Things matter for Lonely The Brave at Southsea Fest

Lonely The Brave may have only recently released their second album Things Will Matter, but the alt-rockers are already back in the studio.
Lonely The Brave. Picture: Daniel Ackerley.Lonely The Brave. Picture: Daniel Ackerley.
Lonely The Brave. Picture: Daniel Ackerley.

As guitarist Mark Trotter tells WOW247: ‘We don’t ever stop - we need to keep busy.

‘We don’t really like stockpiling songs. To me, songs are of a time and a place, so it’s a bit weird to hold on to them until years later. If they’re there and ready to go, within reason, we like to get them out.’

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Although it’s unlikely any new songs will get aired when they play at the Wedgewood Rooms during next Saturday’s Southsea Fest, the band are looking forward to returning to town. They last played the venue during the campaign for their debut, The Day’s War.

‘It’s a wicked venue that is – we had a great time there.’

Putting Things together, the five-piece didn’t let the pressure of follow a successful debut album get to them, though.

‘I think we were in a bit of a different situation to most bands, as we’d written that first record before any labels were even involved, which probably meant we had more time between the first and second record.

‘That could be a blessing and a curse for a band like us and the way we work. One, we work well under pressure and two, we are our own worst critics - we probably scrapped about 40 songs on the way to what this record is.

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‘It is a different record, we had an interesting 18 months leading up to it being recorded – loads of stuff in our personal lives and the band and the music business can be “interesting” at the best of times. We’re massively different people now – the band is a five-piece now for starters, and the first album was a four piece.

‘So, yeah, big changes, the record certainly has picked up on some of that vibe. And that’s the idea – making the same record twice scares the hell out of me. You have to keep evolving, or why bother?’

And it seems to have paid off – the album got great reviews. Not that Mark reads them.

‘I try my best to not see or read any of it. From my point of view, you can only do what you do and write what you write

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‘It’s great getting good press, and constructive criticism, but a record is a snapshot in time for me – I haven’t listened to our records since we made them.

‘I don’t need to, that chapter is done, and,’ he laughs, ‘I think it’s a bit weird to sit and listen to your own band anyway.’

Southsea Fest, The Wedgewood Rooms

Saturday, October, 1