We chatted to WILLIAM SAND from 4 piece Bradford band GLASS MOUNTAIN ahead of their appearance at HOPE & GLORY FESTIVAL in Liverpool....
HOPE & GLORY FESTIVAL is a weekend of incredible live music, art and outrageous silliness
in the heart of Liverpool. This brand new festival for Liverpool, taking place on 5 & 6 August, is set against the stunning Victorian backdrop of the World Museum, City Library and St. George’s Hall and Gardens.
Amongst the lineup, which includes JAMES, RAZORLIGHT & OCEAN COLOUR SCENE, is a Bradford based 4 piece called GLASS MOUNTAIN, we chatted to William Sand from the band about the Hope & Glory Festival, The Beatles and plans for the rest of the year.
How does it feel to be playing the inaugural Hope & Glory Festival in Liverpool this August?
It’s such a brilliantly diverse line up of bands. There’s something for everyone, from the most well established acts like James, Starsailor, Embrace and Badly Drawn Boy through to some exciting up-and-coming bands and artists like Coquin Migale and Avalanche Party.
Have you been to Liverpool before? And do you have any fond memories of Liverpool?
As a band, it will be our first ever time playing there, although I once spent a painfully long afternoon in Liverpool whilst trying to replace my lost passport …
The line-up for Hope & Glory is really exciting and fans are in for A Festival of Anthems. What do you think makes the perfect festival anthem? And what is your favourite?
Well, for a song to qualify as an anthem, it must be uplifting and rousing, provide a sense of hope and unity, have a killer chorus that is infectious and makes the audience feel that it was written for them and so, with all that in mind, we’re gonna opt for All You Good, Good People by Embrace.
Are there any other bands on the bill you are hoping to see?
The Membranes featuring a 25-piece choir sounds pretty special, and we are intrigued by The Hacienda Classical band too!
It's 50 years since the release of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s. What do The Beatles mean to you? Do they influence your music?
It’s a brilliant album and it’s impossible to deny the Beatles’ huge influence on pop music and culture. We feel a duty to point out that many other Liverpool bands have also made truly amazing albums, for instance “Ocean Rain” by Echo & The Bunnymen – it’s a true masterpiece.
Do you have a favourite Sgt. Pepper’s track?
We recently played the most recent version of the album and Within You Without You stands out. George Martin’s strings are stunning – really daring and audacious; plus, it’s the one “Beatle George” song on the album. He was just beginning to discover Indian music, culture and religion. It’s a great song and great production.
What are your plans for the rest of the year after you play Hope & Glory?
We’ve just finished recording our second EP, so the next phase is to shoot some music videos then look at booking a UK tour around the release date, which we expect will be in November. We’re very proud of how it’s turned out and feel that we’ve really stepped up with these new songs, both in terms of writing and the production, so we’re eager to share them with as many people as possible. We’ll be playing a couple of the new songs during our set at Hope & Glory. We hope that people will come along and check us out.
We'd like to thank William for sparing the time to chat to us and we wish the band every success for their appearance at Hope & Glory and for the future. Keep up to date with the band at the following sites;