Liverpool outfit Courting made a big splash as they celebrated the release of their new album “Guitar Music” at The Cluny 2 on Friday evening.
Performing songs from their new LP, as well as songs from the rest of the back catalogue, the band impressed fans with an energetic performance.
This is of course a trademark of the band who have gained a reputation for their exciting live shows. Courting have in the past launched tennis balls at their shows such as at the Reading Festival, and the chaotic nature of that show was replicated in this performance.
Throughout, there were multiple impromptu covers featuring such classics as “The Boys are Back in Town”, “Common People” and “Starships”.
The set begun however with their critically acclaimed single “Tennis”, which inspired said tennis ball incident warming up the crowd who quickly got on board with the band’s blend of electronic and guitar based music.
The group went through hits old and new with airings of recent single “Jumper” as well as performances of older songs such as “Grand National” and “Popshop!”
This was all intersected with enjoyable stage chat in addition to audience participation via the medium of a cowbell which was embraced fully by the audience to mixed results.
The evening ended with a stage invasion by adoring fans, rounding out an enjoyable night, watching one of the UK’s most exciting up and coming bands.
Make sure to check out Courting’s new album “Guitar Music” and follow them on Twitter at @courtingband to find their upcoming tour dates supporting the album.
At around quarter past 3 on Tuesday afternoon, the Sports Team bandwagon (in the form of a spray -painted Piaggio Porter) rolled into Newcastle to play an exclusive show at RPM Music.
The promo show forms part of their ongoing UK tour for their upcoming sophomore album GULP! which hits stores on Friday.
The venue of RPM Music made it an interesting evening, as around 40 spectators piled into the tight confines of the cosy record store.
To say that the venue was intimate would be an understatement however this only increased the special feel of the gig which brought a different vibe to the standard Academy fayre.
The band posed with fans for pictures before and after the gig adding to the friendly, intimate atmosphere which radiated around the Old George Yard throughout the evening.
The setlist was formed of songs from their new record, “GULP!” with new singles “The Drop” and “Dig” performed to an audience of those who had pre-ordered the LP and those lucky enough to squeeze in.
Throughout the performance, more and more latecomers arrived perhaps demonstrating the challenging nature of the start time of 17:30 which is perhaps more forgivable for a smaller record store date.
Those who did make it down in time were treated to an excellent show filled with the usual high energy antics expected from a Sports Team performance conducted within smaller confines.
The band began with their latest four singles, which open their new LP, before throwing themselves into a rendition of “Unstuck”, the first unheard of number of the evening which saw frontman Alex Rice take advantage of the novelty of a wireless mic seeing him serenade the streets of Newcastle and the punters of the nearby Old George pub.
Alex Rice unchained
The band’s trademark sound was not compromised even in the tight surroundings leading to a number of vinyl and eventually a shelf falling on drummer Alex Greenwood who managed to play on throughout the vicious attack by boxsets from The Doors and The Who.
New tracks “Getting Better” and “Light Industry” were firmly dispatched with songwriter Rob Knaggs taking vocal duties on the former following on from vocal performances on 2020’s “Long Hot Summer” and “Lander”.
The evening was rounded out by a rendition of “M5” from their 2019 EP “Keep Walking” which beat out “Here’s the Thing” in a fan vote.
Fans were then treated to an album signing session as well as a chance to chat with the band and buy merch from the “GULP!” branded van, which is transporting the band around the country. This rounded off a really fun night which highlighted what makes Sports Team so special in comparison to other artists around today.
black midi are an interesting beast, a mix of post punk, experimental rock and math rock. The band had an extremely successful 2019 breaking into the Top 40 in the album charts as well as releasing a critically acclaimed album which featured in many of the end of the year lists.
The album is filled with fast-paced, high energy tunes which translates well into the chaotic live show which midi present.
This energy was transported to the room which was packed to the point of it being almost uncomfortable.
However, this worked in black midi’s favour, with the crowd serving up some of the biggest mosh pits I’ve seen.
