Brand new alternative band Marlow, from Sussex have released their debut single 'Different Lives'.
Taking inspiration from the likes of Sam Fender, Blossoms and Nothing But Theives, 'Different Lives' talks about the struggle of modern living, who to be and how to live.
We had the opportunity to speak with the band on their new release and more...
Introduce yourselves and tell us a fun fact about the band!
"Hello! We are Marlow. Freddie (vocals, songwriter), Joe (guitar), Archie (keys), Seb (bass) and Liam (drums). Fun fact: Archie, our keys player, is a qualified tree surgeon."
Where are you from and what’s your favourite thing about it?
"We are from sunny Eastbourne on the Sussex coast. Our favourite thing about it is probably that it’s a great place to spend lockdown. We have a beach, we can go walking on the South Downs, and the weather is decent. At a time like this, it’s better than the big city."
How did you guys meet each other?
"The band was started initially when I (Freddie) was recording some live video at a venue, and Joe was the sound engineer. He offered to play guitar, and shortly after, we recruited Liam to play drums. We then realised that this other guy started showing up at our rehearsals, called Archie. We asked him if he could play synth, and he said “probably”. He was hired then and there. Seb and myself are actually brothers, so I guess that’s probably how we know each other. We played a lot of music growing up, and after we both graduated university and the band needed a bassist, Seb officially joined."
Is there a story behind the band name?
"Coming to the name wasn’t straightforward. We made the decision to change our name earlier in 2020 before releasing music, and we wanted something with star-power. We went through dozens of databases searching for names that hadn’t been taken. Our shortlist included questionable names like Public Holiday, Crushed Denim and Mirror Machine. After these were all vetoed by the band, we eventually settled on Marlow. It’s actually mine and Seb’s surname, but that’s a complete coincidence..."
When did you start making music, separately and as a group?
Freddie: "Seb and myself have been making music together since we were teenagers. I got more into singer-songwriting while I was at school and then more at university."
Joe: "I started playing piano first when I was 6, and moved to guitar when I was 12. I also got into sound design and engineering at an early age when people wanted me to record them."
Liam: I initially started making music with other artists. I started being a creative input for the band in 2017 when I joined."
Archie: "I’ve always been performing music since I can remember. My first experience of rock music was being in a punk band with my dad in the early 2000s."
Seb: "Like Joe, I’ve played piano since I was very young, and started guitar when I was about 12. I only really properly started playing bass when Freddie offered me to join the band as bassist, and Joe gave me a few pointers."
"We formed as a group in 2017 but under a different name. We’ve still kept the same members; only the name has changed."
How would you describe your sound in the form of a hashtag?
"#nostalgic"
Musically, who do you draw your inspiration from?
"Seb and I grew up listening to 90s and early 00s British artists like Oasis and Coldplay. Later, I started reading, listening to and learning about John Lennon, and this all really influenced how I wrote songs early on. Over the last five years, we as a group have listened to more American groups like Kings of Leon, The Strokes and The Killers, as well as Australian artists like Tame Impala and the DMAs. More recently, we’ve been getting into contemporary British bands like Nothing But Thieves and Blossoms."
You’ve just released your debut single ‘Different Lives’! Tell us a bit about it (writing, recording, story behind lyrics etc)
"The song is actually one of our oldest, and one of our absolute favourites. We waited until we could record it properly so we could do it justice, and we were finally able to do that earlier this year. We recorded it in Echo Zoo Studios in Eastbourne; the mixing was done by our guitarist, Joe, and the mastering done by the amazing Streaky. The song is about trying to cheer up someone who has become disillusioned about the world around them. I won’t go into too much detail - we’d love listeners to take from it whatever speaks to them."
How has the reaction been so far?
"It’s been amazing, better than we’ve ever had before. We’ve loved the support that people have been sending us. The numbers are positive, but the personal interaction is what has meant the most. Obviously it’s different now, when we can’t perform the song live to an audience, so it’s been really great hearing support where we can."
Do you have a favourite lyric from the track?
“Are we living in disguise, covered up in our own lies, living ‘til the day we fall apart.”
What can we expect from you guys in 2021?
"Two words: LIVE GIGS (hopefully!)... What we can guarantee is more music being released - it’s already in the pipeline. Keep your eyes peeled on our socials for more info about releases..."
'Different Lives' is out now.
Listen to the track HERE @marlowband