Interview with The Zangwills
We talk to The Zangwills, a band that are breaking boundaries and setting the bar so high with everything they do, it seems, everything they touch just turns to gold! Tune in while we chat to them about eating yungblud’s snacks backstage to why dogs are better than cats!
Jake Vickers, Ed Dowling, and Sam Davies met at sixth form college in Northwich, Cheshire and The Zangwills line-up was completed by drummer Adam Spence from Chester in May 2017. They released their debut single New Heights in December 2017 and have released music steadily since including 2 EP’s It’s Really Up to You and In Amongst the Glitter.
The four-piece have gained a reputation for their strong live sets. Their last two Manchester dates were completely sold-out, Deaf Institute (Sept 2019) and Academy 3 (Feb 2020). They have played national headline dates as far apart as Edinburgh and Portsmouth and their supports have included artists as diverse as Yungblud for SJM and The Charlatans at their North by Northwich takeover. Festival appearances have included Dot 2 Dot, Focus Wales, Sound City and a Saturday, mainstage appearance at Wychwood Festival 2019.
NSG: Hello guys,
So, it seems a little bittersweet typing this interview as we had planned to meet prior to the new lockdown restrictions.
Obviously, the initial lockdown completely changed your year? Could you tell us what changed for you guys and how have you been dealing with it?
JAKE: Hi – It’s been a really strange time as I’m sure it has for everybody, we had this huge sense that we had got the ball rolling after our headliner at Manchester Academy 3 sold out back in February and we had many gigs planned for 2020, and then boom! We flew straight into the coronavirus window and ended up on the sofa for the best part of 6 months! We did however manage to get a lot of other stuff done that had been on the back burner for quite some time. We recorded a podcast and have written and recorded some new tracks, it was less a case of losing a year and more a case of changing what we would fill that year with.
ED: Hey, yep covid has definitely thrown a mighty spanner in the works… Unfortunately, causing the gigs and festivals we had booked to be canceled and forcing us to delay studio time we had planned as well. It meant we had to adapt, Jake did live streams on social media and the situation generally forced us to be more creative with the time we had. It also gave us time to write and develop a lot of new material and ideas, in the window between lockdowns we were able to get back in the studio and get it all recorded. Stuff came to a bit of a standstill for a few months, but we had time to plan what to do when the time came for us to be set back into the wild… and there’s a lot of exciting stuff planned.
SAM: Yeah, it definitely changed our plans for this year, fortunately, we were still able to get into the studio to record and work on new music. It was a bit strange not seeing each other every week and not having much to look forward to but it’s definitely given us time to work on ideas.
ADAM: Rehearsal and studio time became much more important as those were the only times we’re able to see each other and make music. In some way that made us more focused and efficient.
NSG: What was the last gig you played and do you remember much about it?
JAKE: Our last gig before lockdown was a headliner we played in Portsmouth, we had such a good time and we love traveling long distances for gigs because it’s such a sense of adventure and it’s fun to play in front of brand new crowds. I actually don’t remember too much about any of our gigs to be honest. It’s a really weird experience and I think the mind struggles to hold all of that experience in, like some sort of adrenaline amnesia.
ED: We managed to slip in an outdoor gig after lockdown when the measures were less strict which was lovely. It was at The Snig in Widnes, and what a night it was… It felt awesome being able to get back on stage, and just the buzz of setting up and seeing everyone was fantastic.
Before lockdown though, it was in Portsmouth with our dear, dear, friends
… again a splendid night. Of all the gigs to be the last one for months, that was a pretty good one. It was a chilly night on the south coast but a pre-gig Chinese takeaway at the Airbnb warmed us up nicely. The vibe in the room was so good, and we had such a sick time.
SAM: Our last ‘proper’ gig before lockdown was down in Portsmouth with the lovely 32 tens. There was a banging Chinese near the venue, probably my highlight of the day.