Consistently, people were dredging over to the small bar at the side of the venue for water dripping in sweat looking as though they’d been dropped into the Tyne.
The ability to produce this reaction within a crowd is testament to midi’s live show after what seemed an eternity of omnious, choral singing which transported the venue into some sort of bizarre gothic cathedral before the band appeared.
What perhaps is unique about black midi is their approach to playing live not simply wanting to reproduce their album to an audience and instead trying to make something new and fresh.
black midi @ The Riverside – 21/02/2020 – Joseph Jordan
This is highlighted in their set which only featured six songs from their debut LP amongst a twelve song set.
These six songs went down well with a mosh pit forming which went all the way back to the entrance.
The band sound spectacular live, the guitar work was particularly impressive with complex riffs completed with aplomb in a beautiful way displaying the group’s talent.
A particular highlight was a cover of The Police’s ‘Message in a Bottle’ which was unexpected to say the least.
However, this further displays the band’s talent of taking songs from artists, such as FONTAINES DC in the past, and making them their own which was almost certainly the case with this cover.
If you get the chance to see black midi take it up they are like nothing you’ll ever see.
In terms of spectacle I have never seen anything like The 1975’s live show a combination of clever visuals and impressive imagery the performance is all encompassing and can only truly be appreciated live.
The show is very much an extension of the band, progressive and showy and ultimately the pretty visuals match the pretty synth-pop which the band have perfected since the release of debut EP, Facedown in 2012.
However, to dismiss The 1975 as being simply one thing would be to do them a discredit which was proven through their opening track, People which shows the bands confidence and competence in making music.
Love Me – Joseph Jordan
The song opened the live show in raucous fashion with the lyrics from the band’s frontman, Matty Healyreflecting the feelings of many young people regarding the state of the world and the music encompassing those feelings.
The aggressive, distorted guitars did not get lost within the echoey arena with the yellow visuals and the sirens reflecting the warnings which are made within the songs lyrics.
This combined well with one of the band’s biggest hits ‘Sex’ which always goes down well live with the band dipping into indie rock and finishing the song with a big finish splashing the words ‘Rock and Roll is Dead God Bless The 1975’ across their jumbo screens, a huge statement in which to open a show
The rock energy of ‘Sex’ contrasted greatly with their third track ‘TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME’ from the band’s critically acclaimed third album which acts as a celebration of pop music with the catchy hook of the song and pulsating pianos which would not be out of place on a top 10 hit.
The track went down well in the arena with the band using the visuals of their set to their advantage with a crawling Star Wars-esic title crawl to the song blending perfectly with the opening of the single.
The 1975 then progressed to their most recent single the ‘Me and You Together Song’ which sees the band dip into their past to provide a cute love song which sounds a bit like early noughties pop punk band Busted in all the right ways.
The 1975 @ Utilita Arena – 16/02/2020
The introduction of front-man Matty Healy’s now famous treadmill and hat combo during ‘Sincerity is Scary’ went down with screams from adoring fans with the forementioned treadmill providing some excellent visuals in front of the moving street from the video.
Through it did cause an uncomfortable/funny moment when the hat was thrown back from the crowd which was quite bizarre.
The next song ‘It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’ is the best song the eighties never got. You get the feeling if the single had came out in 1985 it could have been a number one with the perfect pop hook to go with an amazing riff which combines reverb, chorus and distortion to create that typical eighties guitar sound.
The song always goes down well live especially with the Jaiy twins providing an amazing onstage performance to compliment the song’s danceable quality.
This progressed into new unreleased song ‘If You’re Too Shy Let Me Know’ which had an amazing operatic beginning to the track which I hope will be included in the album version. The track begins with some very 1975ey (I know it’s not a word) guitars in the intro. Ironically this song sounds like it could be a sequel to ‘It’s Not Living’.
