12 Questions with Visions of Albion
Visions of Albion are a Liverpool based duo formed in 2018 by Samantha Shields & Daniel Ryan. They first met while studying music at college, and instantly shared a connection about how music should make you feel. Five brand new recordings highlighting the duo’s pastoral and pop instincts, showcasing these Laurel Canyon inspired songwriters. This eponymous EP traces the arc of such influences as Emmylou Harris, Vashti Bunyan and Fleetwood Mac, with each tune standing sentinel over the duo’s songwriting skills. They say, “Our partnership is not just musical. That’s what the work is about. Relationships”
SG: What’s your favourite ice cream flavour?
VA: For Sam, it’s bubblegum; Dan’s is mint!
SG: Where is your favourite place to play in Liverpool, and what has been your most memorable/favourite gig you’ve played together?
VA: We don’t really have a favourite place, to be honest. They’ve all got their great points and what attracts us to them is that they’re all different and have their own character. As for our most memorable/ favourite gig, it was probably Merseyside’s Best Vocal Duos at the Philharmonic Music Room in February 2020. It was just such a good night and it was great to get up on stage with everyone else. It’s even more poignant as it was the last gig we played before the restrictions came in, so, for all of us to sing out the night together – that’s a really special moment in hindsight.
SG: How have you guys managed to stay creative and productive over the past year of the pandemic?
VA: We’ve just kept writing – that’s about it!
SG: Individually, who are your biggest musical heroes?
VA: There’s a lot! Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, CSNY, The Doors, The Beatles, The Band… we could go on all day!
Daniel Ryan: Visions of Albion
SG: I saw that you recently played Threshold festival, how was this experience and how do you find playing online gigs compared to playing live in front of an audience?
VA: We really enjoyed it! It was nice to play the final Threshold and we tried to put in as much effort as we could to do something special. Online gigs are strange. Those nerves are still there but we don’t think they affect you in the same way as you’ve got more license, than you would in front of an audience, when it comes to getting things wrong – which can be a bad thing!
SG: What your favourite song off your debut EP titled Visons Of Albion and why/what is the song about?
VA: I don’t think we could really pick one, if we’re honest. All of them are our favourites in one way or another – if that makes sense? We’re probably most proud of ‘All That I Know’ as it’s the most ambitious and honest thing on the EP. We wrote All That I Know after the election when Johnson got in. Watching it unfold in front of us – we just despaired. You could feel all that hope that so many had just evaporate so we tried to do something constructive. So, it’s pretty much about hopelessness. In a way, it started off as one thing and became more personal as it developed, as songs often do.
SG: I loved your music video for ‘Daily Life’, can we look forward to more music videos from the EP?
VA Thanks! It was quite tongue-in-cheek and the guys who shot the video, Red Visuals, really done a top job. It was a blast! As for other videos from the EP, we’ve got plans that may or may not come to fruition but we’re keeping tight-lipped for now!
SG: Favourite Kate Bush song?
VA: Dan’s is ‘Wow’ and Sam’s is ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’. We change like the weather though so it’ll probably be something else next week!
SG: Your EP ‘Visions of Albion’ is undoubtedly raw and honest in its lyricism, is cowriting together something that came naturally between you and is it ever difficult to share these emotions with each other during the creative process?
VA: It can be difficult, in all honesty. Being a couple and being on that level of connectivity with each other really helps though! After all, we’re both different people with different tastes and views but we make it work. We think our creative process is quite open, though. Emotion is a big part of what we do, and we like to get that “feel” that only real or raw emotion can get you, so there’s no judgement or funny faces pulled. If it’s from the heart, then, that’s what’s important.
SG: Where did the name ‘Visions of Albion’ come from?
VA: William Blake’s poem ‘Visions of the Daughters of Albion’. That was a bit too much of a mouthful though so we shortened it! Plus, we love The Doors so it was a bit of homage to them as their name is also inspired by Blake.
Samantha Shields: Visions of Albion
SG: Simon or Garfunkel?
VA: Paul Simon. Hands down, it’s Paul Simon. That’s no disrespect to good ol’ Art Garfunkel but Paul Simon’s one of, if not, the greatest American songwriter of all time. We seen this question so we decided not to add him to our musical heroes above – didn’t want to give it away prematurely!
SG: Thank you for giving us the chance to interview you! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
VA: We’d just like to say thanks to everyone (including yourselves!) who’ve helped/ took an interest in us so far – we really appreciate it! Other than that, all we’d say is, that people can follow us on all social media platforms and can find our EP and other merch over at visionsofalbion.bandcamp.com!
To follow the band on social media click on the links in pink below.
Listen to Visions of Albion on Spotify!
