Here’s a round up of every Motivation Monday post we’ve put out so far! Save them to your phone, commit them to memory, tattoo them on your forehead. Whatever inspires you, we’re here for it.
You can also find the full quotes, along with more advice and insights, in our ‘Top Tips for Aspiring Musicians’ post. Our blog also contains the full interview with each artist if you want to learn more!
We’ve been interviewing some incredible people over the past few months, and we’ve asked all of our featured artists for their best advice for aspiring musicians – here are some top tips from the pros!
Vigilantes:
Everyone complains that the music industry is “who you know, not what you know”, and there is a lot of truth to that statement. But instead of complaining about it, get better at knowing people. Go out and meet them and have genuine relationships with who you want to know. Stop spamming people’s DMs with links to your music with no background – it’s silly and kinda arrogant. Instead, say hi at a show and be genuinely interested in them – it will pay off!
Ben Simmons:
Always look for something to chase. Perfect your craft, you have all the time in the world. Learn that instrument, learn that song. Do not worry about what everyone else is doing, what matters is the present – and never be afraid to sing in the shower!
Ell Ivy:
Don’t make music everything, you gotta live a life to make the best music you can – find that inspo in the ordinary.
Bull:
If you have a funny or stupid idea, but you’re all laughing and excited about it, DO IT.
Indigo Bay:
Write a song! You don’t have to release it, just write a song. Just have fun! Stick at it, because you’re gonna be shit – and that’s okay. If you just try your hardest, you’ll do something. Make connections! We’re constantly talking to everyone, anyone who follows us… and don’t put yourself out there as this kind of God that people need to worship – unless that’s what you’re going for. Just be nice on your way up.
Rebekah Fitch:
Work hard, but don’t get caught up in just trying to “achieve” things, make sure you’re enjoying the process. It’s a good idea to keep reminding yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing, so you focus on the right reasons and have fun with it. It often takes a lot longer than you expect!
Duccbod:
Drop the ego, stop the bullcrap, and just connect with people. Make connections that aren’t based around what they can give you, just around music itself. And remember, everyone’s on their own timeline – I swear Morgan Freeman didn’t get famous until he was like, fifty.
Bull – in our humble opinion, ones to watch. The band recently announced they will be playing BBC Introducing at Reading and Leeds, not to mention their upcoming tour (they’ll be in Lincoln on October 22nd!). Have a read through their interview and get yourself up to speed before it all kicks off!
Where does the name Bull come from?
We think it was our friend Liam’s suggestion. I think we went with it partly because we knew we wanted one word, (like Yuck!) but also because it seemed to sort of match with our philosophy as a band. (Bull sh*t). I had been in a lot of bands before but never as the songwriter. I wanted to be in a band where it wasn’t stressful and we were doing it purely for fun, no rules!
How did you all meet?
When we first formed in 2011, we were all at school together. I met Dan as I am the boyfriend of his sister, Martha. And we would have a lot of fun playing music together and I showed him a few chords on guitar. One of his best buds Rory came over to my house and we enjoyed playing music together, then we figured we needed a drummer and my old primary school friend Louis had been seen wearing a pixies t-shirt at school (and I’d heard him drum) so that was Bull mk1. Kai went to school with Dan and us and joined the band on megaphone for a laugh a few times. He had also played bass in York for a long time and was a good friend of ours so a great fit to join on bass. Tom Gabbatiss we’d known through gigging and I went travelling with him and asked him to join the band then. And the rest is pop history.
What are the best (and worst!) things about being in a band?
Good question! I’m sure the answer (at least to worst) might be slightly different for each of us. But I’m sure best is generally the feeling of playing music, when we’re all playing together and on the same page. But yeah we all also like travelling and making friends and meeting people. It’s really nice revisiting places and feeling like your meeting back up with old friends, picking up where you left off type of stuff. Worst… financial instability. That’s not great. But I wouldn’t change it 🙂
What have you been up to lately?
We’ve released our album so we’ve mostly been working on the next one (actually two!) and preparing to tour our album (Discover Effortless Living) for the first time this September/October. We’re playing all over the Uk and returning to the Netherlands which should be great 🙂
If your music was a person, what would they be like?
Hmmm, like a mixture of the four of us I suppose. Dan’s hair, my eyes, Kai’s ears, Tom G’s lips.
What has been your most memorable gig so far (and why)?
There have been a lot. Remember a good one in Groningen in the Netherlands at a place called Vera. We were supporting Canshaker Pi. Was just one of my favourite times I can remember playing, the sound was amazing, that venue is very inspiring.
If you could collaborate with any other artist, living or dead, who would you choose?
Willem Smit (from Personal Trainer / Canshaker Pi / Steve French in the Netherlands).
What are your hopes/goals for the future of the band?
I’d like if we could record more albums, tour. I’d like it very very much if we could play at venues like Vera and The Brudenell Social Club and The Fulford Arms, and people would want to come out and see us play.