Credit to Andy Luckers – If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know) – The 1975
The chorus of the song sounds like the eighties exploding however could not come from any other band than The 1975 who have perfected their craft in making addictive pop songs. Overall, the song went down well with the crowd despite it not having been released with the band adding another set of cool visual in the shape of old timey TV’s which littered the back screen.
The band continued with 2015’s ‘Love Me’ which still sounds great today featuring some of the band’s best lyrics revolving around narcissism and fame.
The group took it down a notch with ‘I Couldn’t Be More In Love’ sparking lighters and phone lights to go up around the arena to the Michael Jackson-esic track.
The band then played another new song ‘Guys’ which was written about the group by frontman Matty. The song comes off as a love-note not just to the group but to the band’s fans as well who are amongst the most loyal in music.
The song is very meta and could come across as a little wanky to those who aren’t as invested in the band however the song is cute and personal if any band can get away with it, it’s The 1975.
‘Robbers’ followed which is a fan’s favourite evident due to the reaction in the arena.
The song is perhaps too over-dramatic but in the heighten emotional landscape which is an arena gig this works for the song.
This beautifully faded into ‘fallingforyou’ a beautifully constructed love song which packed just as big a punch as ‘Robbers’ did.
Milk – The 1975 – Joseph Jordan
The mood was lifted as the band went into ‘Milk’ which shows the band can do indie if they wanted to. The track is a short burst of energy which was much needed after a slow section of the show.
‘Lostmyhead’ on paper seems a baffling choice to do live when band don’t play ‘She’s American’, ‘Girls’ or ‘Settle Down’ some of the groups most popular cuts.
However, once you see it live you realize how wrong you were. The song featured some of the best visuals of the night featuring Matty Healy melting into the jumbo screens. It is the most impressive thing I’ve seen at a gig from a technological standpoint.
October’s ‘Frail State of Mind’ followed, an excellent song showing how the band can mix genres with ease with garage beat adding to the night time aesthetic to the song.
The song tackles social anxiety in an amazing way in the lyrics showing just how the band can tackle issues in society. The song translated well live with the frantic visuals on the jumbo screens reflecting chaotic nature of the song.
The social commentary continued with ‘I Like America & America Likes Me’ confronting gun culture in the United States as well as the state of the modern world with the band bringing the energy to the arena as the screens projected various images onto the backdrop creating a powerful moment.
The pink box then descended for perhaps the band’s most famous song ‘Somebody Else’ which went down well with the crowd.
The band then finished for the encore with ‘I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’ which sees the band dipping their toes into Britpop with a dramatic cinematic feel to the track, making this the perfect ending.
During the encore, the group played their collaboration with Greta Thunberg in full which provided a thought provoking moment despite many in crowd playing up which is to be expected at an arena show.
The Greta Moment – Joseph Jordan
This went perfectly into ‘Love It If We Made It’ which carried on many of those themes.
The 1975 then swapped out ‘Paris’ for ‘Medicine’ in a slot which looks like it will change nightly. The song worked incredibly well and I didn’t mind the swap despite me not being a fan of different setlists every night.
However, for those who are attending multiple dates this will reward them for their loyalty which I suppose is nice for them.
The crowd went to new levels for ‘Chocolate’ where I was in the middle of standing overall I felt the atmosphere where I was seemed lacking at periods however it did pick up for the encore.
‘Give Yourself A Try’ and ‘The Sound’ really did go off and it was an amazing feeling to see the entire arena bouncing.
The 1975 continue to prove themselves as innovators pushing the boundaries of what is possible for a band to do at a concert as well as providing a stellar setlist.
Glastonbury couldn’t do much better than to get them as their third headliner.
It’s a cold Friday evening in December however the Think Tank? is packed with young music fans, awaiting them are four local bands making up a lineup packed with talent from the region.
Amongst them are Sheds, a band who already have a huge following of young fans which packed out the venue for their support slot.
Sheds – Live at Think Tank? – 06/12/19
This has really energised the band who have seen their fanbase grow from strength to strength.
