COOL AS LEICESTER

Music fans, we’re here with your weekly Leicester music guide featuring news and interviews from across the local scene.

This weekly music update is brought to you in partnership with PPL PRS Ltd. Big thanks for their ongoing support of local acts and venues.

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NEWS

PPL PRS Online Recruitment Event
Thursday 6 May

Want to know what it’s like to work for our sponsors, PPL PRS, in Leicester?? Well now you can! They are giving you an inside look to what it is like to work for PPL PRS. They are a passionate team who truly believe in protecting the value of music. If you’re looking for a new role then be sure to register to attend. REGISTER.

Shed Seven – O2 Academy Leicester
Saturday 4 December

One of the leading lights of Britpop, Shed Seven are heading to Leicester to perform all their greatest hits and fan favourites. Joining Shed Seven on tour are special guests MCH – the new venture by Mark Morriss (The Bluetones), Nigel Clark (Dodgy) and Chris Helme (The Seahorses) who have come together as Morriss, Clark and Helme. The three-piece, between them, have had multiple platinum selling records and a string of Top 10 singles. TICKETS.

Dreadzone – O2 Academy Leicester
Thursday 9 December

Back in 2009 Bronzeage were deep in recording and starting out as a band in Leicester. Whilst the lifespan of the band was cut short too soon now they’re revisiting those early recordings. We caught up with Tiernan and Lloyd from the band to find out more about the recordings, what’s inspired them to revisit them and how they left Daniel P Carter’s email unopened for months. 

You’ve recently released a recording by your former band Bronzeage, what inspired you to revisit the recordings

Tiernan: Honestly, I revisit them frequently. I always liked them and hated that they, or the band didn’t have any opportunity first time round. Despite being recorded in 2009 we have all remained friends and often talked about revisiting the band but also since 2009 we have all had kids, had careers, or study obligations. When it was pitched again during lockdown finally the time was right.

Lloyd: There’s always been something about Bronzeage that felt unfinished. We disbanded too soon, in hindsight, and I always felt that at some point we’d return to those songs and continue writing in that style again. Periodically, I’ve put out the idea about picking up those threads again, but the planets had to be aligned in order for us to collectively consider the idea with any sort of intent. For whatever reason, now happens to be that time.

How would you describe Bronzeage for anyone who isn’t familiar?

Lloyd: I think they are dark, moody little pop songs, in short. Each track overflows with powerful vocal melodies and hooks, supported by energetic, low tuned guitar work that shifts from ethereal to bat shit at the flick of a switch.

Tell us about your journey with the band the first time round?

Lloyd: Bronzeage was born out the ashes of our previous band, Public Relations Exercise. We’d painted ourselves into a corner with P.R.E and were looking for ways to exit creatively. When our guitar player, Spencer Baggots, left the band, we took the opportunity to reset and start again. We took everything we had learned about writing songs to that point, and built the band/wrote the kinds of songs we wanted to write in P.R.E but felt we couldn’t, for whatever silly reason we had in our heads. The frustrating thing about Bronzeage was that it was over before it began. We played a couple of small shows, and our drummer at the time, Danny Hartopp, felt that the slog to build our fanbase back up was a mountain he didn’t want to climb. I seem to remember saying something along the lines of ‘I’d rather not do this if we’re only ever gonna be half arsed about it’… and that was that. We knocked it on the head and started again, again. A decision I’m not happy about. I think we could have gone at it half arsed and built momentum overtime and we’d of had a great time in doing so. Oh… to be a young twat again.

How have you found it trying to stay creative during the lockdowns?

Lloyd: Lockdown 1, when all of the extra time needed to be filled with something, it was amazing. I spent a lot of time reading books and fixing a few holes in my bucket of mental well being, returning to writing music was certainly a part of that. Writing and performing my own music was a personal hurdle I spent a lot of energy overcoming. There’s a lot of fun to be had, however, it’s very insular…as were a lot of aspects of lockdown life. The prospect of collaborating with friends is incredibly exciting. Interacting and bouncing ideas with other people is when we are at our best… and i cant wait to get back in a room with these guys and start that process again. I miss humans outside of my immediate family.

You’ve been involved in various bands overs the years, what have been some of your highlights?

Tiernan: Bronzeage was one musically, so I’m really happy to be getting back to it. We were all in a band prior to this during the hazy mid 2000s, and weirdly Frank Turner supported us on a UK tour. We were already riding his coat tails, but it was great for us. I also spent some years playing with another (vaguely Leicester based band) Her Name is Calla, and that was great. Loads of highlights but I’ll never forget our final show which was a festival in Belgium. I think we were frustrating the engineer as we were messing about when we should have been doing a sound check. He barked, “bass man, sing something“. I literally couldn’t think of a single song but there in front of probably a thousand very serious post-rock fans I sung out “do you have the time to listen to me whine“. The band fell about laughing, but then, and I swear, the entire crowd of men in beards and metal t-shirts with indecipherable text sang back “about nothing and everything that I want“. Then, the band joined in and honestly, and it was priceless.

What is it about the Leicester music scene that makes it so special?

Tiernan: It has, and has always had, a community. I have honestly never got a sense that people are competitive with one another and there is a real sense of pride when a band breaks out or gets recognition. That feels unique.

Who would be listed under Bronzeage’s For Fans Of section?

Tiernan: I’m so bad at these questions so I’ll let someone else. In 2010 we received a very excited email from Radio one’s Daniel P. Carter who said he loved the tracks and wanted to play them on his show but wanted more info. He said we reminded him of Fugazi, Shipping news and June of ’44. I’ll be honest, these weren’t influences but he’s the professional DJ and journalist. Regretfully, he had sent the email months prior to us checking the account and the band had already disbanded.

If you could pick any act and any venue for your first gig back, who would you choose?

Tiernan: Act wise, probably Nirvana but that’s not gonna happen. My first show with these guys was at the Charlotte so it has to be there. I would love to recreate a bill with some of those acts from back then, such as Tired Irie and Death of London. They really were great times.

Where can people hear more?

Head over to Spotify and take a listen. 

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WEEKLY PLAYLIST

Each week we bring you a selection of favourite local acts to give you a flavour of the incredible range of upcoming talent.

Have a listen and get in touch to tell us which tracks you’re loving.

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