Reality Boots, a band made up of young Newcastle-based musicians, are set to release their new album so Lee Allcock caught up with the outfit to speak about their ingenious idea for the launch, opening up about poverty, and working with the team at Blank Studios in Newcastle.
You’re not releasing your album the old-fashioned way simply just by hosting a gig, are you?…
No, we aren’t. Many of us are multimedia artists so like Martin McAloon from Prefab Sprout who is also a visual artist (he’s opening our exhibition/launch), some of us are passionate about telling our stories through music and also through photography and film and we want to showcase that.
What artists inspired you whilst writing the new album? I can certainly hear neo-punk, ska and funk aspects…
We didn’t have any specific artist who inspired us but we did bring our own influences whilst writing songs. We all have very different music tastes and we jammed until we came up with the right feel. We worked collaboratively: some ideas for lyrics were brought in by some of the singers, another member of the band wrote lyrics and chords to a few of the songs on the album – in particular, ‘Evolve’ and ‘Sonder’ – whilst others worked together to produce lyrics collaboratively.
The album also speaks about growing up with poverty, uncertainty and feelings of being overwhelmed. It must have been difficult to open up…
It can be but we all share a studio with Skimstone Arts and it’s an environment of trust and safety and there is always someone to turn to if you need to talk. Because we’re all artists, we turn those hard times into art: be it music, photography or film.
What was the recording process like? Just you mentioned that it was a bit different than what you’re normally used to…
The recording process was interesting because it was quite informal. There was a very relaxed atmosphere; it was almost like being at home as it was a lovely atmosphere. Blank Studios were very accommodating and welcoming as this, for many of us, was our first time in a recording studio but the whole experience overall was very positive.
Did Chris McManus of Blank Studios in Newcastle give you any advice? Were there any issues that you overcame together?
Chris was very welcoming, calm and laid back. He was very supportive and he made sure we were happy with the work we had produced. When things didn’t go to plan, he supported us and made us feel very comfortable. If we ever record again then we would like to go back to Blank Studios.
Reality Boots release their album, ‘Evolve’, at Star and Shadow Cinema in Newcastle on Saturday 11th May with an exhibition entitled Void working in partnership with the launch. Tickets, priced at £3.00, are available at skimstone.org.uk.