“Yeah, I’m buzzing for it, practices for this have gone quite well. It’s one of the few opening gigs we’ve done and we‘ll see how it goes down because we usually just play to our own fans. We’re excited to see how it goes down with others.” said the band’s singer, Frank Cook.
“We’ve played a couple of times here. We were meant to be playing Underground but got moved up here. So we’ve ended up playing here again. We’ve had a three-hour scramble to get people to go to the right place. We’ve played more gigs here than anywhere else.”
The Crowd @ Think Tank – 06/12/19
The band certainly did go down well, with a weighty crowd of young fans filling the floor with the band smashing out a mixture of covers and original material.
Included in this was the band’s new single “Keep It Down” which is closing in on 1,000 streams on Spotify.
The reaction to the single has stunned the band:
“It’s been a bit mental and it’s coming up to 1000 streams after a month we didn’t know how people would react because we just do gigs. It was one of the older songs so it was nice to put it out and hopefully, we can do better but it’s set the tone for us it’s mental how it got received really.”
The single takes influences from Arctic Monkeys as well as various indie rock bands with a strong riff which really powers the song along.
Guitarist Tom Robson also cited the Black Keys’ ‘Turn Blue’ as another huge inspiration for him.
However, the main influence for riff writer, Tom Robson, came from a very different place.
“The biggest inspirations were Tame Impala and Arctic Monkeys I had the riff for ages I just stood in the corner at mine and he played the riff and Frank played his chords and we looked at each other and we knew it was going to be good.”
“It comes together very quickly not a lot of thought goes into it. We have good ideas and it’s just about doing it. Once in a while it just clicks and we have a song.”
The band don’t plan to stop there however with new songs constantly being worked on as well as various gigs which are planned for the new year.
They plan to get the new year started with a bang when they headline the Surf Cafe on the 3rd of January with the money raised from the gig being put back into the band in the form of recording a single or even a debut EP.
The plan is to keep gigging throughout the new year:
“We aim to play a show in April or May time.”
“There are more venues popping up all the time. I love the Surf Cafe I go down there at the weekend.” said guitarist Tom Robson.
Sheds are part of a growing music scene in North East which are currently exposing the North East as a hotbed for fresh, new music.
Sheds are very happy to be part of this amazing community of musicians:
“We had no idea about the music scene around here until we started. If you’d asked us a year ago, we’d be happy to just be on the circuit. There’s definitely a community of 20 odd bands. Everyone’s great and tight-knit and amazing at what they do.”
“We love Fowl, Frank loves his punk. We love Stasis, Distance are really good as well.”
Both Distance and Fowl featured alongside the lads that night in what was a high energy show from all three bands.
Sheds – Live from Think Tank? Newcastle – 06/12/19
The huge mosh pit which grew as Sheds performed showed the groups talent at getting the crowd going.
Despite this, their growing fan-base will have to wait a little longer for new music from Sheds:
“It won’t be soon for the EP, it’ll be a few months more. It’ll be more likely to have a single out first. For the EP, we want to write new songs instead of recording old ones. We want to write it properly we won’t release it until it’s as good as it could be. It could be 6 or 8 months but we’ve got new spins on things.” said guitarist Tom Robson
However, the band nearly didn’t make it this far.
The band, which had its origins in a high school music class, nearly called it quits.
“We were shit for a year and Tom nearly left because it was shocking after summer we formed but we got our shit together when we got offered to play a schools gig at the O2 and if it hadn’t gone well we wouldn’t have been a band anymore,” claimed Frank Cook.
“The response was good even though we were shit. But we learnt how to do it properly,” said drummer, Joel Bell.
Whilst the band are hungry to grow even bigger they wouldn’t want to have a huge fan-base.
“Realistically we’d like to keep gigging around. We’ve got a fan-base which is growing out from people we know. We’d like to fill a room but as long as we have an identity, we don’t really want a massive fan-base.”
The band dreams of Glastonbury whilst admitting headlining is probably highly unlikely for them.
