NEW BAND INTERVIEW: Park Haus speak!

Coming out of north Manchester Park Haus are breathing new life into the independent music scene with some gushingly bright and brilliant guitar anthems including their latest single Lax. Gigslutz caught up with the band who tell all about their background, influences and being related to one of The Stone Roses:

Can you please tell me some background to your upbringing?

Jack (Singer), Charlie (Bass) and Jonny (Drums) grew up in and around the Moston area of North Manchester and have been friends since childhood. Moston is a very working class area, with a really strong community which we are all proud to represent. Harry (lead guitar) is from Urmston.

What was the first music you can remember hearing?

My (Jack’s) first memory of music is sitting in the primary school assembly hall. The school was called Lily Lane and the music teacher decided to turn the song Penny Lane into the school’s anthem by replacing the word “Penny” with “Lily”. Genius, I know. I remember falling in love with the melody from the very first time I heard it, long before I even knew who the Beatles were.

Jonny comes from music royalty, and followed his uncle Mani around in his Primal Scream days. There’s a video knocking around of a wee Jonny singing with the Scream during a sound check, so I guess we’re definitely the 2nd best band he’s played in!

What was the more serious music you can remember getting into?

Our first memories were the Beatles and Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield. It doesn’t get more serious than that, does it?

When did you first start getting involved making your own music?

Pretty much as soon as I picked up a guitar. Once I learned a few cowboy chords, we were away!

How did you become interested in composing your own music?

Trying to impress a girl in my teenage years. Didn’t work, but got a good few tunes out of it.

Did you find learning an instrument came easily?

I found the more you play the easier it gets.

Were you in any bands before Park Haus?

This is Jack’s first band! Jonny was the drummer in a band called Concrete Club for a while, and Charlie played in Fauna, who have unfortunately disbanded altogether. Check out both bands on your preferred streaming services though, they’re ace. Harry was a lab grown child prodigy and has been a working session musician ever since he was a petri dish.

How did Park Haus form?

The idea was born at a house party about 12 years ago, but for one reason or another we never got it going. Jonny and Charlie went off and did their own thing. When Mani sadly passed away, Jonny used music as a form of therapy to help him through his grieving process. We played together for the first time in nearly a decade and decided we’d give it a real go. Jonny rang Harry, who he knew from a previous side project, and that was that. We played our first gig just over a month later.

Where did the band’s name come from?

Park House was an old in-patient mental health facility near where we grew up in North Manchester, since replaced by “North View”. We were struggling to think of a name, and after a few outrageously bad attempts, Jack remembered an old school teacher telling him “you should be in Park House” when he was being a bit of a muppet in class, and there it was. We decided to change up the spelling as a legal battle with the NHS probably wouldn’t be great publicity.

How do the band’s material come to fruition? Do you all jam together or does someone have specific ideas for the band’s songs?

A bit of both, really. The majority of the songs come from Jack playing his acoustic at home and writing a simple “shell” of the song. He then takes it to the rest of the band and then they work their magic on the instrumental. Sometimes an impromptu jam in the middle of rehearsal turns into something special.

How would you describe the band’s sound?

Always an awkward question, this. “If 90th minute winners could make music”.

You’ve already released your debut single Survive followed by the superb Lax. How did these tracks come about?

Both songs were written by Jack and came from different stages in his life. The song “Survive” came about after a night out he had when he was 18 where he got himself into a bit of trouble, and suffered a couple of black-eyes as a result. The idea for LAX was born a few years later after reflecting on a breakup from what turned out to be a pretty toxic relationship, because there aren’t enough songs about breakups…

Where did you record your tunes?

Pear Mill, Stockport. Produced by the wonderful George Fitzgibbon.

Do you have any plans to release any more material?

After LAX releases on June 16th, we have studio time booked in September where we will be rolling out at least another 2 songs before the end of the year, so keep your eyes peeled!

How about live gigs, have you been playing many gigs?

About a month after our first session as a band, we played our debut gig to a packed out Definitely Maybe bar in the Northern Quarter. We have a quiet summer ahead as Harry’s session work has taken him to New York city for 3 months, so we’ve taken this time to write more songs, and really get our live act in the best shape possible before we hit the ground running again in September.

You have your first headline show coming up at Gullivers, Manchester. What can fans expect to see at the show?

Pure high-energy, rock n roll. Nothing more to it really. We’re just 4 mates who want to have as much fun as the people who have paid to be there, which always makes for the best shows in our opinion.

What does the future hold for the band?

More songs, more gigs. Here for a good time and whatever happens, happens.

Finally, what’s on your turntable at present?

Not sure you want to open that can of worms, but anywhere in between neo-psychedelia, reggae dub, 70s American Arena rock, Faye and Hip Hop. Looking forward to the new Strokes album too. That pretty much covers it, I think?

Pre save Lax here

Park Haus can be found via their Instagram and Facebook pages