Edward Burnett chats to Wolfpeake, an indie-rock band from the north of England, about what it takes to be a frontman, their influences and future aspirations. RnRR: Hi, would you like to introduce yourself and the band to our followers. WOLFPEAKE: Hey! My name’s Jack and I’m the singer of the emo-driven indie rock band, Wolfpeake. RnRR: How long have Wolfpeake been going and what inspired the band’s creation? WOLFPEAKE: So we have been a band for just over a year and gigging for slightly less then that. We all came together after Arron (the bass player) watched me play an acoustic show and said he wanted to be in a band with me! So he asked a few people in our local scene to get on board and we all met up for pizza and a chat and ended up later that same night creating “Hennessy”. So from that moment on we just knew we had a good little thing going. RnRR: What a great story! So if our readers are new to Wolfpeake, which of your songs would you recommend, if wanting to get the general vibe of the band? WOLFPEAKE: So we currently have 3 songs online! But if I’d suggest my favourite it would be the second release we did “Strings” as it’s hella dancy! RnRR: Ah that’s good to hear, it’s a good little song that. So what are the plans for the future with the band? Gigs? A debut album? WOLFPEAKE: So we have a few things plans and some I have to keep secret but...we are working on our debut EP! And it’s set to release sometime after the new year. We can’t wait to show everyone what we have been working so hard on! So along side the EP will come a long list of gigs for us leading up to the launch and after! So everyone keep your eyes pealed and follow our social media’s to keep in the loop! RnRR: I’m sure everyone will, we will update our page with any news you guys have got. So, what’s your favourite part about being the lead singer? Would you describe yourself as an emphatic frontman? WOLFPEAKE: Being the front man of Wolfpeake is a good laugh! But everyone in band gets involved with the crowd that’s what makes Wolfpeake. But the best feeling is people singing back a chorus that you wrote in your bedroom...it’s a dream! I’d say I’m quite an exciting front man and a little crazy haha I can’t help but move around and jump with the crowd! It’s why I do music I guess. RnRR: The best frontmen usually are. So what bands/singers inspired you to join a band? Are inspirations everything when pursuing a career in music? WOLFPEAKE: So I’ve been brought up on a weird mix of music from Nirvana to Take That and that’s resulted in catchy choruses but high gain, crunchy guitar tones! But my fave artists/ bands on the scene right now have to be Sam Fender, Catfish and The Story So Far! RnRR: Interesting choices and very varied. We did coverage of a Sam Fender gig on the page not too long ago, incidentally. So finally, where do you see the band in the future? Is the sky the limit or is there no stopping the band? WOLFPEAKE: Well we are just along for the ride! But we all believe that we have a chance at playing some major gigs we just need to get out and play as many gigs as we can! RnRR: That’s the spirit, with that mentality anything is possible. Lovely chatting with you and if readers are interested in the band, we will post updates on major news. Jack it’s been a pleasure, all the best. WOLFPEAKE: No, honestly, thank you! It’s been a pleasure! You can find out more about Wolfpeake via their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Spotify or by their official website at: https://wolfpeake.co.uk
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Edward Burnett catches up with the former frontman of indie-rock band Vagant, Leo Lassant, to talk new projects, 80s synth-wave and nostalgia. RnRR: Hi Leo, the last time I spoke to you, you were front-maning the band Vagant. What’s happening now in your musical career? LEO: At the moment I’m starting my solo career as Leonardo Lassant. I’m also making some other projects that I had before, and doing musical experiments with the 80s synth-wave and aesthetic movement. RnRR: So tell us more about the last part, what exactly are you aiming to do with the synth-wave genre and why did you decide upon that particular style to experiment with? LEO: It’s because I’ve fallen in love with the style and all that comes with it. In a way, I’m trying to take the best parts from the mainstream music from the 80s and the best part from the synth-wave to make something new with those old genres. I love the feeling of nostalgia and making this makes me feel it somehow. RnRR: Nostalgia can be a key influencer in the creation of music and evidently this is what you have chosen to pursue! Is there any particular bands from these older genres which inspired you to go and finally experiment with them? LEO: Well, I’m usually very good with the names of the bands that I hear but to be honest, for this mission, I’ve been listening to some mixes on YouTube of synth wave and 80s nostalgia wave. I don’t know, for the pop part, I’ve been listening to a lot of 80s mainstream music, there’s not a particular influence for me right now, just music and the sensation that I don’t feel part of my generation. RnRR: Well I’m sure during your research you have come across many synth remixes, one such being the largely popular synth-wave tune: “Home” by Resonance. Songs such as these act to provide such nostalgia to the ears of their audience. Would you say that the search for nostalgia is key to what you aim to produce? LEO: Home is such a spectacular tune, I really love it. Nostalgia means everything for me at the time of writing right now, but