They did, however, give their views on the 2020 lineup as well as past lineups.
“For Glastonbury, I was hoping they’d get Led Zeppelin or something like that for the 50th.”
“I’m disappointed that there’s no current band headlining it. I like The 1975 whilst they’re not my favourite band, I would have liked to see them headline this year, rather than The Killers or something,” said singer, Frank Cook.
“A modern band would be better. I’m not a fan of McCarthy headlining but the more I’ve thought about it the more I’m like that’s alright.”
The band’s high energy shows are definitely worth catching so get down to the Surf Cafe this January to catch them.
Sports Team @ The Riverside – 25/11/2019 – Joseph Jordan
I’ve seen some gigs this year but Sports Team on Monday night was right up there maybe even the best I’ve seen over this long, long year.
It’s incredible to think that a band without an album out yet managed to sell out the Riverside, the third-largest music venue in the city, but that is a testament to the music that the London based band produce.
Since the release of their 2017 debut single Stanton the band has only grown in stature regularly being found on ones to watch lists.
The fast-paced indie tunes matched with the genius lyrics of which stick in your mind from the first listen does prove that you can go far as long as you have the music.
It is all this which makes their rising status so much more believable. However, Sports Team isn’t just a band which produces excellent music but can also bring it to their live shows as well.
The band got everything right on Wednesday night bringing their unique approach to indie to the Toon.
Alex Rice – Just Chilling – photo by Andrea Navarro as well as the featured image
Visually, the flower-laden set and lights show are welcome but nothing out of the ordinary, where the band excels is their own personal performance from Ben Mack masterclass on the keyboards which is as unique as anyone.
But where Sports Team really excels as a live band can be found in their frontman, Alex Rice.
Rice is perhaps the finest up and coming frontman I’ve seen delivering the energy needed to propel these amazing songs into the stratosphere.
Whether it climbing speaker stack, crowd surfing or good old incomprehensible gestures to those watching him. He truly is mesmerizing to watch.
Speaking to people outside the gig it’s clear that fans agree with many displaying their love with vivid sexual imagery.
Whilst the gig was amazing, there was some unsavoury scenes whilst the crowd, for the most part, were incredible, one punter failed to see the whole gig due to being hit by a flying glass (seen below).
No one wants to see it and similar events are becoming a growing problem at indie gigs with a girl being burnt by a flare at Liam Gallagher and the various complaints about flares which have been made during the latest run of Catfish and the Bottlemen gigs.
Whilst different dickish behaviour was seen at Sports Team last night, it is part of a bigger problem currently facing this genre’s fans.
However, this is not the problem of the bands, who have responded brilliantly to it but more to do with educating the toxic set of fans which feel like this is acceptable.
Despite this Sports Team hit a home run on Monday night and I can’t wait to see what their new album will sound like especially after seeing a preview of some of the new songs last night.
Local band Stasis have announced that they are currently recording their debut single, ‘Lies’.
Introducing the band
The band revealed that the track is close to completion with just the bass missing from the song.
Stasis supported The Sheds last Monday at Think Tank? in Newcastle, in what proved to be an amazing moment for the band.
‘It was mint’ said drummer Dylan with the rest of the band quick to back him up.
The communal atmosphere of the band is apparent when you meet them and this vibe has translated into the songwriting process for the band as revealed by the band’s singer Tamzin.
‘The melodies are written by Fae and Ben and I write the lyrics,’
‘When Fae writes a song it’s very different to when Ben writes one, they come from different ends of the spectrum,’
‘Fae will write more heavier, grungier songs whereas Ben will write more alternative or indie songs.’
However, the band had originally been recording within Newcastle College, but the group were underwhelmed with the sessions.
Instead they have been camped around guitarist Ben’s ‘little’ mic writing and recording songs using Garage Band which the group seemingly prefer.
The band draw from numerous different influences with each member of the group coming from a different musical backgrounds.
