Pillow Queens: In Waiting

In Waiting album cover

At the heart of Dublin-based indie quartet Pillow Queens’ debut album, In Waiting, lies a desire for expression. The band have battled long enough against those who want them to ‘do us all a favour and forget how to speak’, as on Child Of Prague, with its thumping bass and Roman Catholic symbols giving us a taste of what’s to come. They’re done waiting. 

The opener, Holy Show, marks the start of their journey: ‘I’m still a baby, if you’re still waiting.’ But they soon grow into lovesick ‘teens’, ‘holy ghosting’ on dates, smoking and drinking (‘I roll you up and crack you open’). And it’s clear that they’ve spent time shaping and maturing their sound, with the angst of revealing their truth matched by Cathy McGuinness’s biting guitar: ‘If you remember a thing about it, tell me that it’s not bad/Why’d I even say that?/Show me on the playback.’ This recording is their evidence that they have created something society and the Irish music scene, perhaps, feels shouldn’t quite belong to them: ‘Look what this mouth and teeth have gotten me/A bite of someone else's night.’

On Handsome Wife, packed with energising guitar riffs, Pamela Connolly – who shares lead singer duties with Sarah Corcoran – declares: ‘I may not be the wife you want/But I’m pregnant with the virgin tongue’ despite 'these hands so neat between my teeth’ preventing her from speaking out, with the echo of Holy Show’s teeth imagery demonstrating the band’s masterful use of motifs. Others may not want to hear what she has to say but, luckily for us, she will not ‘admit defeat’: ‘When the right man comes along singing the right song/It’s gonna be me.’ The band recently performed The Cranberries’ song Dreams in a video with other female artists, as the collective Irish Women In Harmony, to raise money for domestic abuse victims while also calling attention to the music industry’s gender imbalance – a recent report from Linda Coogan Byrne revealed a lack of Irish radio airplay and festival slots for female and non-binary musicians.

It is this sense of unity that the band highlights on two of the album’s queerest tracks. Brothers sees them playing with the boundaries of gender again, and explores the anguish of presenting yourself as you want to be seen: ‘There goes the man, I wanna be, I love my brothers and my brothers love me…/Holding up our bodies for sport.’ However, while the instrumentals slow at the line ‘All lined up like a losing team’, the energy of Rachel Lyons’ drumming builds again at the refrain, ‘Hold up your hands, shoulder the weak’, as the band – a chosen family – hold each other up with music.

Sarah Corcoran, Pamela Connolly, Cathy McGuinness and Rachel Lyons

Meanwhile, Gay Girls, which brought Pillow Queens many fans this year when it featured on the soundtrack of the film Dating Amber, takes us back to the days of learning from a first queer love and coming out: ‘I’ll decide while I ride on your coat tails/If I'll hide or delight in your company.’ It plays on the duality between queerness and religious imagery; ‘I spent the whole night/Belly aching about a fire sign’ is suggestive of lesbians’ stereotypical love of astrology, but also a fear of Hell – just as a sense of pride and community is blended with sin (‘Do you wanna be on the cheek of a liar/That roots for you?’). However, once again it is unity and gratitude that wins out, with the heavy, over-enunciated vowels in lines such as ‘I pray for them when I wring my hands’, ‘Holy, holy’, ‘I was a fool, thank you' and 'Marie, Marie, Maria’ echoed in the guitar melodies, and built upon by the unified vocal backing in the outro.

But while being gay in conservative Ireland is marked as challenging, the strongest songs, filled with emotion, transport the listener to the country, and present it as a place of not only struggle, but love, too. Liffey, for instance, proves that Pillow Queens have mastered the art of the grower. The darkest, heaviest track on the album, it is all pounding, stomach-churning guitars which almost drown out Pamela's growls. It’s a tightly produced number, and while sometimes this confusion can get the better of the band, as on the dreamlike Harvey, with its silky soft guitars – is it a reference to Harvey Weinstein, LGBT+ rights activist Harvey Milk, or some unknown entity? – this song feels purposeful in its confusion, as though the listener, too, is lost in the River Liffey. The quiet introduction, which marks it out as different to the earlier single version, makes this quick move from light to dark even starker. Lines such as the refrain, ‘Some day you’ll have my head on a silver plate’ and ‘I want to take you with me, to wash and dry your feet’, ground it firmly in Catholicism, with the alms plate and the devoted religious act of washing feet. But in amongst the noise and fear (‘Don’t do it Daddy, I can see we’ve had enough’) is the search for peace, which is not to be found in religion (‘God give me glory, or don’t, I’ll take my luck’), but instead in the water of their home: ‘Spread me over the Liffey, and sing me off to sleep.’ And as the guitar clears in the outro, we feel peace may be possible, as the listener is led into the gentle closer Donaghmede and another body of water: the ‘warm embrace of the Northern bay’. 

