Theses guys are from East Kilbride in Scotland and have recently been a sensational support act for The Kooks. Members of the band include Gary Watson, Leon Green, Jack Anderson, Christopher Ballantyne and Jamie Holmes, with four out of five members being teens.
The band was formed sometime during 2012, with frontman Gary Watson being the first member. Having writing songs throughout his teenage years, creating a band was something he was determined to achieve. The band was formed shortly after becoming a four-piece for about a year before Christopher then joined. The group has since secured management who also look after bands such as the Arctic Monkeys. Could this mean a prediction of massive success and potential? Why all the hype? When listening to The Lapelles’ singles such as ‘Grab Life By’, it undoubtedly shows all the youthful and juvenile buoyancy. The song possesses the exuberant swagger of Catfish and The Bottlemen, but having the spirit of indie-pop bangers of The Vaccines. Being fans of The View and Last Shadow Puppets, who knew that the band's unbelievable dream of playing shows with them would become a reality. The fact that this extraordinary opportunity happened so early in their career highlights their growing popularity.
After researching and investigating, the influences of East Kilbride is highly significant when regarding this group. The story of how the Reid brothers formed The Jesus and Mary Chain in their shared bedroom and changed the history of alt-rock seemingly is well-known. Unsurprisingly, their legacy still hangs heavy over the East Kilbride music scene.
The Lapelles evidently show similarities and influences musically which is revealed in their debut. Some of their songs reflect certain events, and when listening to their music, there is a reminder that pop music can transport us to a positive place of imagination. This metaphorical beacon of hope and positivity in which this addresses could symbolize their future victory. Although, a more sinister approach link the town’s past by The Lapelles’ single ‘Seventeen'. The title could be deceiving as in fact it is the reference to the age of Anne Kneilands when she was found dead on an East Kilbride golf course in 1956. This interest they share in Manuel’s murders and crime, however, is not morbid, but in fact an interest and desire to place their hometown in a historical context.
Track ‘Snakehips', is a fast-paced, catchy song featuring a fusion of indie rock and alternative pop, highlighted by intoxicating riffs, enthusiastic writing and a rhythm that will have you hooked. It will leave you with the urge to listen to it continuously! This is yet another astonishing song to add to their constantly growing, high-quality collection of songs.
East Kilbride five-piece The Lapelles come equipped with a youthful swagger and a lively allure, bringing to mind the prime of recent indie rock. The hotly tipped youngsters are on a journey to find their calling, carving out a unique blend of guitar and synth sounds. Over the past year The Lapelles have been hard-heartedly spreading their pulsating stage shows town to town playing throughout the UK, sharing stages with bands such as The Kooks, The Last Shadow Puppets and The View. Their gift lies in stripping away and refining their genre’s recognised palette with the intention of making one groove and wind down… We talk to frontman Gary Watson about working collaboratively, T in the Park and Donkey Kong…
TSH: Knowing that until May you’d never even been on a tour before, what’s it been like to have had such great progression in recent times?
Gary: In some aspects it did feel as though we were thrown into an unknown whirlwind. At that time touring was quite an unfamiliar territory for us, especially in circumstances playing down south; we had hardly played outside of Glasgow as opposed to outside of Scotland so it was an interesting experience to be travelling together to cities we had never been to. It's something that's become more a part of our comfort zone the more places we visit.
TSH: Is it an important aspect that each member writes their part and that the band camaraderie is very collaborative?
Gary: In most cases yes. I tend to focus primarily on lyrics, melody and structure when it comes to songwriting. We all bring different sections to the table and piece them together until we create something that we're happy with. There can be times where we disagree on certain parts then resolve by meeting down the middle. When you look at bands like The Strokes or The Replacements, each member is bringing something unique to the table and adding a piece of their own personality to the song as a whole rather than having one single person pulling all the strings. In most cases in a band it's always better to work collaboratively as opposed to having a certain dictatorship.
TSH: With regards to upcoming material, what sort of subject matter and topics have you been primarily drawn to?
Gary: Lyrically, a lot of the new material has been quite self-analytical. I would normally peer into subjects outside of my own personal realm with a lot of our other tracks (Seventeen, Snakehips etc). With several of these new songs, I've been more focused on using past experiences for inspiration. ‘Toronto’ and ‘Different Creature’ are two main examples of that.
TSH: Tell us more about why simplicity remains key for you guys most of the time...
Gary: I feel that a lot of the bands that have the simplest of songs usually have the most effective: something that leaves an emotional mark but gets to the point and leaves you wanting more. ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?’ was an album that really put things into perspective for me when I was younger. The majority of the tracks on the record consist of only three chords but at the same time have cleverly thought out melodies. It's really reminiscent of the pop music that came from the late 50's/early 60's blended with influences from post-punk bands like The Modern Lovers, so it's easy to see where the album gets its effectiveness from. I normally approach songwriting in the same way but juxtapose the tonality: if I'm writing something that sounds major and cheery, I like to add darker lyrics to make the opposites attract.
TSH: What are the ideas behind the track ‘Grab Life By’?
Gary: I'm influenced by a lot of surf music so I wanted to write something that sounded along the same lines while adding our own personal touch. Musically the song sounds very bright and summery but lyrically it's about losing yourself in obsession and trying to get back to your old self.
