Contributor’s Note: The Sherlocks recently played energetic secret sets at both Reading and Leeds Festivals on the Festival Republic stage performing songs from both their albums which were excellently received by fans & media alike. They’ve also announced that they’ll be doing some intimate UK in-store acoustic gigs as well as a headline October/November UK tour and will headline Neighbourhood festival in Manchester this month alongside Miles Kane.
‘Under Your Sky’ is the fourth track to be shared from their new album after singles ‘Waiting’, lead single ‘NYC (Sing It Loud)’ which featured actor & friend of the band, Thomas Turgoose in the video (This Is England/Game Of Thrones) and ‘Magic Man’. The Sherlocks have also been performing intimate gigs for fan competition winners throughout the UK.
With their 2017 debut album ‘Live For The Moment’, Sheffield quartet The Sherlocks established themselves as key contenders in a new wave of British bands keeping alt-rock and indie vital for a new generation of fans. The album fired into the charts at #6 as the band inspired devotion wherever they went, from shows with Liam Gallagher, an international array of festival dates to rapturously received shows in Japan.
While ‘Live For The Moment’remains a scintillating insight into the hedonism and heartbreak of youth, ‘Under Your Sky’ finds frontman Kiaran Crook writing songs which bridge the exuberance of youth with the reflection and maturity of young adulthood. Fans can find The Sherlocks at the following locations:
www.facebook.com/TheSherlocksOfficial
Mark Dean : When many bands release their first album in the studio, is basically them finding their feet. I just wondered, if you feel the new album is more representative of the band, and how you want to sound?
Kiaran Crook : Yeah, I think so. Like you just said, that’s exactly what we did on our first album. Just four lads, basically recording a more polished up version of what we’d been doing live. We didn’t really have any ideas on that first record, it was more a case of record tunes and just, that were it really. There weren’t no plans for sonics, like how everything wanted to sound. I don’t think we really cared that much either. It were just like, let’s just record the band, but a polished up version of what we did live, and just capture that. And then we did that, and then, yeah. Then the second album, I think we’ve had more a vision for it. One of the main things is, we wanted to have a bit more space in the album. Because we thought on the first album, we just filled it up with tracking loads of guitars on to it. It were just like a wall of sound, whereas on this album you can hear little pockets of space and stuff, which is a bit more interesting, I think.
Mark Dean : Okay. Is there anything different this time around, in terms of songwriting, recording? Do you have the songs all ready before you go into the studio? Obviously, studios are expensive, you don’t want to go in there and start creating songs. You have all those already done, before you went?
The Sherlocks : Yeah, we had all the songs ready, but we got them to a point where we couldn’t take them any further. To us, they were just finished songs. But, we obviously knew when we got into the studio with James Skelly, you were going to have his input. That were all we worked on really. In the practice room, we just practiced us songs as much as we could, to a point where we didn’t know where else to go because it were just like, we’ve got it as far as we could. And then, the songs have been wrote for a… Some songs were wrote for the first album, but we decided to use them instead on this one.There were a couple of times, when you rewrote some verses as well. He works well under pressure, when he knows he’s only got half an hour to do it. He just comes up with it-
Mark Dean : Why revisit them this time?
The Sherlocks :When we came to do the first album, there’s a song on this album called Step Inside, that were wrote before the first album, we did bring it in to record for the first album actually, but we just didn’t think it fitted in with what we were doing.There’s a song called One Day we wrote for the first album, but we never actually took that into the… We took 15 songs in for the first album. We whittled 15 songs down to 12 and there’s a song called One Day, which we had before the first album. We didn’t even bring it into them 15 because we knew it sounded like a second album tune. And then there’s a song called Time to Go, which we might have recorded for the first album, but we didn’t pick it for the same reason, it didn’t sound like it would fit in with that first album.
A good song’s a good song, so we’d never want to throw it, if it’s not going anywhere. We’ve got songs now, which we might decide we don’t want to use on a third album, if we get a third album.
Mark Dean : I’m sure you will. In your short career, you’ve already had some highs, played some big festivals, toured with a lot of big bands. Has it already exceeded your own personal expectations or is it in line with, what sort of plan? “At that stage we’ll do this and we’ll do that?”
The Sherlocks : I think we-
Mark Dean :Do you have a schedule?
Kiaran Crook :Yeah, we’ve probably exceeded what we expected because we didn’t really expect anything. We never planned. We didn’t set benchmarks: “I hope we get to this point, and be happy,” it’s just a constant wave we’re riding and each good thing that comes to us, we don’t probably think it but at the same time, we are. That were good, we supported Kings of Leon.
Mark Dean : Most bands haven’t toured America, you know, at this stage of their career-which of course you have.
The Sherlocks :Last week, we went to South Korea, even doing something like that, you never even imagine it, but, it’s only when you get threw in in a band where these opportunities come up.
Mark Dean : So what have you lined up then? Obviously a lot of those boxes, I mean that you might have had at the start, already been ticked. What’s the sort of career plan to promote this album?
The Sherlocks : And now we’re touring, obviously. Yeah, touring as much as we can. See how many places we can check in, in the world, how many countries.
Mark Dean : And you’re playing Manchester soon, Neighbourhood Festival, it’s an indoor festival. Have you any plans to sort of come back and do your own gig here?
The Sherlocks : Yeah. Hopefully next year, sometime, we’ll do a headline gig, all being well. Yeah, a massive one.
Mark Dean : Playing with a brother in a band, is that difficult or does it make things easier? A bit of both I would imagine.
The Sherlocks : Yeah. Probably easier, to be fair. Yeah, never been in a band without my brother so I can’t really compare it, but, seems pretty-
Mark Dean : And the arguments, you leave for somewhere else, rather than in the studio or live or whatever.
