I got to check out York alt-rock band Heavy Bloom at Fulford Arms’ Battle of The Bands a few weeks back and was pretty blown away by them, here’s a weird and wonderful Q/A we did after that!
S] Hi guys, how are you today?
8/10. Ben hasn’t made us his legendary oat cakes for a while, so room for improvement. We’re currently working on our next single, ‘Go Quietly’, in the studio while also preparing for a couple of gigs coming up at the Vaults and Fulford Arms in York, which we’re excited about.
S] I saw you at a Battle of The Bands at Fulford in York as a judge and was impressed by the sound, how was that experience for you?
We love the Fulford Arms! It’s always an awesome experience, the team there are so lovely and professional and just generally awesome. They care about the music before anything else, and that’s probably why they’ve outlasted everyone else: the Vikings, the Romans, the Seahorses… Long live the Fulford Arms.
S] How did the band form?
Love at first sight, on the filthy streets of York and Leeds. We started playing together gradually coming out of the pandemic and, via a couple tweaks to the line up (and two of us swapping instruments!), have landed in a place where it feels so natural to be around each other. We love playing together because we’re all creative and bring ideas, and are always open to listen and try out each other’s ideas. We’re quite inclusive and democratic in that way; like the UN, but less shit.
S] What are your top five core influences, musically?
A lot of us are into early 90s indie, shoegaze, and grunge, but we’ve really eclectic taste across different genres, and that’s what makes our sound different. It’s nice not to have to worry about what music people think is cool anymore; there aren’t mass genre movements like we had, culturally, pre-social media. Which is why we’re willing to listen to Ben’s Phil Collins recommendations unadulterated…
S] What about personally – the York scene, family/friends, for example?
Tom genuinely has seven sheds.
S] Your sound blends shoegaze and pop melodies – was this always your intention, on a sonic level?
We’re more Nintendo than Sega, but we do spend a lot of time gazing. Ben has the best shoes, followed by Paul and Holly. Mike doesn’t actually own any shoes so he has to gaze at other people’s. But in all seriousness, you know like when you’ve been playing Mario Kart for too long, and you close your eyes, trying to fall asleep, but you can see Luigi going round and round rainbow road? We’re like that, only our music’s not as good.
S] What would you say your mission statement is as a band?
We want to see the colours of another world.️
S] Is there anything you’d like to add before we finish up today?
We don’t really play Mario Kart, we’re vegan. And our first two singles are available on all the usual streaming places, check us out! Also, we’ve kindly been invited to support The Big Sleep at the Vaults on Saturday 23rd September, which we’re excited about too.
S] Thanks for your time!
