We caught up with Devon based RED STITCHES on the day of the release of their debut album LOST LOST LOVED....
1st March 2022 marked the release of the debut album from Devon based quartet RED STITCHES.
To celebrate the release, we caught up with the band a few days back to chat about how the band came to be, home recording techniques, dream festival lineups, dinner party menus and musical influences. For all of this and way more, read on…..
Red Stitches is an interesting name for a band, please explain where it originated?
The songs originate from a tough season in life and the stitches are the process of getting better, as Christians we look to our faith
Please would you describe your sound and if you had to categorise it, where would it fit in the A-Z of musical genres?
Tough one, I’d say Alternative, Indie, acoustic, tones of Jazz!
Now I’m not saying that the Covid-19 pandemic was a good thing but had it not happened, would the band actually be here?
I’d like to say Yes! But who really knows!
I read that the band formed after James and Reuben got together in lockdown, please explain how everyone else came to be a part of it?
Louise’s husband, Christian had said to James years before that we should start some music, so we just did. Louise then got her brother to record the album and he ended up playing bass as well.
Do you all share similar tastes in music? If not, does this cause any tension when you’re writing new songs? We have different tastes, but we use this to our advantage.
Who is the most scary member of the band in an argument?
Louise, the less said the better.
You’re based in Devon, where in Devon would that be?
Honiton, just outside of Exeter
Describe the music scene there for me
Not sure there’s too much going on, but when you look, you can often find some great open mic nights etc.
Are there many venues that allow bands to perform live?
Exeter has the Cavern and the Phoenix which are great / Honiton has the Beehive
We’re coming to yours for a 3 course dinner, what will you be serving us?
Fresh bread and olives / Chilli / Eton Mess
Tell me your earliest musical memory
Piano lessons with Louisa, I was like 8 and I had a crush!
Would you say that you grew up in a musical home? If so, who played/plays what instruments?
Yes, my Mum played guitar and sang, my Dad played a Cornet, we grew up with lot’s of good music on too – John Denver / Queen / David Bowie
Do you remember your first musical purchase? What was it, do you still have it and do you still play it?
Reef Replenish on CD, and yes… it’s still sat on my shelf now!
What about your first show, who did you see, who did you go with and what memories do you have from the gig?
Status Quo, live! I still remember my ears ringing coz it was so loud. I still love music being too loud now!
You’ve been asked to nominate the 3 headline acts for Glastonbury 2023, who would you choose and why
Pearl Jam – guaranteed a 3 hour set and they’ll play past the curfue
Radiohead – what a band, they sell themselves
Foo Fighters – great songs / tonnes of energy – perfect for a festival
Tell me about your musical influences
I love everything, literally everything, but my heart lies with 90’s grunge
Have you ever met any of your musical heroes? If so, please tell me about one occasion….
I haven’t, but I did meet Billy Bragg and always thought he was great, he was such a great guy too, humble and down to earth
Who did you long to be when you were singing into your hairbrush and posing in the mirror when you were a kid?
Jeff Buckley and Chris Cornell
Your latest single ‘Set You Apart’ landed in January 2022, it sounds incredible, I’m assuming that you were all renowned musicians before the band formed?
Thank you! Yes we’ve all done a lot of music before so it’s been exciting to collaborate
I also heard ‘Nathans Song’ which is a beautiful piano led track that really strikes a nerve, please would you tell me the thinking behind this track?
It was originally called survive, and a track written about loving and wanting to be with someone. It got renamed Nathan’s Song, as my mate sadly passed away and he’d heard an earlier version of this song and loved it.
Are you planning on releasing multiple singles ahead of your debut album ‘Lost Lost Loved’ landing? When is the album due to be released?
We’ve released 2 tracks from the album already, the album drops on 1st March 2022 (see below)
Staying with the album, you recorded it at home, please describe the setup and whether you used any non-standard methods to achieve the sound that you were looking for?
Mattresses against the walls / rented some really good mics and then just recorded it
Would you say that you have found your sound or do you think that by using different methods to record in the future, it may change?
I think we’d like to evolve, try different things out in the future, but I think we’ve found our sound, I think we’ll stick to that but let’s see where things go and who we work with in the future.
Is there a story behind the album name?
As like the band name, the title track is called Lost Lost Lost, and well, once the rest of the songs were written there was too much hope in them to keep the album as being Lost, so the last ‘Lost’ became ‘Loved’
Did you manage to get into a studio to mix/master the album? If so, which one and who did you work with?
Mark recorded the album at our houses, then produced mastered from his studio at home
There are loads of social media platforms out there which ones are best to keep up to date with your musical happenings?
Facebook / Instagram are probably the best channels to use
Now things are starting to get back to something that resembles ‘normal’, are you planning any live shows? What about festivals?
Yes… we’re going to play locally, and try and apply for festivals
If you could perform on the same stage as any other band, who would it be and why?
Probably Radiohead
Lastly, would you rather be able to fly or communicate with animals?
I’d fly for sure, it looks peaceful up there.
We’d like to thank Red Stitches for chatting to us, we wish them every success with their debut album which is OUT NOW and for future musical endeavours, keep your eyes on their socials below for future events as and when they happen.
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