it’s kinda weird, the fact of feeling nostalgia for things that never happened in my life, so it’s the kind of message that I want to give to all the people who listen to me. RnRR: So with that in mind, what’s the plan for the future? New singles or EP coming soon? How about live shows? LEO: There are a lot of things on the way, my first solo EP, and the Pyramidal Prisma Sun's (the synthwave project) first single. We’re also about to do our first show as a band this september, and then we will see what happens next. RnRR: So let’s talk about your solo career and your first solo EP. What is the genre of this? Is it following in the indie-rock roots of your former band Vagant? LEO: My solo project, it doesn’t have a real shape right now, but it’s on progress. I want it to be the opposite of Vagant, like more focused on feeling, and personal stuff. Yet you can never hide your own roots, so I guess that this first EP will sound a little bit like Vagant, but the idea is to be totally different. RnRR: A good mix can be expected then. So one final question Leo, in a years time where do you see yourself and where would you like to be, realistically? LEO: Honestly, I want to live for the music, there’s nothing best than that, it’s the thing that I most enjoy in life. RnRR: There you go, it’s refreshing to see someone completely devoted to the cause of making good music and not chasing other goals. It’s been great speaking again Leo and we will be sure to update the page with news of your future projects when they drop. You can find out more about Leo via his social media outlets or find his work via Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/leo-lassant
Edward Burnett talks to Oxfordshire based indie-rock four piece band The Foliants about their backstory and what's coming up next. RnRR: So, Foliants, why don’t you introduce the band to our readers and who each member is and what they play? FOLIANTS: Hi we’re The Foliants, a four piece indie rock band from wantage Oxfordshire. We have Josh Legge on the drums, Aidan langrish on the bass, Ben Ireson plays lead guitar and Nick Wiltshire who is lead vocals and rhythm guitarist. RnRR: Nice to meet you all, first of all, what’s behind the name? Any reason for “Foliants”? FOLIANTS: The name has allot of meaning. Foliant drive in wantage was where Nick got his first guitar from. The man he bought it from got loads of these cheap guitars thinking they would go up In value (they didn’t) and it all started from there. RnRR: Ah, an interesting back story then! So now to the obvious question, what inspired you to try and make it as a band? Inspirations? FOLIANTS: Inspiration occurs all the time. We love our fans and the support they show inspires us to keep working harder. To see them enjoy listening to songs we have made, there is no better feeling. Bens massively inspired by artist such as Jack White, George Harrison, Clapton and Nicks takes huge inspiration from Catfish and the Bottlemen, The Vaccines and The Smiths. But we all are inspired by energy and love for live performances. RnRR: So would you say the band as a whole prefers to perform live rather than record/practice in the studio? FOLIANTS: 100% don’t get me wrong we love the studio and practice but none of thats worth it if you don’t love playing live and love creating a memorable night for people who come to watch you. RnRR: Exactly, that’s the true spirit of being in a band. So, as a band, what was you favourite live performance you’ve done, and why? FOLIANTS: Headlining the Bullingdon was special but I think our first ever time play the Oxford O2 Academy was amazing the crowd were eclectic and we really started to find our style and stage presence. RnRR: Of course, the Oxford O2 is a great venue. So where’s next for the band? Any particular aims you guys would like to achieve by the end of 2019? FOLIANTS: Aims are to just keep gigging and having fun. We would love to be voted on the to play truck festival this year with it being a local festival for us and we been going for years and always been a dream to play. RnRR: Sensible aims and a good plan, indeed. One final question- what is your favourite song that you’ve written, lyrically and which is your favourite to perform live? FOLIANTS: Both Nick and Ben write music for the group, Nicks favourite has to be "Made For You" This is a special song for Nick as lyrically it means alot to him and people could listen and interpret the lyrics to relate to them. Bens favourite is "Unpredictable" this is because it talks about relationships that might not work and people could relate to the lyrics. Our best live song though would have to be “We'll Wait”, the crowd goes electric when we play that and they sing along! RnRR: Relatability is always good for a hit. We’ll Wait is a very interesting song with a long guitar solo for its intro, for readers new to Foliants. It could be said to have a very strong Nirvana vibe with the guitar distortion, would you agree? FOLIANTS: That’s the first time we have heard that. We write our music with no influence or real goal, they all come from us playing together and seeing what works and what we like the sound of. But Nirvana were awesome and to be compared to them is a real honour. RnRR: Best to go about music your own way. Well thanks guys for taking time to talk to the page, all the best for the future. We’ll be sure to update the page with any key news. You can find out more about The Foliants via their social media outlets: The Foliants (Facebook) @thefoliants (Twitter) and @thefoliantsband (Instagram)
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