The vast amount of emails that get sent through daily when helping operate a music blog can tend to get a bit overwhelming, and at times there may be a lot of good music that gets lost in amongst the swarm if you haven’t kept up to date with your inbox in a day or two.
Fortunately enough one day last week, as I sat replying to some emails on a lunch break, I just so happened to stumble upon one from a band then unknown to myself at the time, The Redroom.
As I checked out the two singles the band have released up to now I was taken aback at just how accomplished a sound they have for a group so early on in their journey – airtight instrumentals coupled with front woman Jess’ impeccable vocals make this Geordie outfit ready made for success.
I was fortunate enough to catch up with band members Charlie and Jess to pose some questions to them and hear their story so far…
For our readers who may not have heard of you before, give us the lowdown on who ‘The Redroom’ are…
Charlie – We’re an upcoming female fronted indie rock/pop band from Newcastle Upon Tyne. In March of 2019 the three lads starting practicing with Jess after meeting at an 80s themed school show which they were both performing at, and we have spent the last two years gigging as much as possible and making and recording music. We have two singles released at this point in time and plan to release more music very soon.
So your latest single ‘Forced Stability’ was released just last month, can you give us a little bit of context on the track?
Jess – Forced stability was a song that I wrote (Jess) at the beginning of 2020, I was having quite bad writers block at the time and decided to write a story about watching a forced relationship just because the two people are comfortable. The song includes a mix of personal experience and fiction and what began as a mellow acoustic song, over time I realised it had potential to be a lot more powerful so I decided to add a counter melody that transformed the whole song. The writing process was quite long but the song just seemed to piece itself together once the lads got involved!
I see your debut single ‘Nostalgia’ has done pretty decent numbers in terms of streaming. It must’ve been pleasing to see it as well received. Has it spurred you on more as a group?
Charlie – For me personally the feedback definitely pushed me to want to release more music. The support we received was incredible and we were absolutely blown away. Even over on our socials we get lovely little messages telling us how much our music has helped individuals since it’s release and how much people relate to the lyrics, it’s genuinely so pure and that’s what drives me to want to make more music.
For a relatively new band your sound is pretty well honed. Did you actively spend a lot of time as a collective perfecting your style before releasing any music?
Jess – When we started as band, we were playing lots of heavy stuff which was really fun to play but we soon realised we needed a more unique style than just mirroring bands like Royal Blood. I started to bring my acoustic sounding songs and added counter melodies for Jake, this mix of acoustic style with a band meant that we were able to find our style almost immediately. It just clicked.
What sort of musical background do each of you have? Were there any other projects you were apart of prior to the formation of the band?
Jess – I’ve been writing songs since I was about 12 and the lads had been playing together for around a year before I approached them. None of us had very serious or prominent musical backgrounds it had just always been something that we had a passion for.
The music scene in the North East has really begun to take off over the past few years, which artists have stood out for yourselves locally?
Jess – The up and coming artists in the North East are absolutely amazing and some, I can definitely see becoming the future of young musicians. More specifically bands including Spilt Milk, Carboot Casino and The Baltics are all brilliant and have released some amazing music in 2020. I personally can’t wait to see where all of us go!
I understand that Jess left a bit of an impression on a certain Sam Fender after getting up on stage with him, how did it come to be and how did you find the experience?
Jess – Performing with Sam Fender was one of the most surreal experiences ever, it literally happened by chance, even though people thought it was staged and we knew each other! I brought a sign saying ‘let me sing Saturday with you!’ and after a bit of persuasion from me and the crowd he got me up. It was absolutely amazing being able to perform with one of my idols and have him tell me I am ‘fucking class’ was a bit of a pinch me moment! Me and Charlie met him two days later which was absolutely mad honestly an experience I will never forget.
Its been an odd time over the past year for everyone and the arts industry has been significantly damaged by it all. How do you feel it has impacted your progress and creativity as a band?
Jess – I think lockdown has been a blessing and a curse to be honest, it’s extremely impacted the arts and the government have done a shit job at supporting artists and creators who deserve so much! For me it gave me time to do some serious writing and just getting better at my instruments but the lack of gigging and practicing as a band was definitely one of the biggest downfalls of the whole thing. One thing I’ve learned from this whole experience is that the arts are not appreciated half as much as they should be and that the government will not realise what it’s got till it’s gone!
Charlie – Obviously over the last year things have been tough, since no practicing together when in lockdown and obviously the gig situation that Jess has touched on. However I think we all kind of trust each other to get on with our own songwriting and because of social media we’ve managed to stay in touch virtually. So this means we can kind of bring new things to the table once we’ve found something whilst still not having social interaction with one another. Nostalgia was also written over the first lockdown period so without that we probably wouldn’t have that song under our belts.
So there are plans for a new release in the coming months, can you give us a bit of information on what we can expect next and when it will be available?
Charlie – Their are plans for a new release in the near future however no dates are secured at the moment as we’re still working on the song as a whole. What I can say about the single however is that I can proudly say I think it has the potential to be the best one yet. It has quite the upbeat vibe whilst still being angelic and hard hitting in the lyrics and vocals. We also do have many songs in the works that may be released soon as well as this particular one, so things may come sooner than expected.
Final question, if I were to ask each of you one album that has left a lasting impression on yourselves and one particular track from it, what would it be?
Charlie – Very hard decision just cause my music taste is always changing and their is so many albums that have left a lasting impression on me however personally I would have to say The Stone Roses debut album and the song I would choose is I am the resurrection, I mean it’s just a classic altogether. However close 2nd would be Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys and 505 since I think it’s the best album-ender from the last 30 years.
Jess – Walls and Bridges by John Lennon is an album that left a lasting impression on me, specifically the track ‘nobody loves you when you’re down and out’, this track, musically, is one of the most impressive songs on the album, the arrangement is perfect with a mix of acoustic guitar and saxophone the blend of a wide range of instruments definitely made me realise what i wanted my musical style to become. My dad also introduced me to the track which made it all the more special, the album is one of my all time favourites.
TWITTER: @TRedroom
INSTAGRAM: @theredroombandofficial
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