In our latest Band Spotlight, we chat to Marc Ainley of Hull garage rockers, Let Man Loose.
How do you define success?
I define success as being able to look back and be satisfied with the last thing you did while thinking of what’s up next and how to keep getting better, in the short term, anyway.
What are the biggest challenges for you as an artist now?
Right now, it’s not knowing when we’ll be able to play live again – and how best to release music around that uncertainty. We’re definitely a live band and like to encourage people to witness the show that way. When releasing a single or EP, we like to have a launch party to get our friends together in one place before then taking it on the road.
We’d hoped to do the same in 2020 but obviously that’s not going to be. On one hand I’m worried about the state of the live music scene once [the pandemic] is all over, but on the other hand I know that young people have always found a way to have a good time. I really hope that all the venues we hoped to play this year can open their doors again. But if not, I know we’ll use our initiative to find ways to perform in front of people again.
What motivates you outside of music, think specific people and places?
The first album I ever bought was Franz Ferdinand’s debut and the first line sung in anger is ‘It’s always better on holiday’. I fucking love being on holiday and want to see more of the world.
How have your goals with Let Man Loose changed over time?
My goals have definitely changed over the last 10 years. When I started doing this, I used to want to ‘make it’. I’m still not sure what that means, but I guess it’s the idea that somebody else bankrolls the whole thing, while we get to follow the sun, lounge by pools and play huge gigs.
I think the lines have definitely been blurred in the last decade, to the point where artists easily can sustain a band at a level they’re happy with – DIY style. I’ve put a lot of my effort in the last couple of years into learning how to do a lot of it myself, booking gigs, getting in touch with the press and radio and trying to run our social media the best I can.
My definition of success now would be to get to the point where the band is wholly self-sufficient and able to keep growing in an organic way, and not having to wait for that ‘big break’ that may never come.
What’s next for the band?
We release our new single ‘Victory Lap’ on Jun 26 in the lead up to our biggest and best achievement yet. We’re releasing ‘Vols. 1-3’ on vinyl on Jul 10 – which is a collection of our three EPs – the third of which isn’t even out yet. It’s exclusive to vinyl and has been mastered especially for it, so the music sounds as good as it can. The whole package is really nice and we’re really proud of it.
It feels like the perfect way to celebrate the music we’ve recorded up to now, before we move forward with a new line-up. Luke and Eric join us on guitar and bass, and we’re on the cusp of getting back into the rehearsal room. I’m excited to see what direction we move in with their input.
