With the recent release of their debut single ‘Make It Last’, I was keen to learn more about a Belfast based indie-rock band called The Continentals.

We caught up with lead guitarist and songwriter Palko to chat about how and when the band formed, influences, the Belfast music scene and how they got on in the studio where they recorded their single.

Read on for all of this and more.

You’re an indie rock quintet from Belfast made up of Nate Donaghy on vocals, Palko on lead guitar and song-writing duties, Ethan Lahye on rhythm guitar, James Dawson on bass & James Bothwell on drums, tell me something fascinating about the band or a member of the band….

The most fascinating thing about the band is that we will be the biggest band in the world before 2027. Keep your eyes peeled, it’ll be hard to miss us!

You’re called The Continentals, how did you come to settle on that name and what does it mean to you as a band? Did you have any other names in the hat?

The name ‘The Continentals’ has no real meaning to any of us in the band, it’s just a name really. We had plenty of names which were thrown about the place including ‘The Tones’ which paid homage to The Undertones. ’The meres’,’Keed’, ’Hazed’ are all names we considered but we soon realised that they’re all terrible band names! I had a mate say to me once ‘The Continentals’ and I brought it to the lads as a suggestion. They vibed with it and I will say that I wasn’t really a fan of the name but I feel like band names are something which people put unnecessary importance on, how many bands actually have good names? The biggest band of all time ‘ The Beatles’…..what does that mean?

Tell me how the band formed?

Ethan (rhythm guitarist) and I were looking to form a band for a good year or so really. We were always talking about being in a band but it never really seemed to happen. We only knew about two other musicians. We decided one day to jam with them (this was early 2020) and they just seemed unmotivated. When I asked them why are they in a band they just replied 'for the craic', whereas If anyone asks me why I'm in a band I tell them it’s to be the biggest band in the world, and I really mean that. After that encounter, Ethan and I started placing adverts online and in May we got together, we originally had two other singers before Nate but both decided they weren't a good fit. Before Nate joined there was a period where just the band where practicing for a good month or so, playing three days a week for three hours at a time really finding our sound and getting tight as a band. Then Nate joined in July and from then we have been flying!

You’re from Northern Ireland (Belfast to be precise) which has produced some amazing bands over the years ranging from The Undertones, Therapy, Stiff Little Fingers, Van Morrison and many more, what is it about the place that produces such great talent?

I feel like in Belfast there isn’t a raging band scene. Anyone from outside of Belfast assumes there is but that’s not really the case. The main music scene in Belfast are clubs for electronic music (trance, hardstyle the likes of that) so for people in bands, the only way to immerse yourself in music is by getting high and listening to music in your bedroom. I feel like that’s how the bands of Belfast nowadays really find their own music. The bands you mentioned, The Undertones and Stiff Little Fingers both released records In 1979 which was during the height of the troubles in Northern Ireland and perhaps they felt the only thing they could connect with really was music and playing live gigs instead of throwing petrol bombs at each other!

You cite many bands as influences of your music, these include Oasis, Nirvana, The Who, Arctic Monkeys, The Undertones, Fontaines DC and The Beatles, some real heavy hitters here, which do you feel you relate to the most and why? 

I personally feel a connection to Oasis the most. Before I even heard Supersonic, and Rock ‘n Roll Star, life was completely different. I had a different outlook; music for me was just background noise. I enjoyed it just as much as the next guy but forming a band had no real appeal and writing songs never really occurred. Then once I heard the OASIS tracks and the rest of Definitely Maybe, everything clicked and a deep love and appreciation for music came to me.

You only formed in May 21, I guess you could say that you are a ‘Lockdown’ band, did you struggle to get together for rehearsals/practise owing to the conditions imposed on us by the government while they partied like it was 1999 (at 10 Downing Street)?

Not really no, If anything I’d say lockdown was a good thing for us. We had a couple of months where we could just focus on getting our sound right and practising hard to be as tight as we could be. The timing was perfect because by the time everything started easing in Northern Ireland (September 2021) we were ready to start gigging.

Do you all share a common taste in music or do you bring a mixed bag of styles and genres to the table? Did this cause any issues when you were starting out? 

Me and Ethan share the most when it comes to musical tastes. If I’m being honest if it wasn’t for Ethan introducing me to Oasis, Stone Roses and The Smiths, I don’t know if I’d be in a band now. Nathan is also a big fan of British indie music whereas both of the James’s have their own thing going on (they’re self-confessed metal heads!). Despite us all being a bit different, this causes no issues amongst the band, I don’t see why it ever would.

