The Slow Country, a rising force in the UK indie scene, have been steadily building a loyal following with their captivating live performances and distinctive folk-rock sound. From their early days in Manchester to their recent London ventures, the band has navigated the music scene with a DIY spirit and a dedication to their craft.
Their debut single, ‘Walking Song’, a brooding epic that showcases their songwriting prowess and atmospheric sound, has garnered attention and set the stage for their next chapter. In this interview, we delve into their journey so far, exploring their approach to live shows, their experiences in different cities, and their plans for the future.
We cover their recent single release, their artistic influences, and the importance of visual elements to their identity. We also touch on their experiences playing alongside other notable acts in the UK scene and their conscious effort to connect with audiences across the country. So, let's dive in and hear what The Slow Country has to say...
Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us! You've played a mix of headline shows and support slots. How do you approach each type of performance?
“Headline shows usually give us a chance to relax, not just because we get more time but you’re often playing to people who want to be watching you, this means we can play works in progress which is always exciting to gauge the audience's reaction. At headlines we’ve recently been playing Fisherman’s Blues by The Waterboys which is a song we all love so much, in 30-minute support slot you can’t really get away with a cover.”
“On the other hand, support slots are super important as they give us a chance to gain exposure but there are nerves that go with that, it can also be a bit of a balancing act trying to play a set that will suit a certain audience and line-up but also wanting to do our own thing.”
You've built a strong following in Manchester, even selling out increasingly larger venues. Are there any strategies that have contributed to your success there?
“Manchester’s music scene is incredibly welcoming to new acts; it's just been a case of staying friendly with promoters that we’ve enjoyed working with. Echo Chamber were one of the first promoters to put us on and I think growing with them has been super helpful, we did our first headline show with them at Fuel in Withington and recently we’ve played Band on the Wall and Gulliver's with them. Finding a promoter that is a fan of the music, has faith in you and is willing to take risks is super beneficial. We have always made a conscious effort after a headline show to book a larger one the next time, this has always given us drive to keep moving forward as a band.”
You mentioned shifting your focus to London. What motivated that decision, and what have been the biggest differences or challenges in establishing yourselves in the London music scene?
“It felt like after a year or so of playing almost twice a month in Manchester that we were starting to do the same support shows at the same venues with little to no industry involvement going on, after playing London regularly we’ve made so many useful connections. It also ties in with the need to keep driving forward and keep expanding, London is just the natural step up sadly, whilst Manchester churns out by far the best bands in the country it seems to me that many of these bands find success by putting focus on London, it’s such a shame to say it but that's where most of the labels and booking agents are situated.”
“Surprisingly though London turned out to be almost as welcoming as Manchester, venues like The George Tavern seem to nurture all these amazing new bands and provide so many opportunities to new artists, it’s where we played our first London show and there's always amazing line ups and opportunities to go back and play. Manchester will always be our home though and we owe so much to all the promoters and bands that helped us get started.”
Your debut single, ‘Walking Song’, was self-funded and self-released. Can you talk about the advantages and disadvantages of that approach?
“Self-releasing gave us the opportunity to take our time with the release and help us find our feet, we actually recorded two other tracks beforehand that we just weren’t happy with, if we had a label behind us there would probably have been pressure to release these so were grateful we could find our own way in our own time. The self-funding aspect is very difficult though, we had to save a lot of money from playing gigs, festivals and selling merch, all these things don’t bring in that much money, so it inevitably slowed down the process.”
‘Walking Song’ has a distinct folk-rock sound with strong imagery. What are some of your key musical influences, and how do they shape your songwriting and sound?
“Our influences change quite dramatically song by song especially between each member, I know for this one our producer Matt Carney was influenced by Kate Bush’s ‘Jig of Life’ we hadn’t heard this until we finished writing the song, but it was certainly a reference for the production and mix. Nick Cave’s music is a big influence on us, that feeling of heartfelt darkness that he has can certainly be found in this song.”
“I do think the best influences reveal themselves after you’ve finished a song though, for example we recently had a couple of comparisons to Fleetwood Mac which I don’t think any of us were thinking of or referencing but then after listening again it's like oh yeah obviously you can see they’ve shaped it. It's interesting how your brain takes in everything and years later you can write something and be like wait isn't that melody from a Coldplay song...”
