Music Monday - A Lovely War

A Lovely War

A Lovely War
From left to right - Patrick Hughes and Sean Keogh


Patrick and I first met when we were three and spent most of our teenage years playing in bands together. University beckoned though and we both pursued different musical and creative projects separately. In the summer, Patrick moved back to our home town of Liverpool and I'd been back living here for a couple of years so it felt natural that now we were both in the same place again we should start making music together again. The three tracks on our EP, Ezra were recorded a few months ago and the final track, Maxine, We're Alive!, was played on BBC Radio 6Music.

Sadly Patrick was snowed under with work, but I managed to catch up with Sean and ask him a few questions!

 

Ten questions with A Lovely War

 

 

1 - You have a wonderfully unique and sometimes quirky sound, does this make the process of creating a song difficult for you, or is it just a natural part of your song writing process?

S.K: I'd say it comes pretty naturally to me in terms of songwriting. If anything, sometimes I have to rein myself in a bit because I always end up with songs that have loads of key changes. I'm always trying to avoid clichés or doing something that's too obviously influenced by something else.

 

2 - Are there any bands or songs that you feel you have gotten a lot of inspiration from in your sound and song writing?

S.K: When we recorded the EP it was the day after we'd come back from Latitude Festival and while we were there we'd particularly enjoyed seeing CHVRCHES, Beach House and Grizzly Bear so I think they had some influence on the sound we came up with. Generally, artists like Kate Bush, David Bowie, The Beatles and Antony and the Johnsons have always really inspired me. When I write a song though, I try not to think too much about other types of music and just see what happens although, of course, you can never really avoid your influences and, having said that, Maxine, We're Alive! was slightly influenced by Road To Nowhere by Talking Heads.

 

 

3 - Your track ‘Maxine, we’re alive!’ was played on BBC6 music and the presenter Tom Robinson had a lot of great things to say about it, how did that make you feel?

 

 

S.K: That was really cool. It was great to read what he said about the track because he definitely knows his stuff and I felt really happy that he totally got what we were trying to do with it in terms of the arrangement and production.

 

 

4 - Your EP, Ezra, was produced by Thomas McConnell, how did that come about?

 

 

S.K: Tom's one of my best friends. I've played keyboards in his backing band quite a few times and he's always been really supportive of my music so he just offered to help out. He's a great person to collaborate with because he's such a capable musician, he really lives and breathes music, and I think he and I work really well together.

 

 

5 - Speaking of Thomas, there are a lot of up and coming acts which are really starting to bring the Liverpool music scene back to life again, do most of you guys get along or is there a real competitive edge to make it?

 

 

S.K: Everyone is really supportive of each other I think which is great because it does make the scene feel like a community. I think that's really typical of Liverpool as a city, people look out for each other.

 

 

6 - Who do you think have been the most help in getting your music out there and listened to?

S.K: A number of people really. Everyone who's written about us or shared our Soundcloud has been a massive help. 

 

7- What has been the most interesting part of your musical journey so far, and why?

S.K: Patrick and I were always in bands together during school but then we both went and did different things when we went to uni, so it's been really interesting reconnecting with him, musically speaking (we've always stayed best friends) and seeing how we sound now all these years later, doing something different.

8 - If you could perform with any other act, living or dead, who would it be and why?

 

 

S.K: David Bowie. That would be amazing!

 

 

9 - What would be a necessity for you on your dream tour bus?

 

 

S.K: Dawson's Creek DVDs, a ton of Creme Eggs and a comfy bed. And lots of Guinness.

 

 

10 - Your EP, Ezra, is available now, what is next for the band?

 

 

S.K: We're about to record another little batch of songs that hopefully everyone will like and then we really need to get out there and do some gigs!

 

 

The Liverpool music scene has provided us with more than a few memorable acts over the years, and things are certainly looking good for the current crop of up and coming talent. A Lovely War fit perfectly into the variety of sounds coming from this vibrant City and whilst reminding me of a more stripped back ‘Wombats’, they are definitely forging a path for themselves with their own unique sound.

 

 

 

 

 Links for A Lovely War

 

Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/alovelywar

Soundcloud-  https://soundcloud.com/alovelywar (where people can hear and download for free our EP, Ezra)

Twitter -  https://twitter.com/alovelywar