The band has saved the best for last – hometown pride hasn’t sounded this good since Adele sung about Tottenham. Pamela sings, 'Stay for a week, in sunny Donaghmede…/And the light is a knife and it cuts right through your eyes,’ as the guitar slowly cuts through the quiet. The track explores the band’s emigration conundrum: ‘Every man leaves, I retreat, I believe it’s good for me,’ juxtaposing belief with the hard truth of ‘Then he gets in for a swim ’cos the water’s good for it’. As Pamela’s voice deepens and becomes more urgent, the temporariness of the trip is firmly banished – ‘Stay in the warm embrace of the Northern bay’ – and the song becomes its own embrace, as the outro gets muffled under reverbing guitars. They aren’t going anywhere.

By moving away from the anger of early singles released after their 2016 formation, such as Rats, Pillow Queens have created a soothing balm for these times. As Sarah sings in HowDoILook, ‘It took a while but I don’t mind’. This album was worth the wait.

• Pillow Queens embark on an Ireland and UK tour in February 2021

Nashville cast proves everything is better with friends at Royal Albert Hall

As I climb the stairs to the Rausing Circle in the Royal Albert Hall, people around me are chattering enthusiastically about how many Country to Country shows they’ve been to. Their love for the genre is palpable. It’s going to be a special night.

For we’re here to see the cast of hit TV show Nashville, filmed in Music City itself, play their hearts out.

Charles Esten is first to take to the stage, raising his arms wildly to amp up the room. He launches into a rousing Buckle Up, part of his Every Single Friday project (he’s been releasing new music every Friday since last July) and another original, Simple As That, sans guitar. Laid bare, you can hear just how impressive his voice is.

Songs from the TV show are also featured. Chris Carmack’s bluesy vocals shine on his character Will’s song Spinning Revolver, and Jonathan Jackson, who plays Avery, thrusts forward with each high octane guitar strum on Keep Asking Why. He howls: “Is this what you wanted?”. The answer, of course, is yes. It’s foot-stompingly good.

Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio and Chris Carmack (L to R)

Even original songs have their origins in the programme. Charles plays I Climb The Walls, inspired by his character Deacon’s battles with alcoholism, admitting: “Some days it’s tough to play them.” It’s a moving song, and as he reaches up to the sky on the line “light at the end of the tunnel is you know who” it feels as though he is singing to Connie Britton’s character, his wife Rayna, who was killed off earlier this year.

But it is Jonathan who brings emotion firmly into the fray with the softer Love Rescue Me by U2, rivalling Bono and his “shalalalas”. The climactic high notes are impeccable.

When Sam Palladio, who plays Gunnar, enthuses: “It feels good to be home, London”, his English accent is startling. His performance of I Will Fall (originally a duet with Clare Bowen’s character Scarlett) works oddly well as a stripped back solo piece, but then he says the magic words: “I want to bring out a couple of my dear friends.”

Charles Esten and Clare Bowen duet

This is what we’re here for. At the heart of Nashville are the group performances. And this one does not disappoint. The doll-like Clare, twirling in her white dress with her hair in a bow and glitter on her face, looks in awe when she gets on stage. Jonathan returns, too, and they sing an electrifying version of their song Borrow My Heart.

As Chris says, “It’s better with friends”. When Charles joins Clare for Hand To Hold, the pair go into the crowd to take selfies and shake hands – you can tell they value this fan interaction

Yet the standout duet of the night is Longer, Clare’s performance with her “very own best friend”, fiancé Brandon Young (she says they’re going to get married straight off the tour), who isn’t on the show but often performs with the cast. The simple track offsets the lyrical variations perfectly – it’s a heartrending mix of love and near-anger, captured in the transition between Clare’s “I want to give you more, for nothing in return” to Brandon’s “Oh I did wait for you darling, did ache for you darling”.

