Russell HughesBellevue Days haven’t been on the scene long, but their unique sound has already brought them fans in the form of Rock Sound and Hit The Floor.
With a second EP recorded and plenty in the tank for an album, RUSHONROCK‘s Russell Hughes had a few questions for guitarist/vocalist Daniel Lukes.
RUSHONROCK: I know the EP hasn’t been released yet, but have you been able to gauge a tentative reaction to it?
Daniel Lukes: Yeah, so far it’s looking pretty good. We released our single Capability, Capacity a few weeks ago and we’ve been blown away by the reception. Personally I think there are even stronger tracks on the E.P. so I can’t wait to hear what people think.
RUSHONROCK: How much does it help having a major publication like Rock Sound stream your music before the release day?
DL: It’s always a plus having a publication like Rock Sound on board. We just want as many people to hear our music as possible so it helps a great deal.
RUSHONROCK: I would describe your sound as fairly unique on the rock scene, and certainly on a national level – how do you get into having a sound like that?
DL: I’m not too sure really, we’ve all got our own influences. We write our songs in quite a democratic way so all four of us manage to get our differing personalities into the music. That certainly helps give it a unique flavour. There’s also quite a limited music scene in our local area and most of us are mates so we’re all slightly in our own little bubble bouncing ideas around that maybe you don’t see so much on a national level.
RUSHONROCK: Is there going to be a tour following the EP, and when does the process of writing an album start?
DL: We haven’t got a tour lined up just yet but things are bubbling away under the surface. We’ve actually already recorded EP2, which we think is twice as good as the first one, so I’m really excited for that. As for an album, we’ve got a lot of tracks that we haven’t recorded yet because we feel they’d be better suited to an album, so it’s definitely something we’ve got in the back of our minds for the future.
RUSHONROCK: You’ve recorded this record independently of a record label. Has that helped you keep the creative process as organic as possible?
DL: Yeah, I think it’s important because we were really experimenting and trying to find our sound with the first record. We try to write as openly as possible and only think about what sort of music we ourselves would like to listen to. To have any third parties involved would’ve really altered things.
RUSHONROCK: What would you say your biggest musical influences were on the recording of this EP?
DL: Brand New, The Xcerts and Manchester Orchestra were all in our heads when we were writing these tracks. We’ve been compared to a lot of bands we’ve never heard of which is good in a way but it’s nice to see when people pick up on these influences. It’s quite an honour for us.
RUSHONROCK: With festival season well underway, which festival would you most like to play at and why?
DL: All of them? Every last one. We just want to connect with as many people as possible.
RUSHONROCK: Do you think they are a great chance for bands just starting out, like yourselves, to grow and gain an audience – or do the big boys just get all the glory?
DL: Festivals? Yeah of course, most people go to festivals with an open mind and they really are a place to discover new and awesome music. Of course the big boys and girls get lots of attention but that’s just something for the rest of us to aspire to. One of these days…