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Interview: Meadowlark at The Talking Heads

Interview: Meadowlark at The Talking Heads

The summer festival season is great don’t get me wrong, but there is something I love about live music in the Autumn and Winter months. As the evenings are getting darker and colder, it feels good to retreat indoors to enjoy your favourite bands. For those of you who are free this Thursday evening then I would encourage you to make your way to The Talking Heads to see Meadowlark.

The Bristol-based duo consists of Dan Broadley on guitars and production, and Kate McGill providing vocals and keys. Their sound isn’t quite alternative and isn’t quite folk either, some in the press have described them as alt-pop, I’m not quite sure what that means exactly but I believe that fans of Lucy Rose and Ben Howard are going to enjoy what the duo have to offer.

Thursday’s show is likely to heavily feature tracks taken from their debut album, Postcards, which was released back in the summer. The album brings together EP tracks and brand new material written by Dan and Kate. I was fortunate enough to have a bit of time to catch up with Dan and find out about what inspired him to get into music, what he’s been listening to recently and how their UK tour has been going so far.

Could you tell me about how you initially got involved with music and who influenced you most?
For me, it was after I first heard Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’ up until that point I loved listening to music but never had an urge to make my own. It’s crazy what one song can do to you, I remember weeks later getting my first guitar and from then on I could not stop writing music.

For those who are new to Meadowlark’s music which three tracks would you encourage them to check out first and why?
I would start with ‘Eyes Wide,’ that song basically encompasses all our musical inspirations and production styles under one umbrella. Then I would move on to ‘Headlights,’ we really challenged ourselves to write a pop banger and this is the result. Then, to top it all off I would sink into ‘Postcards,’ a song that is probably both myself and Kate’s favourite for reasons we are still trying to figure out.

Can you describe how you felt whilst after you’d released your first single?
Excited. We spend so long crafting our songs together, it’s very insular, we rarely write with anyone else, so it always feels amazing to release music that we’ve kept so close to our chests.

If I were to turn on your iPod right now, what four artists/songs would I see on your recently played list and what is it about those artists that appeal to you?
Polyenso ‘Let It Go‘ – This is permanently on our playlists, it’s probably our favourite song collectively, we always listen to it whilst on tour. Martin Luke Brown‘s ‘Into Yellow‘ There’s something dangerously addictive about Martin’s music and this song is no exception. Rae Morris’ ‘Do It‘ is an absolute pop blinder. Not to forget The National and ‘Guilty Party.’ Since their album dropped I have kept returning to this song time and time again, it’s perfect music to think too whilst on long journeys up and down the country.

Can you describe how you felt whilst after you’d released your first single?
Excited. We spend so long crafting our songs together, it’s very insular, we rarely write with anyone else, so it always feels amazing to release music that we’ve kept so close to our chests.

If I were to turn on your iPod right now, what four artists/songs would I see on your recently played list and what is it about those artists that appeal to you?
Polyenso ‘Let It Go‘ – This is permanently on our playlists, it’s probably our favourite song collectively, we always listen to it whilst on tour. Martin Luke Brown‘s ‘Into Yellow‘ There’s something dangerously addictive about Martin’s music and this song is no exception. Rae Morris’ ‘Do It‘ is an absolute pop blinder. Not to forget The National and ‘Guilty Party.’ Since their album dropped I have kept returning to this song time and time again, it’s perfect music to think too whilst on long journeys up and down the country.

We spend so long crafting our songs together, it’s very insular, we rarely write with anyone else, so it always feels amazing to release music that we’ve kept so close to our chests.

What can those fortunate enough to have tickets to your UK tour this week expect from your live show?
We have just built own custom light show using filament light bulbs that all react independently to our songs, it was mesmerising to make so I can only imagine what it’s like to see it from out the front each night. Aside from that people can expect to hear the entirety of our album and a few surprises thrown in for good measure.

You’ve reached the halfway point on your tour. How has it been for you so far?
It’s been so humbling to see people coming out to these intimate shows. You really get to see how your music is connecting with people when you tour. The online world can be so fickle, but these shows have allowed us to meet our listeners face to face, play for them and understand what it is they love about Meadowlark.

What does the rest of 2017 have in store for you?
After this tour we have one big London show on December the 1st and we will be pulling out all the stops for that one, then it’s into hibernation to write some new music.

If you would like to be there on Thursday night then you can pick up tickets from the venue directly or on the band’s website which can be found below. Of course you can get hold of their music on iTunes and Spotify.

Website: www.meadowlarkofficial.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/meadowlarkofficial
Twitter: www.twitter.com/meadowlarkHQ
Instagram: www.instagram.com/meadowlarkofficial
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/meadowlarkofficial


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