These different approaches have shaped the sound of the band with influences listed from grunge to indie.
Guitarist Fae has cited influences from grunge icons Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins as well as taking inspiration from the shoegaze music of My Bloody Valentine.
This contrasts with bassist Patrick who instead takes inspiration more from Mac Demarco and indie music in general, this creates an interesting mix of songs which keeps the band fresh.
The band wants to be a unique entity which is very much them and no one else.
‘We don’t have a persona or anything like that, we want to be ourselves’ said the band’s singer Tamzin. ‘We all dress differently and we’re a mix of people.’
The Band playing their first ever gig – @thebandstasis
The band met in college with drummer Dylan having the idea to form the band. Ever since then they have been working and creating music.
What the future holds for Stasis they don’t know, but what they do know is that they want to enjoy it as much as they can.
The aim for the future is to simply get as many gigs as possible regardless of the venue with the band just happy to be playing music.
This means recording more songs, which the band have been doing with an EP coming in the future as well as the upcoming single.
This will hopefully lead to more amazing moments for the band live
Make sure to follow Stasis on Instagram here to make sure you don’t miss any future announcements.
Wednesday night saw FEET bring their debut album to Think Tank? Newcastle.
Last month, the band released their debut album,‘What’s Inside Is More Than Just Ham’ with the group touring the album on this current run of the country.
Having played downstairs at Think Tank? Underground, earlier in the year the Coventry based band made the transition well bringing their lively show to the venue.
The band, whose album garnered a four star review from the NME, played all 10 songs from their debut.
The album is a mixture of post punk and indie with perhaps the most inventive, imaginative lyrics you could possibly wish to hear.
From songs about hot dog filled ballads to anthems revolving around chemicals in cars, the album is crease pop at its finest if you haven’t already checked it out.
The gig lived up to the brilliance of the album, with the bizarreness of the record being perfectally captured in the live show filled with weird dancing and colourful lights.
The band filled the stage, mainly due to the small size of it however they managed to create an intimate feeling with the crowd.
The final three songs, featuring two of their most popular singles ‘Petty Thieving’ and ‘Outer Rim’, sent the crowd wild with mosh pits forming at the front.
As one of indie’s rising stars make sure you go to see FEET if you get the chance before they hit, massive venues you won’t regret it.
Make sure to also check out my exclusive FEET quiz right here.
Heidi Curtis is ambitious for success and there’s no reason why her aims couldn’t become a reality.
The band after the Sophie and the Giants show – @heidicurtismusic
The singer songwriter has already supported Sophie and the Giants and appeared on Sam Fender’s amazing single, ‘Hypersonic Missiles’.
However, there is no standing still for Newcastle based artist. She has already begun to implement her manifesto for success with her band, who are currently rehearsing and writing with her.
‘My guitarist Josh is a massive Toon fan so I would just like to headline the arena so he could shout a chant and the crowd could shout it back.’
On her Career Ambition
Curtis has highlighted the importance of being prepared for anything and whilst no gigs are currently planned, she understands the need to be prepared for anything which transpire.
‘The past few gigs have been amazing and we’ve got a promoter involved but we know we have to wait for good support slots’
Her main aim is to build a passionate following, something she is currently well in process of achieving with over a thousand followers on Instagram as well as a growing YouTube community in which she highlights her work.
The singer songwriter is first concentrating on this rather than releasing music. However, she was quick to tease what it will sound like with demos described as if Blondie hit Fleetwood Mac.
The huge range of influences are already demonstrated on her YouTube channel in which she has reinvented popular favourites from acts such as Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and New Order, transforming them into her own unique style.
It is this and her sensational singing voice which has led to big things for her so far, supporting Sophie and the Giants at the Northumbria Institute last month.
‘It was a great experience, the whole thing was amazing and to play on a proper stage was great… They were super lovely’
However, this is just the start for Heidi who wishes to go all the way to the summit of music with ambitions to top the bill at Boardmasters as well as to have her own headline tour.
