as quick or as slow as that may be) is working better for you as a band?
‘I think it kind of says a lot about the whole ethos and philosophy. Try and keep it small, keep it simple - that becomes something which works. I think we’ve taken that ethos (consciously or subconsciously) to the music and to the way in which things are working within the band. We don’t really see much of each other in the rehearsal room, when we do we blast it out in a very short space of time. Bobby lives in Macclesfield, Nathan in London, James in Manchester and me (Thomas) and Johnny in Sheffield. By nature, it’s not going to work in a conventional ‘band set up’, but for that reason it keeps everything simple. It really works.
At the moment, there’s no reason for us to attempt to be something because we already are what we want to be. I don't want to jinx myself, but it kind of feels like this is going to be the easiest project I’ve worked on in a studio. Anything I’ve been involved with creatively has never felt as good as something like this. Perhaps, that’s because of the nature where things began. I did a lot of this on my own, where I feel most comfortable. It’s not going to be difficult. It keeps getting better and more interesting each time. I can’t help but think things are spinning in the right way.
Expected in the studio in the spring of 2025, we cannot wait to hear what is on the cards for Whitehorse this year. New music, live shows? The world is their oyster.