Nottingham five-piece The Memoirs are gearing up to unveil their epic, guitar-fuelled slice of alt.rock to a wider audience through the release of debut single Means To an End.
Means To an End is a call to arms to take control of your own life and to change it for the better, flying in the face of a monotonous daily work life, anti-climactic weekends and the disappointment of fair-weather friends.
Consisting of Ned Jones (vocals), Seb Doyle (guitar), Alex Perry (guitar), Jamie Irving (bass) and James Lyons (drums), The Memoirs first met at Nottingham University and subsequently dropped out to form the band. They have since wowed crowds at a packed out show at Dot to Dot Festival, Nottingham.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Seb and Ned of The Memoirs about the new project, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
Seb – The Music. The lifestyle. Witnessing bands such as The Strokes, The Killers, Kings of Leon erupt when I was younger instantly made me want to become a musician. It also kickstarted my love for leather jackets and chelsea boots…
Ned – I listened to a a really broad range of genres growing up, but always felt that loud, no frills rock music spoke to me the most. Something about the attitude and room for imperfection helps me express my emotions honestly.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
Seb – I’ve been in bands and played guitar from a young age so I’ve always been keen on taking this further. Playing shows worldwide and dreaming big is what drives me. I feel like there couldn’t be a better feeling than standing on Glastonbury’s pyramid stage in front of 100,000 people singing your songs back to you…
Ned – The band met at university, and it immediately felt right. We all knew that we couldn’t pursue anything other than music when we started playing live shows and writing tracks we were proud of.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
Seb – Our creativity has been influenced by an amalgamation of genres. I used to want to be like the man in black, Johnny Cash, ever since I was 14. I still love his music but i’ve swayed towards rockier music over time, such as The Strokes & Queens of the Stone Age.
Ned – I’m somewhat guilty of Idol worship. Jeff Buckley and Jim Morrisson in particular have a certain mystique that inspires me to improve my craft. I don’t think there’s any sense in trying to emulate people who inspire you, but they will always drive me nonetheless. I’ve always had an eclectic taste, but find myself listening to quite a lot of UK grime as of late.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Seb – Not necessarily. I’ve been in bands from a young age, always trying to put too much focus on who you want to be like. Its not natural and I’ve found that its easier to be yourself and not try to be something that you aren’t!
Ned – We just wanted to put something out there, having done a lot of writing over the last couple years. The Means To An End EP is really a snapshot of our lives at the time we wrote those tracks – finding our feet as young adults living independently, trying to pursue the thing we love.
What was the last song you listened to?
Seb – Funnily enough, “Sweet Dreams, TN” by The Last Shadow Puppets
Ned – ‘Monday’ by Matt Corby. He’s an incredible artist and in my eyes is one of the best vocalists making music today. ‘Monday’ is such a beautiful stripped back track, really emotional.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Seb – Vinyl. Hands down.
Ned – It’s got to be Vinyl, right? There’s something about the format that feels like the full experience.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Seb – Spotify. It’s a great streaming platform and it’s unbelievably popular. They have given new bands huge opportunities with their “fresh finds” playlists and I feel that’s the push up and coming artists need.
Ned – I actually use reddit a lot to find new music. There’s a subreddit called /r/listentothis where users post new, mostly unheard of artists. I don’t necessarily enjoy everything that’s suggested, but it’s an interesting platform and has a lot of community discussion, where even more underground music is recommend. For normal listening though, it has to be spotify, the playlists make finding new stuff effortless
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
Seb – A challenge nowadays is getting fans through social media without having to engage in paid ads, as Facebook doesn’t allow you to access your whole fanbase without paying for promotion.
Ned – The whole social media machine can be a bit disheartening at times, it feels like you have to spend as much time thinking about social media content as you do the music, and it’s become such a powerful way of promoting yourself that you’re obliged to be part of it.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
Seb – Facebook.com/bandmemoirs and Spotify.
Ned – Our facebook page is probably the best place (facebook.com/bandmemoirs) – that’s where we make announcements and post our music. You can find us on all major platforms though, and our instagram is more of a candid look at the band, if that’s your thing.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Seb – Ha!. Lookout for us on Glastonbury mainstage 2019!!
Ned – Do yourselves a favour and add means to an end to your playlists now, so you can tell everyone you knew about us before we became a household name.
