They’re a four piece who formed in 2011 and two of the bands members also happen to be brothers! We caught up with Red House Glory to discuss sibling squabbles, their new EP and life for them outside of being in a band…
Hi guys! Many thanks for talking to us today. How’re you all doing?
All good thanks!
There are four of you in the band all together, how did you guys meet?
We grew up together in North London, Nathan and Theo are brothers!
How do you find being in a band with your sibling? Do you ever squabble?!
No it’s actually very peaceful! It’s like a family really, as we’ve all grown up together – the occasional squabble over chord structures etc may arise, but nothing Jeremy Kyle worthy I’m afraid…Yet
You guys formed in 2011. Who came up with the name, ‘Red House Glory’ and where does the name come from?
Theres an old blues song called, ‘Red House’ by Jimi Hendrix – It’s definitely a nod at our influences and musical roots in some way. Band names always seem to be a reflection of the music in some way, aesthetically and when its said out loud; for us RHG looks and feels right for the music we play so it stuck.
Obviously there are a lot of bands out there, did it take a while for you guys to get your own sound and figure out the kind of music you wanted to represent you?
Yeah, It’s taken a fair few years to realise our sound. I’d say Its only really been in the past year that we’ve honed in our sound and captured it properly in a studio. We’re perfectionist when it comes to our songs, so we’ve kept everything under wraps until we felt we had the best tracks to move forward with. Living A Lie E.P & Heart Of Gold EP are the first instalments of RHG…kind of like an introduction I suppose.
As well as being musicians, what do you guys like to do in your spare time? Lewis – we’ve heard you’re a bit of a camera man!
Yeah we all work in the creative/music realm. Jonny works for a booking agency, Lewis & Theo work in film, Nathan studies graphic design. It means we have a good amount of spare time to work on the band. We all try to be doing as many creative things as possible, all of which benefit our music making.
You recently released your EP, ‘Heart Of Gold’ on 29th June. How come you guys decided to release another EP instead of an album?
We wanted to establish ourselves with 2-3 EP releases before we move onto the album. As a music fan, when a band comes out of nowhere, with a polished album, with little to no previous material, it always feels a bit weird and fake. I think its important that a band has time to build up a genuine fan base before the first LP comes out.
How would you describe ‘Heart Of Gold?’ Is it similar or different to your previous EP, ‘Living a Lie?’
Living a lie E.P conceptually touched on the constant battle with our inner demons and the implications it can have on the way we live our lives. Heart of gold E.P is about coming to terms with your own mind and the battle with your inner self/demons – in turn allowing yourself to be happy with who/what you are. As a result of that self acceptance, a lot of the lyrics explore the process of letting someone else in and the comfort you can find within that.
How do you begin the writing process? Do you write songs together and does inspiration sometimes come from the strangest of things?
We usually write together in a rehearsal or studio situation, that usually produces the most energetic tracks. We also have a home studio where we track demos etc, thats our creative hub where most things are born into the world. Inspiration often comes from each other; If one of us comes up with a great riff, I think we all subconsciously step it up.
Do you ask for your friends and families for feedback on tracks?
Yeah sometimes, although they’re biased views usually! We have a good team around us now who have some good advice on what tracks to go forward with etc.
Obviously it’s nerve-racking when you release music. How important are other people’s opinions to you guys?
The most important opinions to us are those of our fans… We have some amazing fans around the world who have been following us for a few years now, they seem to be loving the new releases so that feels good. Lyrically if people connect to our music that means a lot, often our songs are born out of some kind of emotional turmoil; so if we can bring comfort and some form of happiness to them thats great to. There will always be people in the world who wont like our music or what we represent, but as long as the ones who do remain with us along the way then were happy.
As well as releasing your EP, On 16th June you premiered the video for your single, ‘So Easy.’ What inspired the video and do you get involved in the creative processes, such as the video and the artwork for the EP’s?
Yes, Lewis directed the video along with his friend Nicolas Hearst – The video reflects the lyrics of the track, which is what inspired the storyline. The artwork for both our Studio E.P’s is by an artists called Joe McCrae (http://joemccrae.com), he’s Nathan’s good friend and is an amazing creative; Its a privilege to work with inspiring people and have their work represent our music.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would you guys pick and why? Would you go with someone from the rock music genre like yourselves?
Anna Calvi, not sure how that would work but she’s amazing and we love her. Jeff Buckley would be amazing if we could resurrect someone. I also love Bruce Springsteen, I think that would be an amazing one…I saw him come on-stage with The Gaslight Anthem in hyde park a few years back, which shows its not impossible!
You’ve sold out shows at Camden Barfly and Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen. Is there anywhere you’d particularly like to perform at in the future?
Camden Koko would be a great one to do next. Brixton academy is on the bucket list.
Lastly, what do you guys have planned for later on in the year? Can you give us any exclusives?! (or any clues!)
The next year we plan to do a lot more shows, we are talking to various booking agents so we can get out on some great tours. The album is coming, but we have another E.P coming first.
Sounds great! Many Thanks for answering my questions guys!
