Interview with The Silver Bars
Cumbria-based Indie-Rock band The Silver Bars are back with their latest single ‘The Morning’. Produced by Neil D. Kennedy (Boston Manor, Creeper) the track blends Merseybeat with indie-rock to create a cheerful sound unique to ‘The Silver Bars’. I caught up with the band to talk about 'The Morning', forming the band and their live show plans.
Hi, how are you?
Swell thank you!
How would you describe your sound to the readers?
I guess it all falls under the umbrella of Indie but we like to stray off path in different little ways. We definitely have some more interesting sounds prepared for the near future.
Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
There are a lot of influences between us but the most prominent are probably Everything Everything, The Strokes, Radiohead and Bob Dylan
How did The Silver Bars form?
Dylan (vocals) and Phil (keys) decided to start playing live music together around our home town in 2018, they became quite popular actually! They were trying to form a band ever since and eventually it all fell into place when Matt (drums), Kieran (guitar) and Elliott (bass) all joined at the dead end of 2019. We all knew each other through school, and although we hadn't spoken much since it instantly felt like a really good fit.
Your new single ‘The Morning’ has an upbeat sound and melody but features lyrics that describe “paranoia and dread you experience after a night of overconsumption” as you’ve explained it. Was this a conscious decision for you when you sat down to make this song?
We're big fans of happy music with dreary lyrics, it's a good contrast. Also just weird or dreary lyrics in general. Although I'm not sure it was a conscious decision to talk about anxiety and awful hangovers when the song was initially produced, it was just something which came out.
What was the process of creating this song like for you? Was it one that came easy or did it take time to form?
We actually wrote it during the last winter lockdown around January 2021. Dylan put a voice note of some chords and lyrics into our chat and we were instantly hooked. We took the track to GarageBand and all developed it individually from there really, it didn't take too long to develop it to a good level, we didn't have much else to do.
What was it like to work with Neil D. Kennedy on this song?
Neil has been an absolute pleasure to work with. We recorded this song earlier in the year in March, along with 'Big Part' and two other unreleased tracks. When recording we always have distinct sounds or effects in our minds which Neil just nails straight away with little input from us, it amazes us every time. I guess we have a great understanding of each other! He is really talented and also just a great guy. Big up Neil!
I feel like this song would sound great in a live setting, do you have plans for any live shows anytime soon?
We're playing in Preston at The Ferret 29th October, and then two Manchester gigs at Night & Day Cafe 12th November and Night People 10th December.
What’s next for The Silver Bars?
We're not really sure, we just want to keep writing songs and playing gigs - hopefully gaining more fans along the way!
And lastly, what music have you been listening to recently? Anything you can to recommend us?
We've all taken to Squid recently, their live performances and composition of songs are definitely noteworthy. I'd also say Baxter Dury and the new(ish) releases from Django Django & The Lathums.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions for us, it's really appreciated!
You can listen to 'The Morning' now, linked below. This band is definitely one to keep your eye out for over the next few years, so make sure you keep up to date on their social media pages too.
Thanks for reading, until next time...
Listen to 'The Morning' on Spotify here.
Follow The Silver Bars on Spotify here.
Follow The Silver Bars on Instagram here.
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