The Sherlocks : Either way, you’d sooner be arguing with your brother than arguing with a…
Mark Dean : But they’re the ones that annoy you the most, you know, your siblings, they’re the ones who know how to get under your skin.
The Sherlocks : We always put it down to a vote, we do a vote, and that solves everything. We use our vote and that’s it.
Mark Dean: What was your first song that you ever performed live? Obviously, when you started, like most bands, you’ve gone for covers and stuff. You remember your first gig and your first song?
The Sherlocks : Us first proper gig were at a pub a couple miles from where we lived called Sandhill Tavern. Yeah. Like Arctic Monkeys cover, or The Strokes.
Mark Dean : Was that a difficult gig, given that you probably had all your mates in there watching you?
The Sherlocks : We didn’t have any equipment. Turned up to proper rock bottom equipment. There were about 60 people waiting-
Mark Dean : That’s not bad for a debut gig to be fair.
The Sherlocks : We absolutely rinsed the bar, We got paid sixty quid. just as we were going to leave, we went back inside and I got a bottle of Kopparberg put right over us. Before we go inside, there’s our manager there fifteen quid for each of you.
Mark Dean : You’ve hit the big time then?
The Sherlocks : Felt like it.
Mark Dean : First album that you ever bought, each of you? Or maybe nicked, it might be nicked, it might be borrowed.
The Sherlocks : I got Eminem, Curtain Call, going up to the car boot for it, and got the CD.
Mark Dean : Can’t top that!
The Sherlocks : The same car boot, I got, do you remember Simon Webbe, out of that band, Blue. I got a Simon Webbe album called Sanctuary, it’s a right looks shit, just a sleeve from a printer. Yeah.
Mark Dean : What about yourselves? Any sordid secrets in there?
The Sherlocks :Probably Good Charlotte, that Lifestyles or whatever it’s called.
Mark Dean : What about a song by another artist that you never tire of hearing?
The Sherlocks : Ooh. A song that we could just never get sick of?
Mark Dean : Yeah. Can you remember names?
The Sherlocks : Blue October, Feel. Oh is it? Feel Again (Stay).
Mark Dean : That’s a good band.
The Sherlocks : Listen to that, it’ll break your heart. ] Make sure you’re not alone. We put it on all the time.
Mark Dean : What about yourselves?
The Sherlocks : Slade, “Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall?”
Mark Dean : How would you describe your band? Someone who’s never heard of you, how would you sell your band? And why should they listen?
The Sherlocks : Brothers. Real. A lot of people, at Tramlines you write some. When you’re looking at front man, singing his heart out.
Kieran: So when you see me, singing my heart out, I’m actually singing. A lot of bands have got… The drummer’s playing to a so they can play to a backing track, so ] and everything sounds mint. So it would get to a drop down, there’s a big orchestral section and you look at the band and they’re all just stood there.
Mark Dean : In the current age where it’s difficult for musicians to earn solely from music, I mean, do you do this full time yet? Are you at that stage?
The Sherlocks: Yes we are fortunate to be able to do this full-time.
Mark Dean : Just a final one for each of you: if the rules were reversed and you were sitting here, face to face with somebody, who would you like to interview?
The Sherlocks (several together): You.
Mark Dean : You can’t, think of somebody else, an inspiration, maybe a personal hero. Maybe not even a musician.
The Sherlocks : I’ll go with The Rock.
Mark Dean : Big fan of his movies or the wrestling or…?
The Sherlocks : Just in general. Yeah, that’d be the best thing, or Vin Diesel.
Mark Dean :You’re going on the same sort of theme here. Anybody? That’s good, thank you very much. How many songs are you going to be doing today?
The Sherlocks : About seven or eight.
Mark Dean : And you only doing two of these signings, personal appearances at HMVs, yeah?
The Sherlocks :Three.
Mark Dean : Have you done one already?
The Sherlocks : We did one last week, it weren’t HMV though
Mark Dean : Lots of people?
The Sherlocks : Yeah, I don’t know how many will turn up today, I’d imagine this one would be one of the better ones.
Mark Dean : Yeah, hope so. So thanks for chatting!
And there you have it! Check out The Sherlocks on their U.K./European tour supporting their latest record entitled “Under Your Sky”:
Thu. 11/14- Kavka Oudaan in Antwerp, Belgium
Fri. 11/15- Helios37 in Cologne, Germany
Sat. 11/16- Folks Club in Munich, Germany
Sun. 11/17- EXIL in Zurich, Switzerland
Tue. 11/19- Chelsea in Vienna, Austria
Wed. 11/20- Cafe V Lese in Prague, Czech Republic
Thu. 11/21- cassiopeia Berlin in Frederichshain, Germany
Fri. 11/22- Molotow in Hamburg, Germany
Sat. 11/23- Bitterzoet in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Thu. 11/28- The Academy in Dublin, Ireland
Fri. 11/29- Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast, United Kingdom
Fri. 2/21- O2 Academy in Sheffield, United Kingdom
Sun. 2/23- O2 Institute in Birmingham, United Kingdom
Tue. 2/25- Rock City in Nottingham, United Kingdom
Wed. 2/26- Invisible Wind Factory in Liverpool, United Kingdom
Thu. 2/27- O2 Academy in Leeds, United Kingdom
Fri. 2/28- Boiler Shop in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Sat. 2/29- SWG3 in Glasgow, United Kingdom
Tue. 3/3- Thekla in Bristol, United Kingdom
Fri. 3/6- Engine Rooms in Southampton, United Kingdom
Sat. 3/7- Tramshed in Cardiff, United Kingdom
For tickets and further information on any of the gigs listed above, click here.
Check out Mark Dean’s work at the following locations:
www.facebook.com/Mark-Dean-Media-Journalist
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