In the encore, Charles introduces David Bowie’s song Heroes, and the other four cast members join him, unifying them all on stage for the first time. It is an impressive blend of voices, with Chris on saxophone (he’s the most talented instrumentalist). They erupt into And Then We’re Gone, a humorous song about reaching the end of a gig, and we all sigh, savouring Charles’s husky vocals in this “one more song”. Fortunately, this is misleading – what has become the show’s anthem, A Life That’s Good, is the true finale. And after a concert like that, life is most definitely good. Great, even.

Originally published: PA Diploma News

Poshstock takes a bow after 14 years

Sophie Ellis-Bextor at Cornbury Music Festival

The last ever Cornbury Music Festival kicks off in Great Tew Park in Oxfordshire today, with Kaiser Chiefs, rock legend Bryan Adams and The Pretenders topping the bill over the weekend.

The event earned the nickname Poshstock due to its appeal to the Chipping Norton set, with David Cameron, former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks, Blur bassist Alex James, Jeremy Clarkson and even royalty being regular attendees in its 14-year history.

Despite this, finances and the competitive and ever-changing scene of UK festivals have forced the event to come to an end this year.

Founder and festival organiser Hugh Phillimore said: “I feel excited, relieved and sad that this is my final Cornbury. I’ll miss my team, who are lovely – it’s a family and we’ve done it all together over the last 14 years. But I won’t miss the midnight panics and sweats for about half the year.”

The Fabulous Finale will feature performances from stellar names such as Jack Savoretti, Keane frontman Tom Chaplin and Midge Ure. Many of the acts have starred at the festival before, including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Ward Thomas, Scouting For Girls, Jools Holland and STAXS.

James Blunt headlined the festival in 2011

Asked for some of the standout acts during the festival’s lifetime, Mr Phillimore said: “The sadly departed Joe Cocker, who once gave me a bear hug; Amy Winehouse, who was adorable – it was before the bad man and drugs, so she was really sweet; Elvis Costello, who’s played a few times, and Imelda May – I was her manager, so she’s played eight times, the most out of any act.”

His memorable moments include being insulted by Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, and “leaning against David Cameron when very tired – while walking, so it was quite an achievement”.

Mr Phillimore admitted that it was difficult trying to stay in business. “Some years we lost a lot of money, and it was a real juggling act. I had a tough time last year and I wanted to stop while I was still in the right frame of mind, upbeat and pleased to be doing it.”

The festival has not been without its controversies, and was forced to move from its original home in Lord and Lady Rotherwick’s country estate Cornbury Park in 2011 after music company HMV sought to make a corporate bid for the event.

It has played host to the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Blondie, James Blunt, Simple Minds, Van Morrison, Ray Davies, Status Quo, Jackson Browne and The Proclaimers – and this year’s stars are set to make quite the impact, too. Mr Phillimore has been trying to book Bryan Adams for the festival for many years. Of the moment he discovered he had succeeded, he said: “I was in shock – we were turned down so many years, it was only until ten minutes later that it sunk in: ‘Oh my God, it’s a yes!'”

Cyndi Lauper proved she can still wow a crowd in 2011

Set in the surroundings of a stately home, it swiftly became known as the country’s poshest music festival. Mr Phillimore said: “My friend came up with the nickname ‘Poshstock’ in 2005, and I was furious at first. But then I thought, well, it’s better than S***stock. You need your USP, and if posh means nicely done, well-produced and safe, then I’m alright with that.” Gourmet food and a pop-up restaurant with three course meals by Masterchef finalist Matt Edwards, Morris dancers, champagne and Pimm’s tents and glamping appease the upper crust country set, while healers and therapists create a hippy-dippy vibe – there is something for everyone.

The end of the festival is a shame for those for whom Cornbury is an annual Cotswolds pilgrimage. For many children in the area, Cornbury was their first taste of live music. The festival has maintained its family orientated ethos right until the end, featuring a Kids’ Zone full of fun activities such as a circus skills workshop, Baby Bops, arts and crafts and even yoga for little ones. Mr Phillimore said: “I was a late developer – over the course of the festival I acquired a wife and a child, so it was designed with that in mind.”

He hopes that his audiences over the years have been left with a love of great music. “It’s not a complicated or cool festival,” he said. “It’s about discovering new bands and seeing great oldies who can still do their thing after all these years.”

