Neon Knights started playing in 2013 and are gearing up for the launch of new EP ‘Pictures’, we asked the band a few questions about their progress so far and the way forward.
There have been a few changes in personnel in the band, how do you feel about the current line-up?
(Marc) The only change in lineup since the bands very first gig has been the departure of Douglas and the arrival of Lewis, the “changeover” was seamless, Lewis and Doug were good friends from school and I believe Doug had a helping hand in helping Lewis settle in, passing on pointers.
(Lauren) Lewis fitted in straight away. He has come in with a fresh perspective and some wicked hooks. The joy with this band is that we are like a little family and regardless if your still in it or moved on your still part of the Neon Knight family. I feel our line-up is strong because we bounce off each other really well.
(Lewis) I felt rather nervous to begin with when joining the band, and there was the added pressure of replacing my friend in the band who had done lots to establish himself as a talented lead guitarist, needless to say though I get on well with everybody and love being a member of this great band.
The new EP is looming what can you tell us about the individual tracks and the process of making it?
Most bands would say it was a long process but for us it was a LOOONG process, all in all it took us over a year from our first day of drum takes to our final editing and mastering sessions. Originally the EP was scheduled for a September release but with a few health concerns and with the imminent departure of Douglas to University we felt it would be more beneficial to delay it and go back and re-look at it with fresh eyes once Lewis was comfortable.
Each track has its on characteristics, different feels and hooks and I (Marc) think if you asked everyone they would have a different favourite track each which just shows how strong we believe this EP is. To me (Lewis) each track on the EP is very different which is testimony to the band. The recording process was a completely new experience to me but something I can’t wait to get back to in future.
(Lauren)- Each track has it’s own charms, All with their own little stories and inspirations, from heartbreak, betrayal, love and dreaming. I won’t go into depth as I’m sure people will want to be able to relate to them in their own ways. We’re all so proud of the finished product!
What has been your favourite gig so far in the band’s existence?
(Marc) Collectively the band would probably be in agreeance that the best gig we have played to date would have been our last gig at the Market Bar, the atmosphere was electric we had people “singing” the songs back at us and we even got chants of an “encore”, we were more than happy to oblige. We do a cover of Rihanna and Calvin Harris “We Found Love” and they sang the song word for word, at one point we thought the floor was going to fall in.
Theres something special and magical about smaller venues when they are wall to wall with folk looking for a good night. (Lewis) It was a joy to see people reacting and engaging with the band in the way that they did that night.
How are you finding the musical style of the band evolving, now the band is in it’s second year?
I (Marc) would say that it hasn’t really evolved as such but it has definitely gotten tighter and more controlled, everyone is comfortable with the songs on the whole but individually the guys are confident enough to experiment and show there own talents within the boundaries of each song. We try ensure each song has character and a hook and we would say we are continuing to do so even with the new songs, however having said all that one or two of the new songs are “Different” from what people would expect to hear from us.
(Lauren) We’re taking the fresh new sounds of Lewis’ guitar and I think we’re finding our own musical groove.
(Lewis) Everybody in the band is multi-instrumental and listen to a wide range of music so there is never a shortage of new ideas and sounds for the band to experiment with.
Your about to promote the new EP, how are you looking forward to the tour, and where is it taking you?
(Lauren) Oh God! This tour is going to be amazing!! We’re all over the place #norestforthewicked. We’re heading to Liverpool, Glasgow, Dunfermline, Fort William and many more! We can’t wait!
(Lewis) I am really excited about this up-coming tour as its something I’ve always wanted to do. We have gigs all over Scotland however the one I’m most looking forward to is the Cavern Club in Liverpool, its a venue I never thought I would get to play. On the whole I’m looking forward to taking our music all over the Country.
The tour is going to be a fantastic experience for all of us, it will see us touring a large chunk of Scotland and even venturing into England with not one but two performances at the highly acclaimed IPO Festival in Liverpool, and as Lewis touched on we will be performing at the Holy Grail for all Beatles fans – The Cavern Club. Its also a chance for us to branch out and play some towns and cities we haven’t before like Dundee and Fort William. Alot of hard work has gone into preparing and organising this tour so we would like to thank all the promoters and venues for there help this far and we are so excited and buzzing to get out and play.
What do you think the ambition for the band is?
From my prospective (Marc) its all about continuing to do what we are doing and that is creating music that makes up happy and performing to an audience, obviously the bigger the better, there’s no “lets go out and become famous” approach.
It’s simply about enjoying ourselves and our music and hoping the audience too can enjoy and take solace from what we are doing, then again there is always the hope of playing on the local festival scene.
(Lauren) We’d love to get the opportunity to play at some of the local festivals! Ultimately its just getting out there and sharing our sound with as many people as possible. We love what we do, and it’s always such a great laugh with the lads.
(Lewis) I’m not sure what the overall ambition for the band is but we want to do is spread and continue to make great music. It sounds cliche’d but we take every gig as it comes and one of the most exciting things about being in a band is that you never know what could happen.
Fans will be able to get a hold of a free download of “Vendetta” from debut EP Pictures from Monday 21st April until the EP is released in its full capacity on 5th May – so grab it quick
From May 5th you can get your copy of Pictures on Bandcamp, you can keep up-to-date with all the band news and info from the tour and beyond on Facebook.
