If nothing else, the extensive amount of free time lock down has given me has allowed me to discover some of the best new bands that are about to break through to the mainstream. Watching a live video from Jimmy’s (a bar in Liverpool’s) Instagram page, I uncovered four-piece indie pop/rock quartet Luna Bay. Their unforgettable riffs and anthemic choruses have already earned them plays on national radio stations, support slots from the likes of Declan Mckenna and the Academic as well their own headline tours, with some venues having over 800 capacity – an impressive feat from a band who haven’t even released an album yet!
The band certainly deserve the unbridled success they have received since the release of their debut single Colours, and most recently, a self-titled EP. If I fell in love with their sound after one live stream, the attention they received can only be surprising to the composers of the nine tracks they have released so far: frontman Connor O’Mara , lead guitarist Rye Milligan, bassist Sammy Penniston and drummer Alex Ross. Their latest track, Misunderstood, is set to be released on the 29th May.
Another lock down benefit is the time I have to message these bands in the hope of learning more about what the future of music will entail. To my luck, Connor replied immediately, allowing me (would-be-GCSE-Student, only-100-followers-on-Instagram blogger) to interview him, showing the kindness, generosity and willingness to take every opportunity that has and will take them far as a band.
Interview
1. You all met at the BIMM (British and Irish Modern Music Institute), so when did you know you wanted to study music and when did you start playing music?
"All four of us grew up from a young age playing different instruments, and were all on different courses at BIMM apart from me and Alex. We were both on the Drum performance degree and were pretty set on the idea of being session musicians before we started the band!"
2. Before that, what had been your experiences with music? What music surrounded you as a child?
"We all definitely have different music tastes and upbringings. Growing up, I was in different bands as a drummer that were mainly rock and metal influenced, and that slowly progressed towards more indie rock as I reached my late teens."
3. What clicked between you that made you want to be friends and then want to form a band together?
"Alex and I got on really well from the first day we met at BIMM and talked about starting a band quite early on. Then we met Sammy and Rye at a couple of house parties and we all became friends really quickly. It all just seemed to fall in to place after that."
4. Your first gig sticks with you forever. What was the first gig or festival you went to and what do you remember about it? How much does that artist inspire your writing or your live show?
"My first gig was Kings of Leon at the O2. I went with my family and best friend, and the band had released Only By The Night the year before. The gig was totally crazy and everyone was loving it, to this day they have had a huge influence on me when writing songs."
5. You’ve managed to go so far without even an EP and now an album? How did that feel and what is your secret?!
"When we started the band we didn't really know what to expect when we put out our first couple of songs. After seeing them start to get Radio 1 play and plays on Spotify it was crazy all these people were out there listening around the world. We released our debut EP last November which was a long time coming and felt great to finally get it out there. It’s all about trying to be consistent and writing songs people can connect with!"
6. Your live shows are pretty legendary according to what I’ve seen online. As well as writing some insane choruses, what do you think makes a great gig?
"Playing live is one of the best things about being in a band, being able to connect to the people in front of you and putting on a great show makes everything we do worthwhile. If the audience are watching a band give everything they've got, they'll give the same energy back and when that happens, the whole room takes off."
7. If you could make a band out of any artist in musical history, who would you choose and why?
"This a tough one! For me it'd be Hayley Williams on Vocals, John Bonham on Drums, Jared Followill on Bass, John Mayer and Keith Richards on Guitar."
8. You are releasing, a new song, Misunderstood on the 29th May. How did it come about and in what ways it is different or similar to your debut EP?
"I went to Rye's place one day and he showed me the idea for Misunderstood and I loved it straight away. It's quite a laid back groovy song, which is pretty different to the tracks on the EP. Due to the lockdown period, we ended up recording it all in Ryes bedroom and then got our friend Dan Weller to mix the track, who did an incredible job with it!"
9. When are you planning to release your debut album. Is the latest song going to be on it?
"We get asked a lot if or when we are going to release an album, it definitely will happen, however it will be more into the future. I'd love for Misunderstood to make it on to the album!"
10. Is writing easier now you have a lot of time on your hands on harder without the whole band being together?
"It's a mix of both I think, lock down has given us the time to hide ourselves away and work on lots of cool new ideas, but at the same time it's been hard not being able to meet up with the band work on them as a group. However, FaceTimes and zoom meetings are always helpful when you're writing a song!"
11. In what other ways has Coronavirus affected the future of your band?
"The lock down and closing of venues I think has really hit a lot of bands hard, we had studio time to record our new tracks which was inevitably pulled due to the epidemic. So many artists have had to cancel and reschedule tours, and the booking agents and promoters have suffered a lot too. After we headlined Scala last year, our plan was to jump back in and start looking where to tour next and now it's all been brought to a halt. It's going to take bit of time for artists to pick themselves up and start again when this is over, but we will definitely be right back to gigging and releasing more music."
12. How do you think most people discover your music and what can fans do to help your band grow?
"There are lots of different ways people have discovered us I think, whether it's been supporting slots at gigs and on tours which we have been lucky enough to do such as Nothing But Thieves, Declan McKenna, The Aces and The Academic. Spotify has been such a huge help to us as well. We've been lucky enough to be featured in playlists like New Music Friday and various Indie and Rock ones too. I think the best way to a bands growth is word of mouth, people showing their friends and family and coming down to shows to support the artist to then see the songs live which can add a whole new perspective to them!"
13. I discovered your band on a livestream and I wanted to know, are you going to be doing any more live videos during lock down?
"I remember seeing your comment on the Jimmy’s live stream! We really enjoyed that and are looking forward to doing more. We have one set for the 16th of May for Sucker Quarantine Festival and on the 30th of May for Virtual Underpass Festival!"
If you’re intrigued make sure to check out their music and watch their virtual festivals! I certainly can’t wait to see what the future of Luna Bay holds…
'Misunderstood' will be released to all streaming platforms on May 29th