INTERVIEW: LIFE

It’s no secret that necessity is the mother of creation, and LIFE are a shining example. With a DIY ethos stemming from being unsigned, and the chaos of our current world making for angsty, riotous tunes, LIFE make the best of a bad situation: and it works.

LIFE have just returned from SXSW – a mean feat for a band just about to release their debut album, particularly a band who are so self-sufficient. “It was our first trip to the states – ever for me! It was amazing, we headlined for the BBC on the Saturday and Steve Lamacq from 6 Music introduced us,” tells Mez. But how do four guys from Hull, singing about very British things in a very British way, connect with an American crowd? Do they at all? “They were jumping around and going wild – we were playing at the British embassy so they were maybe expecting Britishness but they seemed to be enjoying it. I was wearing ‘Don’t mess with Texas’ t-shirt so that may have helped…

Regardless, their British sound is one that works, perhaps because of how naturally it comes to them. “Myself and Stewart are youth workers in Hull, which is often disregarded as being a shithole and a sort of ‘underdog’ city, so I think that reflects in our music. A bit like Pulp did in the 90s it’s embedded in our writing.”

For us, you can’t escape what’s going on in the world, whether it’s politics or modern day culture,” explains Mez, of their sound and whether bands should use their platform to discuss politics. “It’s how my brother and I write, that stuff interests us: modern day life. And politics is always going to be part of that. It’s so dark at the moment, too, so there’s going to be a lot of anger in music. It’s reflected across a few different guitar bands at the moment.” And what of U2 delaying their album to talk about Trump? “That’s just U2 being U2…We wouldn’t schedule releases because then it’s almost like you’re cashing in on that.”

Among the doom and gloom, though, LIFE are aware of their successes, and excited about them. “We’re unsigned, we’ve done everything ourselves. So getting [the album] out there, and the excitement that we built into the music itself, we want other people to hear that excitement on the album. It’s quite empowering. It’s a celebration for us as artists, too.

And more than enough reason to celebrate. It’s this DIY ethos, and ability to be so productive as a unit that makes LIFE who they are, and while SXSW and the impending album might be steps up in the music world, they’re certainly not about to change. “Obviously, we’re not anti being signed… but we’ll always keep ownership of certain elements. That’s the kind of people we are. Especially working in youth work as well, shaping other people’s lives who need it, that’s given us our edge.”

It’s clear in talking to Mez that he’s passionate about his work. And while for an unsigned band it’s mostly unavoidable, juggling touring and work can’t be easy; but they make it work. “We’ve been fortunate in that our work are very supportive of the band. A lot of this stuff is unheard of for a band from Hull to be doing, it hasn’t happened for a long time. Everyone references The Beautiful South but that’s 20 years ago, so when these opportunities come they’re like “yeah go for it, you’ll regret it.” We can always do overtime and make up for it.

 LIFE aren’t about to slow down any time soon. With a tour this month, and a heavy festival schedule – “I can’t say anything yet, but we’re going to be busy until next year, really” – they’ll be inescapable. And the music world will be all the better for it. As for new music: “We’ve written three new tracks, that I think could’ve even been on the album… We’re not going to sit on content, though, we’ll keep getting it out.”

While the world may be slowly going insane, music is still exciting. For LIFE, bands like Slaves provide a benchmark for the dizzying heights bands like them can reach. It’s important to have connections with new bands, too: “We’ve recently made friends with a band called IDLES – we hung out with them in Texas, they played in Hull the other day we went to their gig and they’re going to do the same for us in Bristol next week. They’re very political.”

What’s most clear in what Mez says is that there’s lots to be excited about; lots to celebrate in spite of everything. And as new music continues to be bashed by the likes of Kasabian, it actually seems to be getting stronger.

Popular Music is out on 26 May. LIFE headline tour and festival dates:

April

01 – THE WELLY CLUB – HULL
02 – KING TUTS – GLASGOW
03 – GULLIVERS – MANCHESTER
05 – THE SUNFLOWER LOUNGE – BIRMINGHAM
06 – THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY – LONDON
07 –  THE CROFTERS RIGHTS – BRISTOL
08 – CAFE INDIEPENDENT – SCUNTHORPE
28 – HIT THE NORTH – NEWCASTLE
29 – LIVE AT LEEDS FESTIVAL – LEEDS
30 – HAND MADE FESTIVAL – LEICESTER

May

18 – THE GREAT ESCAPE – BRIGHTON

 

 

Melissa Svensen

Melissa Svensen

Melissa, 22. Editor. Student, music journalist, probably talking about Blur or Bowie