Originally published: PA Diploma News

Groundbreaking queer comedy: Jon Brittain's Rotterdam

August has been a post-graduation whirl in which I attempt to make the most of the culture that London has to offer before I start the full-time position of adult and begin my career. One piece of theatre I saw particularly struck me: Rotterdam, playing at Trafalgar Studios Two until August 27th.

Written by: Jon Brittain

Directed by: Donnacadh O'Briain

Starring: Anna Martine, Alice McCarthy, Jessica Clark and Ed Eales-White

Image: @RotterdamPlay

By the ripe old age of 21, I can safely say that I have seen enough theatre to have a fairly adept understanding of the art form (or at least a strong appreciation for it). I’ve queued for eight hours to get tickets to Hamlet; seen a play a day during one bout of interning; and spent more than my fair share of time perusing TheatreMonkey. Bearing this in mind, a play has never affected me more than Jon Brittain’s Rotterdam. I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind - a side effect of theatre that I’ve not experienced before. For a fairly niche play, performed in the gloriously intimate space of Trafalgar Studios Two (which added to the feeling that you were an onlooker in the characters’ lives), this is high praise indeed. The play explores the relationship of lesbian couple Alice and Fiona, and their struggles with love and identity after Fiona reveals he is a transgender man who will begin to live as Adrian.

I saw the play a few days after seeing Unreachable, starring the effervescent Matt Smith, at the Royal Court Theatre, and this provided me with an excellent insight into what exactly made the former so much more memorable than the latter (although Unreachable was undoubtedly wonderful in its own way). Both plays find themselves towing the fine line between comedy and seriousness, but the farcical aspects of Unreachable fail to hit the same note that Rotterdam’s humour does. Rotterdam's comedy only seeks to heighten the sense of light and shade inherent in everyday life, whereas the poignant moments and ultimately surreal nature of Unreachable are somewhat undermined by the pantomime-esque aspect of characters like The Brute, which doesn't quite gel with the rest of the play. Of course, plays aren't all meant to be true-to-life in the way that Brittain's play so clearly is, but there is a fine line between using humour as a vehicle to drive the plot forward and finding that it holds it back. Unreachable was rip-roaringly funny, whereas the comedy in Rotterdam felt subtle, gentle, sensitive even, comprised of sarcastic one-liners and relateable misunderstandings - it created piquancies in between the hard-hitting, devastating moments played out on stage. 

It wasn’t just the comic aspect of Rotterdam that engaged me, however. The characters are believably flawed, and those who surround Alice and Adrian compellingly reveal the hidden traits and desires of the pair. The contrast between the way Fiona/Adrian puts no pressure on Alice to send an email in which she comes out to her parents, and Alice's Dutch co-worker Lelani’s actions later in the play (her devil-may-care attitude engagingly portrayed by Jessica Clark), highlights the nuances of their relationships. The connection between Alice and her ex-boyfriend, played marvellously by Ed Eales-White, is also used to great effect, revealing Alice's true feelings to the audience before even she recognises them.

Alice McCarthy convincingly presents Alice's anguish as she wonders whether her identity as a lesbian is put into question by Adrian's revelation, struggling with the need to stay true to herself. The acting was particularly taken to new heights by the bewitching Anna Martine as Fiona/Adrian, and I found it nearly impossible to take my eyes off her. I dare say there was a dry eye in the house after witnessing Adrian’s desperate attempt to change in order to earn Alice's love, and the hopeful uncertainty in the moving final scene. 

The production is also carefully crafted, from the fluid scene changes in which the characters continue to interact with their surroundings, to the musical backdrop replete with Euro-pop which furthers the idea that Rotterdam is a transitory space for the expats, cleverly reflecting the characters’ states of being. What's more, the soundtrack reawakened my love of Robyn - find the playlist curated by musical director Keegan Curran below to see what I am talking about!

This is, of course, not to say that the play is perfect. There are moments which deteriorate into angry, shouty, Tumblr-esque social justice monologues, and some of the acting becomes perhaps too physical as emotions run high, producing a quite literally shaky performance. But the very fact that the actors can competently convey the importance of LGBTQIA+ issues in theatre (rare enough in itself), heartbreakingly and, most importantly, with enough depth and sensitivity to make the audience question their thoughts on gender and sexuality, is more than enough reason to watch it. Adrian notes that there was no lightbulb moment in which he realised he was transgender, but whilst watching the play I had my own lightbulb moment - I was witnessing something truly special. I, for one, will be seeing this play again before its run ends, and I suggest you do the same.

