Following the release of Alexander’s debut LP ‘Say Hello’, the alt-pop band who have been together for just over a year have received impressive critical acclaim, selling out venues all over the UK in 2013, including during their September headline tour. It is clear that the band have had a successful breakthrough year - but 2014 looks set to be even better for the Durham-based four piece.
Recently I was fortunate enough to talk to Anth Snowdon, the lead singer of the band. Listing their influences as musicians as diverse as Jamiroqui, Death Cab for Cutie and Fleetwood Mac - whose song, ‘Dreams’, he later mentions as being the one song he would have with him if stranded on a desert island - the fact that they rely on each other as close friends to introduce new artists to listen to speaks volumes of the solidarity and companionship within their band. This solidarity is even evident in the band’s name. “We didn’t really want to have a band name that sounded cool, we wanted something that represented the music. We all write the music together [so we thought] why don’t we call the band a name, as if we were one person?”
The other members of the band include Jamie Clark, the guitarist, who is the messiest member according to Anth: ‘he’s lovely and sweet, but he’s always leaving stuff around”. The title of best dresser begrudgingly goes to James Simpson, the bass player - “I’ll give him that one!” Drew, their drummer, on the other hand, is the best dancer, “known for his sensational dancing in gay bars”. It’s reassuring to find a band with such talent that has formed organically, through a group of good friends, rather than being crafted and manufactured by management or labels.
They are clearly a fun-loving, young band, and that definitely comes across positively in their music and their attitudes to performing. However, in one amusing anecdote he shared, he admitted that at one gig when the crowd got quite excitable it took a turn for the worse. “Someone fell into a microphone stand and then the microphone hit me in the face - I was checking for my teeth!”
Anth is very complimentary of the support in the North East, claiming that they are lucky to have such a great fan base here - they sold out the O2 Academy 2 in Newcastle and feel privileged hat they can still have a reception like that locally even whilst they are trying to expand their musical terrain into the rest of the UK. “Even though we can still play shows in other cities, we’ve always had the most reception here”. He also indicates that the band finds recording in Durham very beneficial for the music process. “The thing about Durham is that it’s one of those places that not everyone in the country has - you’ve got the cathedral and the countryside. We feel more creative in open spaces… for me writer’s block is caused by being in confined spaces”; in Durham the band feels mentally refreshed. He also seems to share many a Durham student’s thought - “I’m so proud to have Hogwarts right next to me!”
But what’s his opinion on the North East music scene?
There’s a lot of talented musicians and bands up here”, he says proudly, but he’s keen to point out that the bands are required to have such drive simply because they don’t reside in London - in order to become a more ‘national’ band, as Alexander undoubtedly have, they have to work even harder. “It’s a shame it’s not like London up here, because in London everyone gets a shot, whereas here we’re a bit more pushed to the side.” I suggest that it’s even more of an achievement and a reward when you manage to make it when you’re not in somewhere like London? “Yeah, I guess so… if you want to be famed nationally then you’ve got to try, you’ve got to give it a go”.
Whilst one of Anth’s favourite North East music venues to perform at and watch gigs in is the more obvious choice of the Academy, his true loyalties lie elsewhere. “I prefer Tyne Theatre… I love the vibe of it. I went to see a band called Daughter there” - this was the point where I got overexcited at the coincidence that I too had been at that very same gig - “That was a sick show, the sound was incredible, I was really blown away by it”.
One defining moment of 2013 for the band was the teen soap Hollyoaks featuring their song ‘Say Hello’ in an episode. “That was mental, I didn’t even know that was happening. I was actually having a bad day, and my manager texted saying ‘Apparently you’re on Hollyoaks tonight’. We didn’t expect to be on national television after just a year so it’s quite good to achieve something like that”.
Of this song which was their breakthrough hit, Anth is nothing but proud. “‘Say Hello’ means a lot to me. It’s kind of being selfish and being honest at the same time. People will write a song saying they’re the victim of heartbreak, whereas with me, in the song ‘Say Hello’ I was being honest, trying to get away from a certain kind of relationship. Although there’s a few new tracks which we haven’t recorded yet which are fresher to emotions now”. His love for this track is demonstrated by ‘Say hello to a week of feeling better’, a line from the song, being his lyric-of-choice if he had to have one tattooed on his body. The positivity and optimism in this is imbued in the fact that the band also cares a lot about the fans and taking advantage of the benefits of publicity by giving something back. They worked with charity Beat Bullying last year to donate proceeds from their single ‘Find My Way Out’ to the organisation. When asked about the motivation for this, he said: “A lot of people have come forward to talk about abuse, self-harm, bullying at school - so we all sat down together and said we wanted to give something back, because people are obviously finding something that relates in the music.”
Despite what they have achieved in such a short space of time, they remain grounded, and are well aware that they still have a lot to learn about the music industry, as revealed when I asked whether he had any advice for bands just starting out. “I don’t think that we’re in any position to give any advice… we’ve still got a lot of learning to do.” He was however keen to impart the wisdom that you should “always make sure you’re writing about something that’s meaningful”.
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