INTERVIEW: Shields — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

PHOTO CREDIT: Rhiannon Banks Photography

Shields

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THANKS to Shields…

for chatting with me about their new E.P., Etemenanki, and what inspired it; if they have a favourite cut from the collection and what their plans are regarding next year – I ask if there are tour dates and we can see them on the road anytime soon.

The guys talk about their musical influences and albums that are important; which rising acts we need to get behind and whether they have special memories from their careers so far – they end the interview by each selecting a track.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Really, really good, thanks! We had our E.P. launch and it was absolutely class! Amazing crowd, sell-out gig. So, yeah, pretty good!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

We are Shields. There are five us in the band (Luke, Rich; Dave, Tom and John).

How did Shields form? When did the magic start?

Shields came together in 2012. The band really started as a three-piece. We went to Blank Studios in Newcastle to record some demos which is where we met John - he was the engineer. John’s creative input as producer became so integral that we asked him to join the band. It then got to the point that the music we were recording required an extra member in order to perform it live. I (Luke) was in another band at the time with Dave so asked him if he’d like to join Shields. We quickly found we could all write and produce together and it went from there.

Etemenanki is your new E.P. What sort of ideas and stories inspired the music? Do you each have a favourite song?

I (Rich) usually write musical ideas before coming up with an idea or story to accompany it. That allows me to draw inspiration from the feeling I get when listening to the idea. Babel, for example, sounded exotic and had a carnival feel to it. The story of the Tower of Babel seemed to fit really well with that feeling but it also provided a lot of inspiration, lyrically. That’s one of my favourite songs on the E.P.

What sort of music/styles is the band inspired by? Are you all bonded by similar tastes?

We really are inspired by all kinds of music, which I think shows in our set. It’s a bit all over the place but, hopefully, in a good way. There are certain bands which we all love such as Radiohead.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

Having just released our first music in a couple of years, we are super-keen not to leave it so long this time. We are heading into the studio in November and plan to get another batch of music recorded before the end of the year. We also have a few gigs lined up. Check the website for details.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Assuming the rest of this year goes to plan then we’ll be releasing new music in early-2019. We’d love to get out to play some festivals throughout the year and maybe head over to Europe again if the opportunity presents itself.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

For me (Luke), it has to be Glastonbury. I’d never been before and I always said to myself that I’d wait until I could go as an artist. It was totally worth the wait! A close second is Melt Festival in Germany, but there are so many brilliant memories.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rhiannon Banks Photography

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Luke: Sound of Silver By LCD Soundsystem is one that I will always come back to. I remember hearing in a record shop in Newcastle and I fell in love with it straight away. It was massively refreshing to me. It became the sound track of my uni days

Tom: De-Loused in The Comatorium by The Mars Volta. John Theodore shows that it is possible to have energy, virtuosity and musicality in equal measure in the drums and inspired me to approach my performances and creative processes in the same way. The songwriting and arrangements are incredible and left me listening on repeat for over six months. Even now, when I need a reminder of how exciting an album can be, I go back to it.

Rich: That’s a really hard question! I can’t pick one album that means the most to me but I’ll never forget the profound effect Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors had on me. I remember Luke gave me a C.D. of it and I was just blown away with how inventive the composition and instrumentation was. Everything from the drums to the guitar work…but especially the vocals.

Dave: Radiohead - Kid A: I first heard snippets of Kid A while being an insomniac listener to a late-night MTV2 programme called 120 Minutes while at college. The album was a perfect soundtrack to that state of mind and it felt time to progress from the boring sounds and albums Oasis were releasing. I'd never heard songs or an album approached like this before; that have purposefully inaudible lyrics, guitars that sounded nothing like guitars and had no singles from it...yet, it was their number-one in America. The opening lyric of the album also gave the band Everything Everything their name and have obviously been a huge influence on those guys as well.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

That’s too hard to choose! Either Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem or Arcade Fire. I know you said choose one but I can’t. If you’d asked me a few years ago it would have been Bowie, without a doubt.

We’re pretty easy to please when it comes to riders. We are happy with some nice booze, humus and carrot sticks.

Given the band’s name; if you could design your own shield, what would it be made of?

Are we allowed fictional materials? If so, then that stuff that Captain America’s shield is made of. It would be one of those tall ones that covers you head to foot and it could double up as a sledge.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

To stick to your guns, creatively. Don’t try to second-guess what you think other people are looking for in your music. As cliché as it is; be yourself.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

The next gig is at The Finsbury in London on 17th November.

IN THIS PHOTO: Callum Pitt/PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Stark

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Defiantly check out Callum Pitt, Grace Gillespie; Fever Days, The Pale White; Martha Hill, The Old Pink House and Penguin.

PHOTO CREDIT: Grace Gillespie/PHOTO CREDIT: Poppy Marriott

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

We don’t really stop. We’re doing something music-related most days, whether it’s recording, mixing; writing or working with other artists. It’s pretty addictive. I have made time for Daredevil on Netflix over the past few days though.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

What’s Your Problem? – FEVER DAYS