“They’re finding really Interesting ways to do these pop songs that I love” – Declan McKenna “Alt-rock fans will love the mellow tones of Americana grunge mixed with nineties pop.” – Gigwise “The four-piece are working towards ‘big things’ with their easy-breezy take on lo-fi retro pop.” – Dork “That’s really good, I really like that” – Elton John
York’s alt rock songsmiths, Bull recently announced their debut album ‘Discover Effortless Living’, featuring ‘Eugene’, a mini-symphony of self-flagellation which trips through the various stages of feeling down on yourself (lethargy, frustration, anger etc) using tempo changes to paint an audio picture. It manages to be both melancholy and spritely at the same time, another example of the band’s idiosyncratic song writing.
“I wrote the song Eugene when I was feeling dissatisfied with what I was doing” Tom (guitar/vocals) explains. “It’s kind of a self-hate song, you know when people talk about self-love? It’s not that. I’m slating myself; it moves through the key changes and different moods, and ends in a way that mocks the sadness, another form of self-deprecation!”
The video for the track is again a collaboration with artist friends of the band that reflects the different moods of the song. Dan and Kai from the band kick things off with some DIY Claymation before handing over to artists Jack Iredale, Rory Welbrock, Roxy Linklater and Holly Beer who each tackled a different animation style.
The band’s debut album, ‘Discover Effortless Living’ is a cornucopia of alt rocks sounds, the band having refined their song writing style into 13 indie bangers. The album includes previous singles such as ‘Disco Living’ (actually an abbreviation of the album title) ‘Green’, ‘Bonzo Please’ and ‘Love Goo’.
“Its songs written and rocked on between the years 2012 and 2020” Tom elaborates. “The title is taken from the opening lyric to the final track ‘Disco Living’. We wanted to use a lyric from the album and felt like this was a good one. I first saw the words in London written on the side of a mansion being built and thought it was funny, it also ties in with ideas around class, new beginnings, a golden era of prosperity, and hoping to have life ‘in the bag’.”
At radio the band are already being championed by the likes of Chris Hawkins and Steve Lamacq at 6Music, Huw Stephens at BBC Introducing Clara Amfo, as well as being acclaimed by fellow musicians like Elton John on his Beats 1 show and Declan McKenna.
Formed in 2011 by vocalist and songwriter Tom Beer and guitarist Dan Lucas, Bull’s mission is simply to make the music they wanted to listen to, inspired by their 90’s heroes such Pavement, Yo La Tengo and the Pixies. The rest of the band came together through a mix of friendships and happenstance. Drummer Tom Gabbatiss joined after he and Tom jammed together in bars while they were back-packing round Thailand, and Kai West had previously used to jump up on stage with the band and “Bez” (verb meaning to dance badly while intoxicated) before they eventually let him play bass.They’ve played support shows for the likes of Squid, The Orielles, Pip Blom and even one of their long-time heroes in the form of Spiral Stairs (AKA Scott Kannberg of Pavement), and their constant gigging has seen them build up a dedicated local following. Not to be restricted to God’s own county, the band have plied their wares in mainland Europe, playing a series of unforgettable shows in Germany and the Netherlands. The band will be back on the road in 2021 with a full UK tour starting in September.
“They’re finding really Interesting ways to do these pop songs that I love” – Declan McKenna
“Alt-rock fans will love the mellow tones of Americana grunge mixed with nineties pop.” –Gigwise
“The four-piece are working towards ‘big things’ with their easy-breezy take on lo-fi retro pop.” – Dork
“That’s really good, I really like that” – Elton John
York’s alt rock songsmiths, Bull have today announced their debut album ‘Discover Effortless Living’ which will be released on the 26th March by EMI Records, in conjunction with Young Thugs.
To celebrate, the band have today released ‘Eugene’, a mini-symphony of self-flagellation which trips through the various stages of feeling down on yourself (lethargy, frustration, anger etc) using tempo changes to paint an audio picture. It manages to be both melancholy and spritely at the same time, another example of the band’s idiosyncratic song writing.
“I wrote the song Eugene when I was feeling dissatisfied with what I was doing” Tom (guitar/vocals) explains. “It’s kind of a self-hate song, you know when people talk about self-love? It’s not that. I’m slating myself; it moves through the key changes and different moods, and ends in a way that mocks the sadness, another form of self-deprecation!”
The video for the track is again a collaboration with artist friends of the band that reflects the different moods of the song. Dan and Kai from the band kick things off with some DIY Claymation before handing over to artists Jack Iredale, Rory Welbrock, Roxy Linklater and Holly Beer who each tackled a different animation style.
The band’s debut album, ‘Discover Effortless Living’ is a cornucopia of alt rocks sounds, the band having refined their song writing style into 13 indie bangers. The album includes previous singles such as ‘Disco Living’ (actually an abbreviation of the album title) ‘Green’, ‘Bonzo Please’ and ‘Love Goo’.
“Its songs written and rocked on between the years 2012 and 2020” Tom elaborates. “The title is taken from the opening lyric to the final track ‘Disco Living’. We wanted to use a lyric from the album and felt like this was a good one. I first saw the words in London written on the side of a mansion being built and thought it was funny, it also ties in with ideas around class, new beginnings, a golden era of prosperity, and hoping to have life ‘in the bag’.”
