Following in the footsteps of many great indie bands all hailing from Leeds. Sounds Like A Storm are the next music pioneers to adopt that DIY sound that Leeds is just so great at creating. After following these guys from the very start, we had a quick chat to get the lowdown on the band prior to them releasing their debut ‘Yellow Lines EP’.
Tell us about your aims when creating music, and where does that aim stem from?
When we create music, we just aim for it to be BIG! Like most of our chorus come from either a build or quite quiet verses to make them even bigger. We try to make the crowd/audience feel something from the music whether that’s live and can feel the adrenaline or whether it’s from a recorded song and feel an emotion from the lyrics. The overall aim we vision when creating music is how big can we take this, like I think most bands will agree, but stadium size? That would be the dream. This vision has probably just stemmed from the artists we listen to. But in theory we just aim to create music we love and other people will love also.
What was the catalyst for picking up instruments and wanting to start a band?
I would say each one of the band members would have always wanted to be in a band at some point. But physically starting the band was quite unusual for us because the first three in the band were all guitar players. We knew we needed a drummer and a bass, but didn’t know which way to go. So our current bass player was the “drummer” for a while but hasn’t got a single beat in him. We then kicked him out and got ourself a bass player and drummer. At this point it was all going fine, until the bass player left. At the time we didn’t know another bass player, so we went back to our old drummer and asked him to play bass as he could play guitar. It must have been a good decision as he’s still in today. Then we have recently acquired a new drummer who is a year older, as our previous was many years younger and just couldn’t gig with him. Our new drummer added a new spirit to the band and is contributing massively to getting this band to where it needs to be.
Were you very influential to music when growing up or did you establish your own musical preferences?
At the time I wouldn’t say music was that influential at a young age, but now I think we all believe the music we listened to at the time has helped create the people we are today. I imagine it like the record player was just background noise and at the time very hidden noise, but looking back the artists that were there are huge influences to our everyday lives and in our music. Each member has there own unique influence, which all affects and creates this “style” of music our band makes.
Tell us about what it was like when you first started writing?
Our band has never really done a cover song, until 3 weeks ago I think it was. I don’t know why this is because covers usually helps the band develop and connect better. We we jumped right into the deep end. This is probably because we are all like brothers, like extremely close so we knew each other’s strengths and who’s good at what and who’s not as good at something. So ever from day 1 near enough we’ve wrote originals, we found this a great way to experiment and shows true progression from the early days, to now when we are playing originals to big crowds. Also our songwriter doesn’t struggle for songs or ideas, and the band certainly don’t struggle to bring those ideas alive and give them a paint of colour, so from the very beginning we found this way of writing and have stuck to that, and is turning out to be very successful.
What’s the music scene like in Leeds at the moment? Any band recommendations?
Yes, Leeds is where it’s at! Many great bands coming out from Leeds at the moment, there’s “Honey Arcade” who are a five piece with just a MASSIVE sound. Beaty verses with truly crazy choruses, are right up my street, they are amazingly good live as well. Should definitely check them out, great lads too. Also “0113” adding that touch of classic rock and roll into the Leeds music scene. From meaty riffs and epic drum rolls, the melody will stay in your head for days, will definitely get your head rocking.
Any music performances coming up? Tell us about them?
We are in the final of a competition where the winner plays at the Leeds light switch on at Christmas time, which is a huge opportunity to get our name out. We are quite hopeful aswell as in the previous round we got the highest score, with 91/100 so fingers crossed. November 13th! We are supporting our good friends “Honey Arcade” at the Wardrobe in Leeds, which is going to be CARNAGE! Along with many other gigs I think that’s the one we’re all looking forward to the most.
What and who influences you musically?
Like I’ve said, each band member comes with their own influences like there’s loads we all share but the ones specific to each other I believe helps create the style we play. I think on a whole, artists like the streets, Arctic monkeys, Red hot chilli peppers and Glass Caves effect and influence our music the most, but there’s too many artists to name.
Describe your songwriting process?
The songwriting process. So I’m the lead singer (Sennen) and I write the song or some lyrics on the acoustic guitar and just have a rough idea of the melody and layout of the song. And literally in the studio I just start to play the song, and then we just add the drums, then the bass then lead guitar. Then obviously the more familiar the other members become of the song, we add extra little bits such as backing vocals or middle eights. I believe this process is the easiest and one of the most enjoyable part of been in a band, as it shows the progress made. I picture it as if I’m an artist and have drawn a rough quick sketch of an image, I then go to the rest of the band and they paint this image and create this amazing artwork, which in theory is our songs.
What is it like recording your debut EP?
We are going into the studio on the 24th of September to record our debut EP “Yellow Lines”, we cannot wait for this process to begin, it’s very exciting times! We believe the songs for the EP are timeless and will connect with everyone in different ways, we just cannot wait to get music out there, it’s been a long time coming.
Although you are in a band, do you still have to work day jobs in-between live shows?
Fortunately, none of us are working at the moment which allows the majority of the time to be spent making music. We have signed to the company for young bands which pays for rehearsing times and recording times, so are truly grateful for this opportunity because it allows us to create the best music we can without any distractions.
How would you like people to respond to your music? Do you wish to connect emotionally with the audience or is it just about having a party?
We just want people to connect with our music. We want people to buzz and hype over our music. Like when we have our EP we want people to bond with the songs which will then make the live scene amazing, people singing the songs back, just want it to be chaos!
Do you ever see your sound changing from the type of music you write?
I don’t think we’ll ever changer genre, but i definitely think in “the box” we’re in there’s room to experiment, and fluctuate in style. Quite like Arctic Monkeys have, they are defiantly “rock n roll” but have explored thoroughly in that genre, which I think would be a great achievement to make.
Do you ever see Sounds Like A Storm expanding with more members?
I don’t think we need to expand in members. I think the ethos of the band is that if bands like the Beatles could create all them great songs and have that hype around them, there’s no reason why us or any band needs more than 4 members.
Sounds Like A Storm, ICM’s recommended band to look out for from Leeds in the coming years. Check them out on Facebook and show your support!
November 13th – The Wardrobe – Leeds – Honey Arcade – Tickets
