It’s been one hell of a 2014 for Lonely The Brave. The quintet signed a worldwide deal with Columbia which saw them push back the release of their eagerly anticipated debut full-length The Day’s War, they’ve ticked off almost every major festival in the UK this summer and they’ve shared the stage with none other than Deftones. We caught up with bassist Andrew Bushen to discuss the new record, what birthed their unique sound and more.
First off, a huge congratulations for signing your worldwide deal with Columbia earlier this year.
Thank you very much!
Why did you choose to go with them as a label?
They just seemed to be so, so into what we were doing, you know? That makes a big difference. They’re very aware of what we have been doing and they’re really into our music so that did play a big part of it. Also the label has a lot of history to it, a lot of our favourite bands have been on that label so there’s lots of reasons really! We’re just really chuffed to be involved with them.
Although you’ve had to delay the record by a couple of months are you certain that it’s going to be worth the wait?
Oh yeah. I mean we think it was the right decision, it wasn’t an easy one but they have a plan for us internationally, so you can’t really turn your nose up at that. It hopefully means that we’ll be getting the record out to a lot more places than we would have done so yes I think it will be worth it.
We’re really excited for it! So how would you describe the album in terms of its sound and themes?
Well, we spent a lot of time working on the songs before the album was recorded. We had a vision for it and it’s turned out pretty much how we’d hoped it would. We spent a lot of time on the atmospherics and getting all of the individual components right so yeah, we’re really pleased with it.
You’ve had a great year so far with some huge support slots and festival appearances, how do you think the rest of 2014 can top the past few months?
Well we have some amazing things in the pipeline, but we have the release coming up now with it being the tail end of festival season and hopefully lots more touring to come after that. It’s going to be a busy time for us! All very exciting though.
Are there any particular performances that stand out as a highlight in your career?
Well the first time we played Download was because it was our first major festival, so that really stands out. Supporting Deftones in Paris was a massive one and getting to meet those guys. The whole experience of it, travelling abroad. Again that was another first for us, so there have been a lot of cool “first” moments for us over the past few months. It’s hard to pick one but those two are definitely up there.
Let’s go back to your sound because it’s certainly distinguishable. When you first started out as a band, what influenced you to come up with the songs and produce the genre of music that you play?
That’s a tricky one because there wasn’t much planning behind it really. It was basically a combination of individual components coming together, trying to find a sound that we all liked. We were just jamming and I guess it was luck to a degree, being in the right place at the right time.
So it all came together very naturally then?
Oh yeah.
You’ve also had a tonne of support from the UK press, as well as Hassle Records; what advice would you give to other bands who are looking to follow in your footsteps?
I think the main thing is just to do your own thing. Get your music out there, stick to what you believe in. It took us a long time to get people to believe in us but it’ll come if you put the work in. Just stick to your guns.
As you’re called Lonely The Brave, what would say is the bravest thing that the band has had to do?
Wow. Well actually putting the album back felt pretty brave, like I say it was a tough decision. But I think just putting yourself out there, as the stages get bigger the nerves get more intense. It’s the best feeling in the world but you’ve just got to get yourselves out there and that’s the main thing for us really.
Finally, where would you like to be in twelve months time and who would you love to tour with?
Well we’ve all got different influences and I think sometimes the bands that you immediately love the most aren’t necessarily going to be the best people to tour with. I’d turn into a total fanboy. Playing with Deftones was amazing, it would be great to go on tour with those guys but we’re all into The National, that would be a big one for us. Pearl Jam too, but I think we’re just very happy to play on any tour that we get asked to be on. As long as we’re out there playing that keeps us happy!
Interview by: Hannah Gillicker