Ahead of the release of their debut EP ‘A Desolate Warning,’ Brighton-based punks, Noah And The Loners, and more specifically, vocalist Noah Lonergan, answer a few questions about their future plans, inspirations and influences.
What drew you to punk as a genre? What makes it relevant to you? What does it mean to you?
When I was a child, I had a punk lullabies CD so maybe it was subconsciously ingrained into my mind from an early age. We take inspiration from old-school punks such as X-Ray Spex, Buzzcocks, and Sex Pistols but are also constantly inspired by what more current bands are doing around us. Bands such as Shame, Bad Nerves, and Fontaines DC are big inspirations.
What in your musical history and influences brought you to making punk music?
We started this project when we all met at a music college in London. Before Noah And The Loners, myself and Amber Welsh were in a band called Polarized Eyes whilst Joseph Boyle and Noah Riley were playing in different groups. From an early age, we were all playing our first gigs and got the taste for sweaty, loud, bad-smelling venues. We knew this was what we wanted to do. We immediately hit it off as a band and started writing together in a way we hadn’t collaborated before. We feel our chemistry is growing stronger each day.
How do you as a band and the music that you make fit into the wider context of British music, both contemporarily and historically?
We are building ourselves a platform to bring matters to the table which are important to us and the communities we are in. To be ‘punk’ is to represent yourself, do and say whatever you want with whatever resources you might have. And that’s what we are doing.
Keeping the fun element of being in a band is also really important to us, we always want to enjoy creating our music and not let anything side track us from that.
How do you see yourself as part of music culture in the local area, and how does your location help/hinder you as a band?
We have felt a sense of community since moving from London to Brighton.
More often than not, bands with whom we share the bill are supportive of each other.
Going out to see other bands on the scene is one of the most important and inspiring things we can do. It really sparks something in us to write more and carry on our own journey as a band.
We try to take all opportunities that come our way; playing with new people in new cities is massively important for us to grow. But we love hometown shows when they come around because we know our friends and solid fan base will be there to support us.
At such an early stage, do you think you have found a good niche within the local music scene in regards to other bands and artists that you play with? Is there a connection between the type of music that you and other bands you gig with make?
We are always on punk/rock line-ups, so the bands and the crowd share a passion for the genre. There is an undeniable energy in the room always. Brighton, in general, has a great punk scene coming through, so there are always gigs showcasing bands like ourselves and where the genre is heading in the future.
It’s important to keep going out and experiencing new bands and not lose our love for new music. It’s easy to get caught up in your struggles and sometimes all it takes is a great set of music to inspire you again.
You’re going on tour in the coming weeks; how do you think this will impact your trajectory as a band?
Touring is when we grow as performers, there is no better way than working on stagecraft than playing gigs every night. There is also no comparison between rehearsing in a studio room to playing a sweaty gig. Also being able to meet other bands on the bill is always fun and seeing their approach to music gives us ideas on how we can improve.
Speaking of, what is your path forward in the near future? When do you aim to release music?
We recorded our debut EP on the backend of last year with Neil Kennedy, and it’s in the pipeline to be released February 28th 2024. We are dead excited to share a more in-depth look at what we are about. The experience of recording a full body of work was a load of fun.
We wanted to spend time creating sounds to fit the message of the songs and ensuring the music was the correct vehicle for the words. Over the week of recording the record, we all had in our minds the music is going to last forever and represent us. It is a slightly different approach to gigs, where the music goes straight out into the ether.
We don’t fear anything or anyone with this record and we are saying exactly what we want when we want because this is the moment to use our voices.
