Panic takes the time to catch up with local music sensations Held by Horses. It’s been a productive and busy year for the young band and we find out if the next twelve months are set to be the same.
How has this year gone for you so far?
Music has always held a massive place in our lives and performing in bands was a particular passion for us all. Just before we formed Held by Horses in January this year, a number of us had split from various other projects. Our future in the local music scene had become uncertain for a while and the birth of Held by Horses was one of the best things that could have happened to us. It’s really inspired us to work harder and put the extra mile in. The effort is really paying dividends, we have played in venues we never would have expected to and also managed to spend some time in the studio, all in such a short space of time. The feedback we’ve received from fans has been fantastic and a real confidence boost for us.
How did the filming of the video go?
The recording of our debut video went really well and we’ve genuinely had a lot of fun with the experience. We began by shooting all of the “live” band footage, which really just involved making a lot of noise in the woods for hours! What we’ve seen definitely indicates that the video will be the perfect accompaniment to ‘Who We Are’. We want this to be our platform to step up and to really show people how serious we are about our music and our band. We’re so grateful to Josh Johnson for helping us out. Without him this wouldn’t have happened.
What have your highlights been recently?
We’ve loved that we’ve graced the stage of practically every live music venue in Chelmsford and we’re really excited that we’re beginning to branch out a little and venture out of our hometown. However, we all agree that playing in Chelmsford Chicago’s was the best of the bunch, owing to a fantastic crowd and brilliant acoustics. Recording the most recent tracks for our EP with ex Kenai drummer Tom Strike was also a huge highlight. It was great spending time in the studio and achieving a really professional sound. It’s an amazing feeling knowing that people are willing to part with their hard earned cash to listen to more of our music. Obviously we have many more fantastic opportunities lined up for 2012, thanks largely to Crash Promotions. We can’t wait to announce them.
What are your plans for the future?
Currently, due to our lack of – for want of a better word – experience, there are no immediate plans for an album. That said, it’s not out of the question to say that any of the songs we have written or are writing, could quite possibly make it onto a future EP or album. At the moment we’re content with gigging and spreading our sound. We’re constantly striving to better ourselves with our song writing, both with the lyrical maturity and the musical textures – it’s important to us to really exploit Harriet’s voice and showcase her talent.
Where would you like to be in five years time?
I’m sure all unsigned bands will agree, that playing in pubs and clubs can have its drawbacks and we would love to play in some bigger venues, with bands that we admire and can draw inspiration from. A UK tour supporting an established act would be perfect for us. We are constantly aiming to entertain at our live shows and capture a wider demographic with our ‘signature sound’.
Personally, who are your musical influences?
The UK rock scene has never been better, which we are trying to break into. As a band, we are lucky to all love many bands and draw our influences from different sub genres of rock. Scott is a fan of indie bands such as The Strokes and The Libertines. Kyle, Harriet and Will are admirers of Fightstar and Charlie Simpson, while Charlie loves more recent bands such as Lower Than Atlantis and Young Guns. With this diversity, it gives our music greater potential to stray away from generic styles of rock and create our own original sound.
How do you feel about the local music scene?
There are a lot of fantastic local bands, but many tend to almost play it safe and resemble their influences a little too much. Many songs are too similar to what we hear elsewhere. Chelmsford seems to be big on the indie/metal/punk scene, whereas we offer something a little more diverse, so it’s very difficult to pigeon hole us into anything other than “rock”. Especially being a female fronted band, we like to think our sound is different from anything else out there and we’re passionate about being unique.