Do you come from a musical family?

I don’t know anybody else in my family interested in music never mind being musical! Ethan’s Dad however has a cousin who was in a band called The Icicle Works, their drummer was Chris Sharrock who was the last drummer for Oasis before they went their separate ways, he drums for Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds now.

You’ve just been asked to nominate the three headline acts for Glastonbury 2023, who are you going to have on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and why?

• Friday - Fontaines DC, why? Because they’re the best band about right now.

• Saturday - Liam Gallagher as he’s absolutely killing it right now.

• Sunday - Sam Fender, I love both of his albums and the fact he is high up in the charts can only be good news for guitar-based bands and guitar based music. If he was to headline Glastonbury, it would put a spotlight to the fact guitar music is coming back and coming back strong!

‘Make it Last’ is your debut single and was released on 21st January 2022, how long has the track been in the making and how does it feel to know that it’s now out there for everyone to enjoy?

I wrote ‘Make It Last’ around August 2020, this was before I was even in a band. On how it feels….get back to me in a months’ time when it sinks in. Right now, it just feels like a natural progression as to where we want to get to as a band.

How do you approach song-writing? Do you all tend to bring something to the table to shape the track?

I come up with the Lyrics, melody, chords and structure of the song. Both James’s add the drum parts and bass lines. Sometimes as a band we move the structure around, like playing a verse in a different order but that’s about it really.

How did you celebrate the release of the single?

Everyone came to mine and we got pissed!

You recorded the track at Half Bap studios in Belfast and it was produced by Graham Davidson who has worked with many artists including Robert Plant, how did you get on with him in the studio?

Very well. It was clear to see that Graham knew what he was doing, and he knew the sound we were trying to achieve.

Would you say that you are ‘hands on’ in the studio or do you just let Graham do his thing?

‘Make It Last’ is the bands oldest song and we’ve been playing it from our second ever practice session so I’d say that going into the studio, we all knew exactly what we had to do. We originally had the breakdown after the first solo, but Graham added some toms (drums) which gave the song more energy as it kicks back in and changes the drums around on that part. After the first solo, I wanted feedback in the background but Graham suggested that we add an E-Bow. We were all sceptical at first not knowing what it would sound like but once he played it and added it into that song, it sounded perfect. He added something we never would have thought of.

Will you be working with Graham Davidson on future tracks?

100%

Have you had much support from the likes of local radio stations including BBC Introducing?

We are waiting to hear back from BBC introducing but there are a good amount of radio stations who have said they like the track and who have played us already. Some radio stations even played the song 2 weeks before it was released to give it some hype and for that, we are very grateful. The biggest radio show to date which has played us is the 6TR (6 Towns Radio based in Stoke on Trent) Indie Show hosted by Caroline Snow.

The chorus of the track goes “We’re the kids with dreams that last“ – Tell me how this phrase came about and what it means to you?

This phrase just fell from the sky when I was writing the song really. I played the chord progression a handful of times and that just came to me. It was at that point when I wrote that chorus melody that I realised I could really write songs. There’s no deep meaning behind it, I’d prefer it if everybody listening added their own meaning to the song.

Would you say that The Continentals have found their sound?

I think for now, looking at the songs I’m writing and the songs  which the band are playing in the set, it’s fair to say that we are a guitar led indie rock band. But who knows what our sound will be like In 10 years’ time, the best musical artists evolve over time and it will be interesting to see how it progresses.

Where do you see yourselves as a band in 3 years-time?

First album is out. Top of the charts. Touring America.

There must be thousands of local bands around the Belfast area, please take a moment to mention a few that people should be checking out?

Nobody….focus on us and get our streams up higher and higher.

What’s next for The Continentals? New music in the pipeline? Any shows planned? Festivals for 2022? Tell me everything!

We plan to have 3 singles out this year kicking off with ‘Make It Last’, so if we achieve that then that’s a good start. In terms of shows and festivals, everything guitar wise is based in England really. We know nobody there so if we could get to England and play a few shows there as a support band we would be very happy with that.

Lastly, would you rather fight a dinosaur sized chicken or 10 chicken sized dinosaurs?

I think I’d choose a dinosaur sized chicken, I’d give it one clip around the ear and knock it clean out!

We’d like to thank Palko for sparing his time to chat to us and we wish The Continentals every success in the future. To keep up to date with their musical happenings, follow them at the social media sites listed below;

Facebook

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Instagram

Bandcamp