You've worked with visual artists like Hugo Winder-Lind and have a music video planned for ‘Walking Song’. How important is the visual aspect to The Slow Country's overall identity?
“The visual side of things is super important, it’s also hard to get right, we spent months trying to decide on artwork, there's a lot of us and we all have different ideas so you can imagine it's hard to decide on things. But when we saw Hugo’s paintings everything clicked into place, it stands alone as a beautiful piece of art but fits with our music and the imagery we want to reflect.”
“The collaboration between Radiohead and Stanley Donwood was something we spoke about a lot in the process of deciding the artwork, it's a great opportunity for collaboration that can only elevate the music more. Worldbuilding is something we want to lean more into, especially when we get an EP or album recorded.”
You've played gigs with a diverse range of bands, from Trudy and the Romance to Skydaddy. How do you see The Slow Country fitting into the current music landscape?
“When we started, we could imagine us playing shows with any of these acts that we have played with, we also imagined we would always be doing small independent shows forever and suddenly we’re playing festivals and supporting all these amazing bands. We’ve still got a lot of work to do but I think we’re starting to gain a bit more confidence, we’re starting to be able to imagine us playing some of the shows we could never have dreamed of when we first started. After playing our first festivals this summer we realised how much fun you can have with a festival set, I think going forward we would like to draw from these shows, lean into the fun folk and country freak outs but also really try and form a genuine emotional connection to our audience.”
You've consciously played shows outside of London and Manchester. How important is it for you to connect with audiences in different cities, and what have those experiences been like?
“Weirdly it's something we did way more at the start of us being a band, perhaps the excitement got the better of us, these shows are always so much fun though, travelling to a new place solely to play a show is a special feeling. We also gained so much experience meeting other bands in other scenes, and gaining exposure to new crowds, it’s important to remind yourself that there’s more to music than what's in London and Manchester. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to tour with The Last Dinner Party within a year of being a band, this was the best experience we’ve had as we got to play much larger shows that a band just starting out don’t usually get to play. Now the single is out we have started planning more shows across the country.”
You have plans to record your second single, ‘Amy Stew’, this winter. What can you tell us about this new song, and how does it build upon ‘Walking Song’?
“’Amy Stew’ seems to be our song that gets people moving the most, it also has some really tender moments in it, it’s a break-up song, a collage of true and imagined memories built on an alt-folk foundation. We’ve been playing it for some time, it's a favourite amongst our friends so I think they will riot if we don’t release it next. Whilst tonally and musically there are some similarities, it doesn’t really build upon ‘Walking Song’ it almost shows you another side to us.”
“I (Charlie) wrote this one so lyrically it stands separately to ‘Walking Song’, the themes of nostalgia and longing are there but it's much more grounded in the everyday. We all write songs, and I think it's important for these to grow naturally rather than try and cram them into the same box, it allows for a lot of variation, and we can use the music as the force that creates continuity.”
Looking ahead, what are The Slow Country's ambitions for the next year? Are there any specific goals you're working towards?
“If all goes well ‘Amy Stew’ will be out in the New Year. We’re also starting to put some track lists together, we haven’t decided on an EP or an album yet, but for sure we will have a larger body of music out. We have at least two albums worth of songs it's just trying to prioritise them is tricky and there is a lot of variation there so there needs to be a natural separation between some of them, were also constantly writing new stuff that we seem more confident in so everything could change very easily. Show-wise we’re hoping to tackle some of the bigger festivals, Greenman and End of the Road are two of our absolute favourites so maybe we will make it into at least one of them?!”
“We’re also hoping to get some bigger support shows across the country to help promote the new music, so fingers crossed!”
With a promising future ahead, The Slow Country are poised to make a lasting impact on the UK music scene. Their dedication to their craft, combined with their captivating sound and engaging live performances, suggests a bright future filled with exciting new releases and captivating shows. Keep an eye out for their upcoming single, "Amy Stew," and be sure to catch them live if you have the chance. The Slow Country are definitely ones to watch.
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