Links:

5 minutes with: Anna Martine

Students can get tickets to Rotterdam for £16 with PROMPT!

Music in the wake of the Paris attacks

The horrific instance of terrorism that has shaken the world to its core has also shaken the world of music. Bono, the lead singer of U2, has called this “the first direct hit on music that we’ve had in this so-called War on Terror.” The famed music venue Le Bataclan was one of the areas worst hit by the attack in Paris on Friday 13th November, with at least 89 civilians losing their lives during an Eagles of Death Metal concert. The band’s merchandise manager Nick Alexander was also the first Briton to be confirmed dead in the attack. Happy concertgoers had their lives destroyed in a senseless act of violence, and musicians and fans from across the globe are making a clear stand of solidarity in response. Fans of the band are coming together to try and get Eagles of Death Metal’s cover of Duran Duran’s ‘Save a Prayer’ to the number one spot in the UK chart in order to pay tribute to those who lost their lives; the song is top of the iTunes Rock Chart at the time of writing.

At Imagine Dragons’ Newcastle concert on Saturday night, there were many heartfelt displays of support for those affected by the tragedy. Halfway through their set, the supporting act Sunset Suns dedicated their song ‘Lost Company’ to France, with the lyrics ‘We’re all survivors, we live for a better day’ feeling particularly apt. This was followed up by the headliners themselves, as they came on stage to a tricolour light design, the red, white and blue of the French flag blazing behind the band as frontman Dan Reynolds promptly declared a moment of silence before they performed, to honour those who lost their lives in the attacks. Watching an arena full of enthusiastic concertgoers brought to silence (a rare and impressive feat in itself) was one of the most moving experiences of my life. Everyone was there for the music, and nothing was going to stop us, but I am sure there was a niggle of fear, and sheer sadness, in more than one person’s mind, thinking back to the atrocious scenes at Le Bataclan. This recognition from the band itself meant the world. Later in the show, Dan expressed his joy in seeing such a large audience, as he expected very few people to come due to the circumstances, but said this showed how resilient and united mankind is in the face of this terror, proclaiming “We will not be controlled by fear. We will not be controlled by anyone.”

Tributes have also poured in from other artists through performances, official statements and social media alike, and it is clear that they all send their thoughts and prayers to those affected. Coldplay performed a cover of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ in LA on the night of the attacks, echoed by Davide Martello, who played the same song on a piano outside Le Bataclan itself on Saturday morning. Many others in the music industry have understandably cancelled gigs in Paris as both a mark of respect and to ensure safety, such as U2, Braids, Bondax and Motorhead. On Monday, the metal band Deftones were due to play the very same venue where the attack took place for a three-day run, but this too will not go ahead. Foo Fighters have also cancelled the remainder of their European tour, including events in Italy, France and Spain.

Sickeningly, in their statement claiming responsibility for the attack ISIS stated that those at the concert on Friday night were “idolaters […] together in a party of perversity”. But as music lovers and compassionate humans we must acknowledge the falsity in this lunatic claim and refuse to be dictated to by these terrorists. Live gigs are not an ‘idolatrous perversion’; concerts are meant to be a safe space where people can share in the beauty of music and lyrics, and we must ensure that this is not forgotten.

At the end of the Imagine Dragons set, Dan Reynolds asked for one thing from his audience: “Let us go out and spread love… Be respectful of all faiths [and] nationalities… These things are meaningless. We are all just one.” It wasn’t the music that I took away from that evening, but this very sentiment. It proves how powerful music can be in the face of unknown horrors; I left feeling just that little bit less afraid because of our solidarity. When we are united, be that at a concert, in front of the tricolour at Durham Cathedral, at a vigil or just through thought, we know that the terrorists cannot win.

To anyone, anywhere, who has suffered at the hands of terrorists, from Paris to Beirut, Baghdad to Kenya. We stand by you.

Tricolour at Imagine Dragons’ concert, Newcastle – 14th November
Original article: The Bubble - Music

Interview: Striking Matches

US country music duo Striking Matches are having quite the year. Their debut album ‘Nothing But The Silence’ was released to rave reviews, reaching No. 1 on the UK Country iTunes chart, with The Telegraph calling it “slick country storytelling”. They've also just been named International Act of the Year at the British Country Music Awards - the end of 2015 certainly isn't slowing down for them. I chatted to Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis as they prepare to embark on the UK leg of their tour. 

