You know when new music just appears on your radar and you develop an instant love affair with them? Well that’s what happened with my husband and The Leon Daye Band. Obviously the passion for the band then rubbed off on me, so imagine our delight when we discovered they had a headline gig coming up at Worcesters main live music venue, The Marrs Bar.
As a reviewer, I couldn’t let the opportunity to get to know a bit more about the band ahead of the gig. So here’s an exclusive pre gig interview for you!
Firstly, to introduce the band, a trio that consists of-
Hannah Butler – Drums-/backing vocals
Ian Keates – Bass /backing-vocals
Leon Daye – Guitar /lead-vocals
Firstly I asked Leon about when and how the band was formed, he told me:-
^The band was formed in May 2018 and originally had 5 members with a lead guitarist and keyboard player .It was formed of friends and former band mates, initially to gig my 2018 solo EP ‘The Gift'”. Leon went on to say that the EP was recorded at a friends studio and between them, they played all the instruments and laid down vocal / backing tracks. After having such a great time playing, some of the band decided to keep on going and add new songs .The original drummer left the end of 2021 and Hannah joined the following spring, 2022.Mike- the lead guitarist, stepped down in September and they are now successfully moving forward as a 3 piece and introducing new material into the set.”
Listening to the band, I was curious as to who their musical influences are, as their sound doesn’t sit solely in one genre.Leon explained, “We all have varied musical influences with Hannah being a fan of Toto – Feeder and Ed Sheeran ( she’s the youngest member of the band so has newer influences ). Ian’s always been a fan of classic rock bands such as Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, as well as singer/ songwriters such as Alanis Morisette. I have pretty varied musical tastes and like anything from Newton Faulkner to AC/DC , Feeder, Manic Street Preachers, REM and U2 “.
The sound we hear today is a very professional and polished set up, and its easy to see that the song writer is experienced and talented. I wanted to know more about the song writing process so Leon informed me, “I’m the primary songwriter for the band and have been writing songs for over 30 years. Ian and I first performed together as a duo ( acoustic guitar & bass ) in the early 90s. I tend to jam ideas at home on my acoustic guitar until I find a melody or chord pattern that feels like it’s going somewhere. I then write lyrics which tend to be influenced by anything from personal relationships- and life experiences, to environmental and political subject matters “.
I asked Leon to describe the band to people who have never heard them before, a little advert ahead of The Marrs Bar gig. “We describe ourselves as ‘Alternative Rock Originals’, which covers a pretty decent range of music . It’s greatly influenced by 90s pop and rock bands , the sound of that time . We also have a slight Indie and Blues vibe to some of the music and guitar riffs, ( definitely an AC/DC influence here or there )”.
Whatever genre of music you listen to these days, love and relationships feature heavily in the subject matter..Can we expect the same from The Leon Daye Band? “I’ve written about a great many things over the years including politics, global conflicts, global warming and relationships. I have found songwriting very therapeutic at difficult and sad times in my life .We recorded our debut album ‘Crash-Land’ and released it in March of last year . It’s 8 tracks of original material, including singles Beneath the Fold, Game of Fools, Moneytree and Breathe “.
So with an album of original songs already under their belt, we can expect to hear the likes of Breathe , Game of Fools and Crash-Land at The Marrs Bar. Leon adds, “We’ll also be performing some newer songs written in the last few months , Including- Lonely Road, and Blood for Gold’. Also a brand new song called ‘The Edge’”.
Sounds like this is one gig you won’t want to miss.
Tickets are available now through http://www.wegottickets.com
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