The bands on their way to Reading & Leeds - Part 2
Blog by Michelle Lloyd under Live
Welcome to the second part of our Reading & Leeds Festival preview where we introduce you to a few of the acts who made the cut to play the BBC Introducing stage. Yesterday we said hello to Cut Ribbons, Crooked Tongues and Sarah Williams White, today it’s the turn of Backyards, Rachel Sermanni and We Were Frontiers.
Backyards
Five-piece Backyards formed in 2010 through an obsession with musical experimentation and the blossoming local music scene in Leeds. They’re a band based on contrasts and made up of students, office workers, barmen and writers, some British, some American. They released their EP ‘If You’re Scared’ back in February, described as “a relaxing mellow jigsaw that beautifully blends together warm synths, guitar and drum pieces to create a colourful set of songs" (Drowned in Sound)
So is Reading/Leeds Festival your first major festival performance?
Bryan: Thanks! This is our first major festival and also our first gig outdoors! Plus, playing at Reading will be our first gig down South. It only dawned on me a few days ago and I’ve been smiling since.
What does getting to play at such an iconic and well regarded festival as Reading/Leeds mean to you as a band?
Ben: For me it means that all those hours of practicing weren’t wasted, that people are actually interested in our music. I find it incredibly difficult to get perspective on our output – I write music that I want to hear, but I can’t imagine what our music sounds like to someone outside the band. Apparently, it sounds alright!
Bryan: For me it’s a delusion-come-true. Matt, Reuben and I worked at Leeds Festival in 2010 just as we were starting to write songs together and on the last day I drunkenly said, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if we could play here?’ It really has taken us a lot of hard work to get where we are now, and I definitely don’t want to discount that, but at times I still can’t believe we’re actually going to play Leeds/Reading. It’s mad.
Can you fill us in on the band’s highlights to date?
Ben: Meeting Race Horses, lovely Welsh rockers who made us feel very confident about our performance. Playing Brudenell Social Club, the best small venue in the world. Completing an EP and presenting it to our wonderful fans.
Bryan: For me it was definitely the live launch gig/party for our EP at Nation Of Shopkeepers in Leeds. We were surrounded by loads of our friends and family which in itself was amazing, but I think it was the first gig where there were as many people there that we didn’t recognise and who came up to us afterwards to say they liked our music. It was that night I realised that all the countless hours of tedious behind-the-scenes work of trying to get our music out there had been totally worth it.
Matt: I'm going for platinum blonde at the moment but am thinking about going a bit darker for the autumn season.
What do you hope to get out of the slot on the BBC Introducing Stage?Ben: I want to make people smile.
Bryan: The slot announcement itself has already been one hell of a reward in terms of exposure to people who wouldn’t have otherwise come across us. I’d be happy if that’s all we get out of the slot, but a few smiles would be nice too.
What advice can you give to fellow emerging acts who want to get on a festival line-up?
Ben: Rewrite all your songs. Practice till you hate each other, then keep practicing till you love each other again. Be selective about which gigs you play. Most of all, go to lots of gigs! See what works, what doesn’t, and speak to people, introduce yourself, mention your band. People like to be approached, it makes them feel important and it gets your band name out into the ether.
Matt: Don't fall in love with everything you write! Be your harshest critic - listen to what you have written over and over again and, if you don't like it, don't be afraid to go back to the drawing board. Generally, after enough hard work, if your taste is good you'll make music you are really proud of.
Finally, any festival survival tips for our readers?
Bryan: I know I’m a wuss but if I have to sleep in a tent I’ll always have thermals with me. I’ve never shivered so much in my entire life as I did every night of Leeds Festival 2010.
Ben: Lots of packs of hand tissues. Red wine and cola (called a ‘calimocho’ when mixed) – drinkable at any temperature and stops you getting alcohol yawns.
Bryan: Tissues are so rock and roll.
Rachel Sermanni
Highland born Rachel has already toured with, and supported the likes of Mumford & Sons, Michael Kiwanuka, Elvis Costello and John Grant. With her tough, witty, observational outpourings and multi-instrumentation, Rachel is set to release her debut LP ‘Under The Mountains’ on October 15th. She embarks on a UK tour taking in 20 dates across the UK during September and October.Will this be your first major festival performance?
I have been playing many festivals this year but this is a very big one...
What does the slot mean to you as an artist?
It means, for me, that things are going well. And I'm glad.
What would you consider to be your career highlights so far?
First band gig down in London was at The Union Chapel and I couldn't have asked for a better venue. We also enjoyed a jam on the train home afterwards and started a midnight train Ceilidh (Scottish Dance).
What are you looking to get out of this weekend’s slots?
Some more ears for the songs. Some fun.
What would be your best piece of advice for anyone looking to get a festival slot next year?
Persist.
Best festival survival tip?
Take as little as you can. Less worry. Easier to fly about. You'll be fine.
We Were Frontiers
We Were Frontiers, still relatively new to the Leeds music scene make several nods to the music of Ennio Morricone which they fuse with intricate guitar lines and rich vocal harmonies to create their own unique brand of guitar pop. Their multi-instrumental live show has won them a strong live following which they hope to capitalise on with their upcoming appearances this weekend. Having recorded and independently released 3 singles earlier this year the band are now set to begin recording their debut album in late September.
Is Reading & Leeds be your first festival slot?
Yes. We played our first gig in April this year so missed out on festival season last year. We were holed up writing and rehearsing most of last summer.
Playing Reading & Leeds is a pretty big deal for anyone, how do you feel about it?
It’s a great achievement for us to be playing at the same festival as great bands such as The Cure, Kasabian, Foo Fighters etc. I think mainly we’re happy to be getting recognition for our music and live shows after working so hard on it over the past year. It’s nice to finally make the transition to artist after so many years of being an audience member!
Fill us in on your highlights to date
Winning our spot at Leeds festival is our biggest highlight to date. We’d only played 3 live shows before being selected so it made us realise as a band that the year of hard work we spent writing and rehearsing has really paid off.
What are you hoping to take from this weekend?
Hopefully a couple of great performances at Reading & Leeds but for us this is only a small part of the whole package, the networking and talking to people after the show and once we get back home is just as important. You never know who might be there! Hopefully the performances will raise our profile as a band.
Can you offer up any advice for any emerging acts looking to get on a festival bill next year?
Organisers are looking for a good live show so make sure you’re tight and professional. If you’re going to send material to organisers get a good live recording rather than a studio recording as ultimately they want to know if you cut it live.
And finally, any festival tips for out readers?
Tags
reading festival, leeds festival, reading & leeds, bbc introducing, unsigned bands, unsigned artists, emerging acts, unsigned stage, unsigned festival slot
