After some technical difficulties, even after using Zoom so much over the past year, we finally got the interview started. We had the pleasure of speaking to The Silver Lines, a band made up of: Dan, Joe, Kindo, and another Joe!
The Silver Lines came together through Dan and Joe, two brothers doing open mics, with others but then had “a group of band members who wouldn’t commit”. They had a rotating band and did three gigs and when they left university they essentially said “we’re going to do this properly!” Then in 2019 Joe and Kindo joined the band. They then found their sound and started practising a lot!
The two brothers in the band firstly got in to music by liking a lot of the bands from the 60s and 70s, enjoying their music more than any recent musicians. As they claim the last album that had “a good array of tunes on it was probably AM”. After discussing that AM is an iconic album, Joe added that we are “still feeling the bleed over from that because everyone and their grandma are wearing a suit, it's just stupid!” "There's nothing that really turned us on at the moment, so we thought we better do our own stuff” and that is essentially how they all found themselves getting in to the music industry. They shared that they were hopeful for the Fontaines D.C. album yet they only did “half a good album”, “It’s just demic!” I asked if that is how they felt about the Arctic Monkeys album Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino as that was quite a jump creatively for the Monkeys, they claimed “you listen to it twice and you're not going to turn it on again are ya.” Unlike, the Monkeys earlier albums that were reminiscent of similar scenes to The Silver Lines “when you’re 16 in the park with a can of cider”.
Now, apart from them sitting in a field with a can of cider, we asked what inspires their music. Which was answered with, “I think its Sex really! I mean rock ’n’ roll used to mean sex, back in the day!” They expressed their frustration about how now no one talks about “nasty things, and sex.”. They stated that it “doesn’t have to be going against societal norms but it has to be a bit edge doesn’t it. The only people that are doing it are the rappers and that’s a bit misogynistic, and we don’t wanna do that do we!”
The band would say that the pandemic has affected them in a good way, but also in a bad way. “Good in a way that it made us focus of different things other than gigs, like social media.” Also focused on writing a couple of songs and finally, recently have done their biggest headliner yet in The Dark Horse, Birmingham.
They told us that they had just got the last flight out of New York, when Corona hit so it was a bit of a bummer in that sense! They were in New York as they were asked to play there after they had air time on Radio1 and sold out their first headline gig in Birmingham. “New York was definitely an experience and good to have a taste of what it was like out there!” When we asked if the crowds in America were different compared to the UK crowds, they said when they “came on as a three piece and the crowd really liked it!” “So really we should just move to New York and not be in London anymore.” This was different compared to the UK crowds as, “I don’t know if that’s just cause everyone in the UK likes The Beatles and if that’s hung over from Oasis, and hammering that!” Also, another difference being that “not many people talk about The Rolling Stones, other than Mick Jagger was a naughty boy and slept with a few women!” We reminded them as isn’t that just rock ‘n’ roll, no?!
The Silver Lines’ music idols include: The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, all the classic stuff pre-1962! They say that a big one for them was also “The Stone Roses cause look what they did as a three piece, and they don’t need that second guitar!” Now here we have one of many rants from Dan, “There is another thing that I want to whinge about, while I'm here! Why does all lead singers now have to have a guitar, why don't they be lead singers anymore!” Joe added,” The lead singers also got the job of being a front man and working the crowd!” Dan spoked up saying, “Yeah! Not having to remember the next chord change!”
We asked them describe their music in five words, to which Dan replied with: “orgasmic sonic intuition!” “Well yeah that’s three...” I said, “Cmon Dan two more!” Joe added. To which Dan retaliated with, “I did five there, Orgasmic sonic intuition, played slowly...!”
The Silver Lines’ goals for the end of this new year are to “just obliterate all the other bands in Birmingham!” jokingly and “sell out the next lot of venues, get on some more festivals!”
The band in five years see themselves “playing Madison Square Gardens in New York!” Now, here is when the call got side-tracked again talking about, “one of Dan’s big aspirations is to get a lynx” Okayyy... “We’ll get it trained!”, “Are they even domesticated?!” “We’ll find a way!” are just some things said on the call. I added “Well that’s your goal in life, let alone the next five years!”
If they could go back to the start of their music careers, they’d tell their younger self to “Drink more!” Which at first sounds like a good, responsible being. “In what sense, water or..?” the answer explains it all, “I dunno thinking you can only have two pints before you go on an interview, but really you can spend your whole day in the pub!”
Here comes another rant of many, brought to you by The Silver Lines. The topic of this one is how everyone is all too nice in the industry and people should share their opinions more. As the “rappers are the only ones, they are the new punk rock at the moment, and they are shitting on all the indie boys!” I said what they needed to do was bring back a new Liam Gallagher just ripping everyone to shreds!
Are we going to class The Silver Lines as fashionable people? Dan said he was wearing a mohair cardigan, so do with that what you will? Joe describes that he was wearing a M&S jumper so, “it’s not me!” You can call anything ‘fashion’, so whatever goes really.
Joe told us that there are four scenes in Birmingham, you have the emo scene, you have the Arctic Monkeys rip off scene. (Loading another rant) The true indie scenes, “and guess what they do! They wear trainers, and they roll the trousers up and have their guitar hoisted up to their bloody chin. And then you’ve got us! We wear what we want, I wear flares and sometimes cardigans” Dan stated he told us that fellow band member, Joe “has a thing for all-in-one jump suits!” Also, that “Kindo doesn’t really like to wear any clothes but we have to tell him to wear clothes!” Apart from band, Viagra Boys, as they thought “they dress pretty cool” and that there is “not really any band who takes care of fashion that isn't just directly copying another band.”
Returning to the music, don’t panic! There is new music from The Silver Lines coming! As they said that have a really good song, they are working on at the moment, and that they are “making it like a baby!” “Don't release it in like 9 months though!!” I spoke! Dan described the new song by saying “Got a bass, drums, and singing.” “Ahh yeah you’re selling that aren’t you, Dan!!” “Just call it that!” I suggested.
To end the interview, we asked them what the one song they are playing on repeat at the moment is! Joe replied with “it changes every day!” “Well give us the song of the day Joe!” Joe’s song of the day was Coming Up by Paul McCartney! Dan’s repeat song was Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones. “Obviously Alive by The Silver Lines!” said Joe, and so you should! Go listen to all The Silver Lines music, you definitely won't be disappointed!
By CAITLIN
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