At radio the band are already being championed by the likes of Chris Hawkins and Steve Lamacq at 6Music, Huw Stephens at BBC Introducing Clara Amfo, as well as being acclaimed by fellow musicians like Elton John on his Beats 1 show and Declan McKenna.
Formed in 2011 by vocalist and songwriter Tom Beer and guitarist Dan Lucas, Bull’s mission is simply to make the music they wanted to listen to, inspired by their 90’s heroes such Pavement, Yo La Tengo and the Pixies. The rest of the band came together through a mix of friendships and happenstance. Drummer Tom Gabbatiss joined after he and Tom jammed together in bars while they were back-packing round Thailand, and Kai West had previously used to jump up on stage with the band and “Bez” (verb meaning to dance badly while intoxicated) before they eventually let him play bass.
They’ve played support shows for the likes of Squid, The Orielles, Pip Blom and even one of their long-time heroes in the form of Spiral Stairs (AKA Scott Kannberg of Pavement), and their constant gigging has seen them build up a dedicated local following. Not to be restricted to God’s own county, the band have plied their wares in mainland Europe, playing a series of unforgettable shows in Germany and the Netherlands. The band will be back on the road in 2021 with a full UK tour starting in September, tickets go on sale March 12th 2021.
The last month has brought us some really exciting new music hailing from Lincolnshire and beyond, and we’ve brought all our favourites together in one handy list! Here’s our January – February round up:
Shout Inferno – Is It Safe Enough?
Following the release of their debut album ‘A Carnival’, Lincoln-based alt-pop/rock quartet Shout Inferno have dropped a new video this week for their funky indie-disco track ‘Is It Safe Enough?’
Describing the single, the band wrote:
‘The literal meaning is a person suffering from agoraphobia who ponders the idea of leaving the house but is paralysed by their spiralling, melodramatic thoughts and fantasies of the world outside. It could also be a metaphor for somebody trying to find a sense of belonging in an unforgiving/unaccepting society’.
Check out the video below, filmed at the Blue Room in Lincoln with production company Wallbreaker.
The Rills – Stardog
Lincolnshire-based indie legends The Rills have also brought out an upbeat and energising video for their new single ‘Stardog’, which encapsulates all things fun about this band.
They have been making waves on TikTok, as well as building a solid fanbase across all platforms. The band also recently appeared on Scruff of the Neck‘s Twitch live stream with a live session and interview with BBC Radio 1’s Abbie McCarthy. We’re really excited to see what’s next.
Talkboy – Wrapped in Blue
We’re big fans of Leeds-based band Talkboy here at Beyond the Woods, and Wrapped in Blue is no exception. With beautiful harmonies and relatable songwriting, the band never fail to produce excellent up-beat, catchy indie-pop.
Their EP, titled ‘Wrapped in Blue’ will be out on February 11th and you can preorder it here: https://bit.ly/3az4eZK
Wharf – Compatible
Premiered on BBC Introducing in Lincolnshire, London-based Wharf have brought out new single ‘Compatible’, exploring the emotions behind new found love.
With influences from The 1975 and The Night Cafe, the track has a classic nostalgic indie sound sure to get you dancing.
Jazz Lingard – Tell Me More (acoustic)
Lincoln-based singer-songwriter Jazz Lingard teased something she’s been working on last month, with an acoustic version of ‘Tell Me’.
Lingard has an absolutely gorgeous tone, with heavy folk influences mixed with influence from the likes of Wolf Alice and Radiohead.
Bull – Eugene
Having been on the scene for a long time, York 4-piece Bull reignited the old-school dream of being signed to a major label at a local gig last summer.
They’re catchy hooks combined with twists and turns in every song provide a modern, but engaging take on the classic Britpop style. ‘Eugene’ shows off Bull’s softer side by writing a beautifully soft and melodic anthem.
Debut album out March 26th released via EMI – ‘Discover Effortless Listening’
Fickle Friends have released a refreshing new concept EP this month ‘Weird Years (Season 1)’, which explores a range of feelings behind being a young adult. Their single IRL is nothing short of up-beat irresistible pop.
The campaign to this EP has been really exciting, incorporating a commissioned piece of artwork for each track. Fans have also been encouraged to produce their own artwork for each track which will featured on the virtual gallery on their website (http://www.ficklefriends.co.uk).
Only Sun – Weird Wins
From their much anticipated debut album ‘Tangled Mind’, London-based quartet Only Sun have released infectious indie-disco tune ‘Weird Wins’.
The single follows the success of their track ‘Extraordinary’ late last year, which will also be featured on the album.
The album with be out April 30th via CloseUp/Modern Sky, and you can preorder it here: https://bit.ly/3avFYI0
Plus we’re going to be bringing the band to Lincoln this summer – grab a ticket here
Don’t forget to check out our Spotify playlist, including all our blog picks!
Doing something exciting in Lincolnshire and think we should know about it? Send us an email at news@beyondthewoods.co.uk
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