Flash back to 8^th May this year. Striking Matches are playing in London’s Union Chapel to a grand 800-strong crowd. Selling out this historic venue is a career-defining moment for any country music artist performing in the UK, demonstrating their vast international pull with the audience they have carefully cultivated. Sarah finds this response “absolutely incredible - a dream come true, it’s been so cool to have the opportunity to come over there and play.”

Justin appears lost for words in thinking of the magnitude of their UK success, until he exclaims “It blows us away every time people actually turn up to our shows [in the UK] because it just feels so good. We feel like we’re so far away from home, which is a scary thing to begin with, but when everyone shows up like they do and makes you feel so welcome, that feeling is really tough to describe.” He talks of the country music scene over here as a tight-knit community. “It’s almost become this underground secret club scene, this neat thing that people want to be a part of because it’s this growing movement. I’m not sure what’s caused it, but it’s really cool that we get to be a part of it.”

The duo met whilst they were studying at Belmont University, but Justin admits that it was a slow process towards working together. “Neither one of us really wanted to be artists, especially not on our own and [starting a band] never really entered our thought process so that was really over the course of a whole year, if not more, where we were playing together with no real serious aspirations between us that it would become anything. We were just doing it for fun and because it was inspiring and it just sort of developed!”

This constant development and progress has been vital in getting to where they are now. The TV show ‘Nashville’ has become a resounding part of their career success story, with eight songs they’ve written being featured on the show. Sarah describes their involvement in it as “a huge help, that is what has helped us to reach an international fanbase. When people heard those songs on the show, they went and found us. It’s part of the reason we were able to play the Grand Ole Opry, which we’ve done now 49 times.”

The Opry is the sacred show of country music, which made the genre famous the world over. Sarah speaks of their debut performance, playing in the ‘Mother Church of Country Music’ in December 2012, with nothing but wonder in her voice. “It was at the Ryman which is also a very historic room; when it’s the Christmas season they move the Opry show to the Ryman and so we got to have our debut for the Opry on the Ryman stage which was definitely two dreams coming true at one time. I just remember singing ‘When the Right One Comes Along’; I got to the end of the song and I looked at Justin and I just burst into tears. It was such a magical, special evening.”

Justin cheekily adds “Well, Sarah also has a funny story [from that night] because she was so nervous she wore her shirt inside out.” Sarah responds: “For a long time when we went to the Opry I started to wear it inside out again, but then when we started playing it too often I couldn’t come up with enough different outfits to keep wearing it!” A sad end to the lucky charm, but one that merely reinforces their great achievement – playing the Opry 49 times is no mean feat.

On whether the duo have been plagued by any other embarrassing moments whilst on stage, Sarah exclaims: “Oh gosh, I’m usually the queen of the embarrassing stories! I ripped my [trousers] one time on stage, I’ve hit my head on the mic pretty bad and made myself bleed, I’ve done it all!’ Her laughter upon regaling these tales is infectious. “Justin never has embarrassing stories, it’s just me. So far I haven't tripped on stage though.” Justin breaks in, never one to miss an opportunity. “At Union Chapel something happened as well.”

Sarah remembers. “Oh yeah! Jon Green [of The Bonfires] was going to play a song with us and I had left my strap on the guitar he was going to use, so I went to grab the mandolin as I didn’t have a strap I could use; I had to exit the stage pretty swiftly”, leaving Justin to “riff on stage” by himself!

Despite the huge significance of the TV show, many of the songs featured on ‘Nashville’ didn’t make it onto their album. Justin discusses the decision process in selecting songs for the album. “We tried to make it a cohesive body of work. Tonally or just feel-wise, the other songs didn’t fit as well. That’s the tricky thing that you face whenever you make a record.” Sarah explains: “We put two from the show, ‘When The Right One Comes Along’ and ‘Hanging on a Lie’ on the record, those are very special to us; we always knew even before the show used them that we were going to put them on our record, so having the show use them was just a bonus.”

The writing process for Sarah and Justin is clearly very personal to them. Sarah says that “Most of what we write comes from either stories we’ve experienced or we’ve seen people in our lives experience. I think every song we have definitely has a story behind it.” Justin suggests the importance of touring for them creatively. “You have to take time to live a little bit, to kind of recharge on your inspiration. If you get too bogged down with work or only writing and you don’t get out and experience things then you kind of run out of things to write about, so being on the road and travelling a lot, that helps me […] because you observe other people from all over the world […] and so you kind of pick up stories that way and you figure out new things to write about.”

