12 Questions With The Mono LPs
12 Questions with The Mono LPs
A dynamic Liverpool outfit self-described as “rock’n’roll… with a cello”, The Mono LPs comprise frontman/guitarist Ste Reid, cellist/vocalist Vicky Reid, bassist Chris Barlow, and drummer Tom McCabe. With a broad range of influences from Stevie Wonder and The Beatles, classical music and Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
We chatted with Ste and Vicky from the band to find out more about them and to hear what one of the city’s most promising bands has in store for us this summer and the rest of the year.
NSG: Hello guys and how are you today? What have you been up to this morning?
Vicky: I’ve been arranging string quartet parts for Paul McCartney’s 80th birthday show.
NSG: It’s amazing to finally get a chance to catch up with you! So how did you guys all meet? How was the band formed?
Ste: Well I met Vicky in music college and since she was the only cellist in a college full of guitarists we decided to build a band around the cello. After a few lineup changes, our Chris joined and we had a bit of a Spinal Tap saga with drummers. Luckily Tom hasn’t exploded yet.
NSG: We’ve just been listening to your new single titled ‘You Say’ out on the 1st of July and absolutely love it! Can you tell us a bit about it? What’s it about?
Ste: Yeah it was written after my mum passed away from cancer. We found out she had incurable pancreatic cancer and within six weeks she had passed away. Those six weeks had so many happy and heartbreaking moments. It was very confusing emotionally so I decided to put it down in a song to help get it out of my head.
NSG: How would you describe your sound? And what would you like someone listing to you for the first time to get from it?
Vicky: We always describe it as “rock’n’roll with a cello” but in this new album we experiment with different genres such as EDM, country and 80s synth pop. However, the cello is still there unifying the songs with our sound.
NSG: Do you have a specific writing process?
Ste: Not really. I suppose I try to write in different ways to see what happens to the song. Melodies come first mostly but sometimes an interesting phrase pops into your head and you go with it. Then jamming ideas out with the band and Vicky arranges her part around that. It has changed over the years but I feel like you have to otherwise you’ll get bored.
NSG: You guys have been around for a while now, releasing your debut acclaimed Album ‘States of Decay’ in 2016 with your second album ‘Shuffle/Play’ being released in 2021. Can I ask why the 5 year gap between the two?
Ste: After we released the first one we lost a lot of momentum. We had been sitting on the first album for so long that when we finally released it. We didn’t know what to do next. I had written more songs but it felt like the first album didn’t get enough time as we had it in the can for years before releasing it. We had gigged them for so long we had forgotten how to work on new songs almost. We sacked our management and after a while of floundering, we started working with Chris and Andy from Springthorn Management. They refocused us and the creative juices started flowing again.
NSG: What are your thoughts on the local music scene in Liverpool right now?
Ste: It always amazes me the endless talent this city has! The pandemic has been really tough on our city with venues closing and bands not being able to play but the resilience and creativity has been fantastic. I am so happy people are going to see gigs again.
NSG: Now were a fair way out of the pandemic, how are you feeling to be back playing live shows and how did you manage as a band during the lockdowns?
Ste: It was really hard. Luckily for us, me and Vic live together so we could do stuff as a duo. We started doing online gigs on a Sunday to keep our sanity and we had lots of support from everyone who follows us. We also made music videos and ‘virtually’ dueted with Elvis Costello for the Artists4NHS which in turn got us a record deal with Fretsore Records so the pandemic was a very mixed bag for us.
NSG: If you could sit down and have dinner with three people from history, who would they be and why?
Ste: John Lennon because, you know, he is a Beatle! I’d love to know what his take would be on life today with the birth of social media and the ever evolving culture! His Facebook page does a really weird thing of quoting him in statuses like he is alive and it always has me thinking about what he would actually say if he was alive.
Ste: Salvador Dali. I love surrealist art. In fact, our house is covered in his work. I’d like to see if he really was as eccentric as he was in interviews or is it a mask he put on. I find his work so masterful and fascinating…. I even proposed to Vicky in his museum.
Vicky: I would chat to J. S. Bach and ask him why he decided to write for unaccompanied cello and what he wanted it to really sound like!
NSG: Your headlining Birkenheads Future Yard on the 1st of June aren’t you? What can fans expect?
Ste: We are going to play our new album Shuffle/Play in full for the first time since being signed and maybe some brand new songs. Check out the album on Spotify now.
NSG: What music are you listening to at the moment? Like what’s on your playlist?
Ste: so many to mention. Old stuff – I’d say AC/DC and Donna Summer. New stuff – I love Orla Garland at the moment and the new local band San Pedro’s Vision. Really great vibe too. Their stuff is very proggy at times too!
NSG: How is the rest of 2022 looking for the Mono LPs.
Vicky: We are slowly starting to book gigs in again after the pandemic. It’s been a nightmare having to book gigs and cancel them so hopefully, things are starting to settle now. We are playing Formby Festival on July 17th and are supporting Ian Prowse in Thornton hough Village club on October the 1st.
Ste: I’m preparing some new songs so hopefully another album is on the cards at some point too.
NSG: Thank you so much for your time, we wish you all the luck in the world! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Ste: Yes see you on the 1st of July!
To follow the band on social media click on the links below
