Having recently reviewed their impressive and innovative self-titled debut album which is set to drop on 28th September, we managed to gather the members of Bristol-based band Young Waters together for a chat. But first, watch their video for Swimming Pool.
Can you introduce yourselves and tell me how you all met?
“My name is Theo, and sitting next me is Kerry. Liam O’Connell, Rowen Elliott and Calum Smith form the string section for the band. We’re all now based in Bristol, but hail from all over the UK (London, Bristol, Scotland, Suffolk and Wales). I met Liam by chance when moving to Bristol, we happened to move in together. We then all slowly met one by one. Calum and Liam already played in a band together (The Railway Sleepers), and then we met Kerry at an open mic night at Mr Wolfs where she was performing her own music. We began playing with Rowen when Calum was away, and upon his return we forced Rowen to buy a Viola. I think we all agree this was a great idea.”
Bristol has its fair share of folk musicians from the likes Ewan McClennan to Rachael Dadd and Three Cane Whale. What is it about the City that attracts you?
“Yes, Ewan is a friend of ours; he’s a lovely bloke and fantastic musician. There’s lots of other lovely folk and non-folk musicians here – Sid Goldsmith and Jimmy Aldridge, Nick Hart and great bands like The Nightjar, Binbag Wisdom, Okay Leader, My Octopus Mind and Solana to name a few. Bristol is big enough to have lots going on, but small enough that you can walk everywhere if you want to, and bump into people you know regularly. There’s a couple of lovely folk sessions like the one at The Star. Also, Bristol is a green city, and forward thinking in loads of ways. It’s also very diverse; people from all walks of life live here side by side, which makes for a really interesting community that doesn’t seem to be completely up its own arse.”
You changed the band name a while ago to Young Waters. What is the significance of Young Waters – is the name taken from the folk ballad of the same name?
“Ah yes, the delightful task of thinking of a new band name. If anyone needs a band name I have a huge list of names that aren’t taken now! We had just discovered the song (June Tabor’s version is incredible), and I think it was suggested slightly as a joke at first! Also, the story is really beautifully sad. Also, we think the name rolls off the tongue and is easy to remember! Haha.”
Did you have an initial vision of where you wanted to take your music or has this developed over time?
“It’s constantly changing and always will. When Liam and I met, we really enjoyed experimenting with lots of different types of music. I’ve always loved harmony and folk songs and so has Kerry, so when we met it was really exciting, we sang together almost constantly, to the point that we probably really annoyed anyone within a 10 mile radius. One of the great things about having a tight knit band that are all so dedicated, is that all of our influences come through into the arrangements, however subtly. I’m really excited about the future of the music as I really don’t know where it will end up – most of the arrangements end up as a surprise to all of us.”
Tell us about some of your musical inspirations and influences.
“Kerry and I love Tim Hart and Maddy Priors duo albums, but we’re not so big on the folk-rock Steeleye Span stuff, although they do some amazing songs! We’ve all got a huge range of influences, everything from Classical to Pop. We all enjoy a few forms of electronic dance music – which could explain our desire to make our own music feel so cathartic and euphoric, which is a similar feeling I get listening to minimalism, and choral music like Tallis and Taverner.”
Are any of you classically trained or have you all come from a Folk music background?
“Rowen and Calum have both had classical training. Kerry and Liam have had little to no formal training, which blows my mind, considering how amazing they both are.
“I was taught piano as a kid, but I hated it. I then tried violin and drums but I was a terrible student. I think I still am, I hate being told what to do. It was only when doing my unrelated degree that I really started practicing, as some form of rebellion against doing what I was supposed to! Now I love practicing scales and learning new techniques and exploring production, but I tend to do it best when I’m meant to be doing something else.”
In terms of band dynamics, I understand that you [Theo] writes the original material. Maybe starting there, where did you take your inspiration from for those songs on the album?
“Crisis! Physical, existential, and emotional! Pretty much every song I’ve ever written has come from a time of something going wrong in my life, or at least in retrospect. I don’t know how I’d write songs if I was happy all the time! I also find most of my ideas come to me when I’m just about to leave the house or do something else very important that requires no distraction. Such is life.”
How do you go about pulling the music together, is this a group effort?
“Yes, very much! Generally, I’ve written the words and skeleton of chords and melody before I bring it to the band. Kerry’s ear for harmony and melody is amazing, while Liam’s natural understanding of music can really bend the music in unexpected directions, Calum brings the pizazz and such incredible emotion into every note, and Rowen has a great knowledge of harmony and arrangement. Also, Rowen is a human arpeggiator wizard, which you’ll hear in our new stuff when that’s released. I think if someone walked into our rehearsal they’d assume we all hated each other, it can get very intense! It’s quite the opposite though, we’re all really close and are able to be honest about the music as we all have the same passion for making the songs as good as they can be. This sometimes comes across as being quite rude to each other. It’s great.”
You won studio time at Real World Studios after winning the Bath Folk Festival New Shoots Competition. That was a great prize! You recorded most of the album there. Had you already material prepared or was there a sudden group effort to pull those tracks together?
“The songs had been written and we’d been playing them for a while, but we completely ripped them apart and put them back together again, locking down all the parts note by note. We also recorded all of the songs live, so they had to be as tight as possible beforehand! Working like that so intensely has set the bar for how we rehearse all of our material, new and old. We’re always aiming to create the absolute crème.”
What was the Real World Studio experience like? Who produced and engineered those sessions?
“It’s a beautiful place and it was great to work in such a professional environment. Oliver Middleton was our engineer, who did a fantastic job. [He Did] such a good job that we asked him to record us for the other two tracks at Norton St Philip Church. He brought all of his gear and nailed it again. The album was mixed by Paddy Henchman, who lives in Bristol.”
Why did you choose to record at the church?
“We wanted to record in a church for the acoustics and ‘choral’ sound. That specific church is around the corner from my Mum’s house, so it was cheap and convenient!”
How have you been enjoying the festival dates, I sadly missed you at Purbeck?
“We loved that it was a sunny summer! Festivals are hard work in the rain. We also enjoyed dipping our toes into Europe. We went to two festivals, one in Bulgaria (Meadows in the Mountain) and one in Portugal (FIBS). We’d like to explore that more next year (if you’re reading this European agents!). Purbeck seemed lovely, we had to leave but would liked to have stayed.
“The album is out on 28th Sept and already seems to be generating a lot of interest. Looking forward, what have you got planned around the launch of the album?
“Our launch show is on the 20th September at The Green Note in Camden. Also, really excitingly we’re supporting Stick in the Wheel at The Garage in Islington (6th October) and again at the Thekla in Bristol (14th October). We’re also releasing a music video for Don’t Stare at the Sun the same day of the release, which is really beautiful. Definitely keep your eyes out for it.”