This may well become a reality for her with the excellent acoustic version of ‘AGAIN’ on her Instagram demonstrating her supreme talent for songwriting.
Describing herself as a ‘methodwriter’, Heidi often writes from her own experiences dreaming up melodies whilst painting, molding the impressive lyrics around them.
Her songwriting journey began as a way of trying to work her way into her brother’s inner circle, something which clearly worked with her sibling now managing the singer songwriter.
It is also through this that Heidi has formed a friendship with her brother’s best mate and inspiration Sam Fender.
‘He’s always been massively supportive, he’s like an older brother.’
The North Shields based artist has always helped Heidi, having a huge influence on her music as well as helping her to write her first song.
He also provided a memorable moment for the singer songwriter, with Heidi appearing on the spectacular ‘Hypersonic Missiles’, providing backing vocals on the track.
The singer songwriter also has ambitions to headline Mouth of the Tyne Festival like Fender did earlier in the year.
However, top of the to do list for Heidi Curtis is to eventually headline the Ultita Arena in Newcastle if only to provide a special moment for her guitarist Josh.
‘My guitarist Josh is a massive Toon fan so I would just like to headline the arena so he could shout a chant and the crowd could shout it back.’
With her immense talent there’s no reason why the dream couldn’t become a reality.
Friday sees Dream Pop rising star Mac Benson release his second EP ‘Coming of Age’.
Photo by Shona Radcliffe – @shonaradcliffe
The five track EP stretches across a variety of different influences combining to make a poppier sounding record than anything previously seen by the solo artist.
Earlier this week, I sat down with Mac to ask him about the new EP as well as how it came about.
The EP has been two years in the making for Mac Benson after the release of 2018’s ‘Love and All it’s Colour’.
The record covers the themes of love, friendship, loss and growth over the last few years of Benson’s teenhood.
‘Looking back on the last year retrospectively it kind of does feel like a transitional period of my life, and as if the period of time these songs are about are their own little era.’
Musically the EP is also inspired by a particular period with Benson pointing to various pop records released late last year.
Whilst influenced by pop, the EP takes the form of a mixed bag highlighted by the wide array of influences from within the genre.
‘I took a lot of inspiration from pop musicians who I like and grew up on: Lorde, Frank Ocean, The 1975, Taylor Swift, Bleachers. Quite a mixed bag really.’
However, ‘Coming of Age’ sees a change of direction from the singer songwriter, as heard in lead single ‘Divine’.
The single described as the darkest on the record is a perfect starting place for those wishing to preview the vibe of the EP.
However, whilst the track is a darker song, Benson makes clear that there is light on the record as well as a more electronic feel than previous releases.
‘I feel like all the others are a bit lighter in comparison (Divine), at least in terms of the production. Everything’s very electronic on this one though, definitely a departure from the last EP.’
Benson has also experimented with new ways of writing for the record, particularly building a greater understanding of the structure of pop songs which has helped him hone in on his own specific style.
‘To begin with I don’t think I was really that good as a pop writer and I didn’t really have the confidence to try and write to that kind of structure, but while making the EP I feel like it’s just grown into my natural way of doing things.’
Photo by Shona Radcliffe – @shonaradcliffe
A highlight of the singer songwriters work are his lyrics which often go into deep and personal places however according to Benson lyrics come easy due to their honesty.
‘I don’t know how else to do it, I’ve tried writing fictitiously but it just never works for me. I’m a huge overthinker, definitely more dramatic than I’d like to admit and am never short of stuff from my life to draw from.’
‘A lot of the time I’ll actually realize how I’m feeling through writing. Like I’ll just write things subconsciously, sometimes I’ll finish a whole song and be like ‘oh I guess that was what was up’, it can be really cathartic sometimes.’
It is this approach to songwriting which makes Mac’s music incredibly relatable, endearing and most of all amazing.
Mac Benson’s new EP ‘Coming of Age’ is out now on Bandcamp.
Humbug North East 