Our Band By Hearts & Souls

Our Band By Hearts & Souls

How did the band start?

H&S started out as a bit of a lockdown project out of boredom really; random chance led to Paul Guerin [Black Eyed Sons/Down N' Outz/Quireboys] coming on board as our ongoing producer, and the band kind of grew organically around that.

Who were the first members?

It was Luke's [Smithson, lead vocals/guitar] thing originally, he'd recorded a song written with me [Tom Q, guitar/vox] with whoever was available during lockdown to just get something done. After Paul came aboard, the need for a more stable and permanent lineup was evident. Alan [Sullivan, bass/vox] had come aboard originally, followed by Jimmy Milne on drums and I came in shortly after, probably to bring the average age of the band down a touch.

How did you all meet?

We've all been in and out of bands with each other for years; Luke and I have been playing together about 20 years now, and Jimmy and I for maybe 15. Alan, Luke and Jimmy had a few things going a while back, so there was a lot of familiarity from the off.

What was the first practice like?

It's funny, as we'd mostly recorded the Nights Of My Days EP before studios and everything were properly open, so we'd already had a bunch of songs recorded before the full lineup was in the same room at the same time! It was good though, figuring out the best way of stripping those songs back to basics for a live setting, figuring out which harmonies were which again... Later, bringing in keys and backing singers was just easy by then, we kind of did everything backwards. We're a new band, but full of extremely experienced musicians, so it all felt like we've been doing it for years from day one.

Where was your first gig and how did it go?

We did a couple warm up local gigs at a venue very dear to us, small pub called the Duck N' Drake in our hometown of Leeds. Rammed that full, took the roof off of it! From there we went onto the HRH festival, which was a brilliant experience - we've done it again since, and had a few familiar faces from the first time round so I'm taking that as a positive!

What was it like the first time you recorded a single/EP/album?

After the lockdown material, after the line-up had solidified, we started working on songs that came more from us as a unit. I think a lot of our individual styles are more readily apparent on the newer stuff, and each time it's been an improvement - Paul's input has helped massively, and we've tried to do something a little bit different with each song. Working with Bob Munday (former Roy Orbison drummer) on our last single Anjalie was a blast, he's full of stories about some absolute icons. Telling me about drumming for Jimi Hendrix just before I recorded my guitar parts was a tactical move, I'm sure.

What has been the biggest and best moments of the band?

We've had some great gigs, with the HRH slots we've done, opening for Wayward Sons was a great night as well! The best is yet to come with this band for sure, but being able to get our music out to everyone is first and foremost at present. Considering our first releases came out before we'd done much live stuff, seeing people singing along was brilliant! They knew the words better than I did. Signing on with Vintage Guitars, followed by being invited to play at the National Guitar Shows is an honour; I think if you're a rock n' roll band and you get asked to do something like that, you know you're doing something right.

What has been the lowest and worst moments of the bands?

The thing with musicians is that we're all a right bunch of headcases. Genuinely. Every single musician has got to have something wrong going on up there, otherwise it just wouldn't work. You put loads of contrasting personalities in a van together for an extended period of time, you'll get on each others' nerves - fallouts, spats, tension - it's all part of it. At the end of the day, once you're up there and playing, all that goes away. It's done, forgotten about - at least until the next time someone falls out. Just get to the next gig, it'll sort itself out.

What is it like playing on a stage to fans?

We're all working musicians, and the one thing I can say for sure - for me personally, I don't care if there's 10 people, 100 people or a 1000 - whatever. It's a rush no matter what, and it's always a great feeling. I love it, it's the reason I do it and if you can please half of the room then you've done well. Seeing a packed venue dancing and vibing to something you've helped create is something special.

How does it feel when people tell you they are a fan of yours?

It's one of the most rewarding things about being an artist of any sort. It's incredibly difficult to create something that's not just "alright, I guess" - I've done a lot in my time, but it never fails to make a difference to my day when someone goes out of their way to tell me we made a difference to theirs.

What is the process of writing new music?

There isn't one specifically - sometimes Luke brings in a fully written piece, sometimes there's more to be done - a lot of the time, the material I write is music only - I'm good with words, not so much lyrics! The real work with them comes in pre-production with Paul. That's where we'll really put it through the wringer, make the first lot of hard calls. We have high standards for a song to make it into the set, let alone to make it into the studio, so each one gets flattened and rebuilt before anyone's heard it. There's a lot going on musically with this band, so a lot of the effort goes into making sure nobody is stepping on anyone else's toes!

Do you have a band ritual before you go on stage?

Nah. We have our individual quirks, but generally speaking we can't wait to just get on and play.

Other than the instruments you play, do each of you have specific jobs in the band? ie, who arranges gigs, who runs the social media profiles, who sorts merch, etc.

Not in particular! As with everything with this band, whoever's best equipped to get it done will get it done. As a relatively new band, I'm sure things will pull together in a certain way in time, but for now it's just crossing bridges as we get to them.

Hearts & Souls - Little While