Lyrics “sort of [fall] out” for them, seemingly effortlessly when you’re listening to them on the tracks, but they do take a lot of work and persistence. The hardest song on their album to write was, according to Sarah, the title track, ‘Nothing But The Silence’. “It was an idea that Justin had for probably six months before we were ever actually able to get it down and write it. The idea was ‘there’s nothing but the silence between us that hasn’t already been broken’ and it was such a great idea and we just couldn’t quite get it there […] but we finally did!” – to the relief of all of their fans. It is certainly a standout track on their album  – a diamond amongst many other very shiny gems!

One of my favourite questions to ask any musician regards which of their lyrics they would get tattooed on their body, and here it provokes a wonderfully thoughtful answer. Justin responds with the breathtaking lyric “You think you know what you’re looking for till what you’re looking for finds you”. “That was a line that applies to so many things, not just in a romantic notion but in so many ways – when we try and control and plan out how our lives are going to go until the answer sort of appears in front of us.” Sarah reminds me of how in sync the pair are by proclaiming “I was going to say the same actually, so we have matching ones!”

The duo are so in tune with one another that they rarely find themselves having ‘creative differences’ during the writing process. “I think across the board we have very alike musical instincts and so when we’re writing, if one throws out something, more often than not the other one is going to roll with it, especially if it’s really important to that person. I think usually we walk the same path when it comes to what we think is right for the song. So, so far so good I think!” says Sarah.

The recording process was also special for the pair, and for T Bone Burnett, the country music star and legendary music producer who worked on their album, they have nothing but praise. They were in excellent company – Alison Krauss, Robert Plant, Tony Bennett and k.d. lang are just a small selection of artists he has produced for. “He was amazing, I think going into it I was a little nervous just because he’s done some of my favourite records ever, but when we got in the studio he was just the coolest, nicest, most nurturing person that we’ve ever worked with. He’s so smart and so musical and it was just a really cool experience,” Sarah gushes.

Justin emphatically agrees. “I would describe T Bone as the gentle giant. He’s a very imposing figure stature-wise; he’s incredibly tall and he has this résumé that follows him around that you can’t help but be intimidated by, but he’s brilliant because he makes you forget all about that. The genius he possesses is that he makes you forget about all those things that ought to make you nervous and just makes you feel like you can do anything you want; that you can sing anything you want, play anything you want, and that’s just really great, that’s how he brings the best out of you.”

And it’s not just the incredible T Bone that they’ve had the opportunity to work with. They’ve played with some amazing artists, having toured with Hunter Hayes, Keith Urban, Train, Vince Gill and Ashley Monroe to name a few. Justin says they are particularly excited to play with John and Jacob on the upcoming tour. “That is going to be a blast, we’ve known them for several years now but we just haven't been able to tour together, so that’s something we’re really looking forward to.”

Their hopes for the future are just as down-to-earth as they are. “I would love to have, by the end of it all, toured the world – go around the entire world and back again,” says Justin. “There’s an element of artistic dissatisfaction you feel when you make one record and you just want to make another record, and you have this hunger that just persists. I hope maybe someday we kind of satisfy that, but at the same time I don’t want that to be satisfied too soon because I like the drive and the feeling that you haven’t written your best song yet; the best is yet to come. But I hope that at some point maybe you do feel satisfied with what you’ve done.”

Sarah agrees. “Yeah, if we can just keep playing music and have a successful life that way and that’s all we ever have to do as a job then I’m happy!”

So, what’s next for Striking Matches? “We’re working on all kinds of new music and we’ve already got some new songs we’re going to play on the tour and got a couple of cool things in the works that we can’t quite talk about yet, but we’re very excited,” Sarah reveals.

“We will be playing some new tunes for the coming UK tour, and I think the fans have been waiting to see that, especially the ones who have seen us every time that we’ve been over,” Justin says. “It’s been incredible to see them come back but we’re excited to let them check out some new things that we’ve been writing.” And we are most definitely excited too.

Striking Matches kick off their UK tour on 9th November - find ticket details here: http://www.strikingmatches.com/tour-dates/.

Photograph: Crush Music

NB: This is an extended version of the original article published on Palatinate.