TSH: With ‘Seventeen’ being based on serial killer Peter Manue who carried out a murder in Calderglen, a country park in East Kilbride, not too far from the high school you went to. Was it intriguing to find out about the darker side of places that you grew up in and pen this track with that in mind?
Gary: Definitely. I think it's always surprising when you find out the darker topics about your hometown. East Kilbride is the kind of place that sweeps a lot of the notorious subjects under the carpet sometimes, so it's unsurprising that not many people dwell on the topic here. It's especially interesting that these things happened right at your doorstep, so I wanted to write something about it so people can find out themselves.
TSH: What was the level of focus like as the band fleshed out ‘Snakeships’?
Gary: We were very young at the time of writing ‘Snakehips’ – we were all really driven even though we were still unknown to most people. It was one of the first tracks we ever recorded properly, through that we learned a lot about working in a studio environment and working on song sections more intricately. It was definitely one of the first songs to make us feel like we were working on a professional level.
TSH: Do you feel spending a lot of time together outside of the band allows you guys to share the same sense of perception?
Gary: I think it would be strange not so spend time together outside of the band. We've all known each other since school and in that time all grown up together as friends. We can read each other like a book and know exactly what we like and what makes us tick. Without that kind of connection you don't really sit together on that same wavelength. It goes without saying we're best friends and if we weren't we probably wouldn't be making music together.
TSH: Having supported the likes of The View, The Last Shadow Puppets and The Kooks, have these experiences helped your perspective of performing in front of larger audiences?
Gary: It has in a lot of ways. I've grown up listening to a lot of these bands so it's quite a personal milestone to go from busking their songs to playing with them. Before we played with The Last Shadow Puppets, we had only ever played basements and small venues in and around Glasgow. Walking out to the crowd in Newcastle was a daunting experience at first. To say playing to a crowd of 2,000 people in a seated theatre who had no idea who we were was formidable would be an understatement!
TSH: What was the experience like for you guys to perform at T in the Park?
Gary: T in the Park was great. We were in London and Leamington Spa two days before so it was really nice to get to the site and catch up with a lot of our friends. Since it was our first festival show, we had no idea what to expect but the turnout was more than we could ever have possibly asked for. Definitely a highlight of our summer so far.
TSH: What causes most vocal input when you guys are on tour?
Gary: We don't tend to argue a lot when touring but one thing we do fight about is spaces in the van. If there's one thing I hate it's trying to sleep and you're stuck between two people sitting next to you. I'll settle for a window as a head rest instead of Jack's shoulder.
TSH: What do you find to be the most creatively fulfilling aspects of forming new music?
Gary: Knowing your own potential and the thought/feeling of playing it live. There's a lot of times where I have been uncertain about certain parts of a song then being reassured by listening to it with the full band backing, or a crowd of people singing the words back to you.
TSH: Which songwriter’s do you mostly admire and respect in today’s music?
Gary: I've always admired Phoenix as sonwriters: ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ still holds up as one of my favourite albums. I think it's becoming a lot harder to find bands that can create their own unique sound, utilise it and take it to different directions simultaneously. I also really admire how they can take something catchy and have clever and effective underlying meanings in the lyrics. Wolf Alice are another band who I think write amazing songs. The great thing about their music is that they can span from several different genres at the same time and blend them into one.
TSH: What’s been getting played most lately when you view YouTube?
Gary: I usually watch a lot of music documentaries. I just watched one recently called "Orion: The Man Who Would Be King." It's about an Elvis sound-alike who tricked people into thinking Elvis was still alive and performing under a different name behind a mask, it's really worth a watch.
TSH: Furthermore, tell us more about getting addicted to Donkey Kong when you’re bored…
Gary: I can guarantee that Donkey Kong is the hardest arcade game ever to play. I can never complete it so it gets really addictive! There was one time when we played in Liverpool they had an arcade machine with Donkey Kong in the venue, I think I must have put nearly £10 into it. Usually I'll play it if I get stuck with writers block and it helps a lot. So thanks, Nintendo, I guess.
TSH: What aspects do you feel you need to constantly be assertive with as you progress?
Gary: Keeping your feet on the ground would be the main one. You hear all these stories about musicians becoming arrogant or bitter the further they go. I reckon it would be because they get put on a pedestal that's far too out of proportion. To be honest I think a scenario like that would be suffocating. If I can go through my career and still have the same personality I do now then I know I've done a good job.
TSH: Finally, what is the best advice you’ve been given since starting the band?
Gary: I was once told it takes five years to become an overnight success. I was too naive to believe it when I was younger; it's only until now I really see what it means. The main piece of advice I've been given is to write constantly. It's an obvious one but it always pays off no matter what.
We interviewed @TheLapelles whilst in Edinburgh! We talk festivals, new music and shrek... A wee while ago now, we interviewed Gary and Jack from The Lapelles prior to their gig in Edinburgh!
There was this one time we made @TheLapelles play Bean Boozled and it was beautiful... There was this one time we made The Lapelles play Bean Boozled and we're not gonna lie, it was pretty brilliant. Interview coming soon!
