We are joined by Leeds, United Kingdom based four piece outfit, The Banquets as the talk with us all about the creation of their latest single, ‘The Beautiful’.
Uniquely fusing the sounds of country, indie and rock, the band, consisting of Gem (Lead Vocals), Leon Russell-Hills (Guitar), Sir Francis Watson (Drums, Percussion), and Tom Wallace a.k.a. Tomasz Walesa (Bass), began their journey together in 2019.
As The Banquets have been building momentum, they have supported the likes of South (formerly The Beautiful South) and Toyah Wilcox and played a set at The Great British Folk Festival.
“Like most British music, it reflects back that sound and rubs in some northern British magic.” The Banquets
The latest single release from The Banquets, ‘The Beautiful’, is a deeply intimate and moving track that immerses the listener into a raw and emotional story combined with lead singer, Gem’s autobiographical story of his ongoing battle with depression and a line from an Emily Dickinson poem, ‘Our summer made her light escape into the beautiful’.
The melancholic track brings a dark, yet laid back feel that features the band’s experimentation with the sounds of string arrangements and new production techniques. The soundscape is created with organic and traditional instrumentation that makes you almost feel like you are watching The Banquets playing in front of you and drawing you in.
If you love British rock with a twist of something unique and fresh, this is absolutely one not to miss.
You can listen to ‘The Beautiful’ below:
Would you like to start by telling us a little about how you came together?
We came together in 2018 when me (Gem) and Leon first met Fran.
We’d been writing songs together and had a fair bit of material to work with, so we formed as an acoustic trio, and everything lifted from there.
We met Tom last year, and everything has started moving pretty swiftly since then.
How would you describe the feel of your music?
I always describe it as rock/pop with an essence of country.
You have recently released your single, ‘The Beautiful’.. what was the inspiration behind the creation of this single?
Lyrically, I was inspired by a poem written by American poet Emily Dickinson, called ‘As Imperceptibly as Grief.’
The poem really resonated with me as it explores the idea that there is actually something quite beautiful and comforting in grief and sadness.
It sounds ironic really, but as somebody who’s suffered with depression for 15 years, I really understood what she meant.
You kind of become attached to your state of melancholy, and when you’re not feeling that way (as depression often comes in waves), it can feel quite alien.
She says at the end of the poem, ‘Our summer made her light escape into the beautiful’, as though grief/depression was her summer, something beautiful to her.
What does ‘The Beautiful’ mean to you?
To me, ‘The Beautiful’ is a metaphor which helps to interpret the irony of depression.
Whilst it might separate you from the outside world, it also takes you into an inside world which has its own unconventional sort of beauty.
Gem tells a raw and vulnerable story of depression through this song.. what would you say to anyone that may be struggling with depression as their reading this?
It’s tough.
Depression is tough.
And the more I speak about it, the more I find people who suffer from it.
To anyone that may be struggling, I’d say the most important thing is to not feel like you have to keep it hidden.
For me, it used to always be something I felt so ashamed of. But, the only way to overcome depression is to open up about it.
Or, from the wise words of Leon – Micro-dosing on magic mushrooms is said to work wonders!
What did the creative process look like for ‘The Beautiful’?
Actually, having asked Leon just now, he can’t remember writing it.
He remembers me singing the hook and really loving it, but unfortunately, that’s all you’re going to get from him.
I remember writing it one day in an attic recording studio when we recorded our very first EP.
There was a lot of waiting around that weekend, so it was a good day for song writing.
And as with a lot of our songs, Leon writes the music on the guitar, I write the lyrics, and then we bring them together.
Where do you find your inspiration for your music?
Leon – In everything.
How has Covid-19 impacted your release?
I wouldn’t say it has really.
It’s impacted the live part of our band, and with us being so fledgling, that’s really important.
What would you like to see happen for you in your music from here?
I mean, we’d love to get to a stage where we’re doing this full time.
But for now, we love how things are going.
What is one message you would like to share with your fans?
Please keep on supporting live music!
Live music is where it’s at.
Where can people find your music?
Everywhere.
YouTube, Spotify, Applemusic, etc.
Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.