ADAM: We last played at The Snig in Widnes. I remember most being amazed watching how quickly the tide came in up the Mersey Estuary and Ed snapping a bass string. It was great to be back on stage.
Photo Credit: Paul Moore Photography
NSG: how would you describe your sound and what or who has influenced you in this?
JAKE: I’d say we have quite a strange mixture of sounds going on and it’s due to our widely varied musical influences. Each of us have very different tastes in music and I feel like this allows us to bring in a lot more elements to our music.
ED: This is a tricky one. We play kind of aggressive indie rock but have some songs which are bordering heavy and some which are pretty funky and chilled. We also have a couple coming out at the start of next year which could’ve been plucked straight from 1988. We all have pretty different music tastes which I think influences how each of us plays. Jake has a powerful set of Chester’s finest lungs which I think, above all, makes us recognizable and different to a lot of stuff out there.
SAM: Like if The Cure and The Strokes had a kid and the kid grew up listening purely to one of them indie greatest hits CDs that’s been sat for many years in the glovebox of your Dad’s car.
ADAM: I never know how to describe our sound because we move on from sounds so quickly. We have new songs written and recorded that don’t really sound anything like New Heights from 3 years ago but you’d still know it was definitely us.
NSG: You have supported some amazing artists from Yungblud to the Fun Lovin Criminals and The Charlatans! How does it feel getting to play alongside such big artists?
JAKE: Quite surreal a lot of the time! It’s funny sometimes, take Yungblud for example, we supported him at Jimmy’s in Manchester. We didn’t think it was that much of a big deal, but post set people in the crowd kept explaining to us at the bar how amazing it was that we had been able to support him. I only fully appreciated how popular he is a few months later when I saw him on the telly.
ED: It feels so good! – It’s a pretty awesome feeling supporting bands who are currently big or ones that were back in the day. Like when you tell your Mum that you’re opening a mainstage festival for ABC… and then getting to watch them afterwards, it’s pretty insane. We’ve had some very surreal experiences which we are very lucky to have experienced.
SAM: It’s pretty mad yeah. He was really sound, I remember his train was late and we’d accidentally polished off most of the dressing room snacks by the time he arrived for soundcheck which we still feel a bit guilty about.
ADAM: A crazy experience, they’ve all been lovely so far. It’s great telling people we supported Yungblud. Always gets a pint raised.
NSG: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
JAKE: For me, it would have to be beans, I’d probably go for kidney beans. They’re just class aren’t they?
ED: Pasta bake.
SAM: I’d probably say pizza like you can get so many different variants of it so you’d be less likely to get bored of it. Like you can even get them dessert pizzas.
ADAM: A good pasta bake.
NSG: Do you prefer cats or dogs and why?
JAKE: I endlessly prefer dogs to cats, as the saying goes: “you own a dog, you just feed a cat”
ED: Cats. They’re really chilled and do what they want.
SAM: Cats. They’re just dead sound aren’t they. No drama. Just vibes.
ADAM: Dogs. (no explanation needed).
Photo Credit: Trust A Fox Photography
NSG: Right now, the music industry is in tatters due to the pandemic. Do you have any thoughts on this and what are your concerns about the future of live music within the UK and your own careers?
JAKE: I think anyone would be lying if they said they were concern free in this area, it’s certainly a weighty time for creative industries in general. My only hope is that when the industry rebirth does happen, the mighty caterpillar that it was before will leap from its cocoon as a godly, awe-inducing butterfly with tie-dye wings and some really cool tattoos and probably a new haircut.
ED: Yep, the industry is pretty much screwed at the mo. The amount of talented people, from engineers, crew, musicians to lighting designers, truck drivers and rental companies (and so, so, many more), who are without any work and therefore without money, is worrying. The uncertainty of them pulling through the other side, still doing the career they’ve lived and breathed and have years of experience in, is pretty scary. Seeing venues closing down has also been a very sad over the year. Especially ones which we have fond memories of playing or seeing artists at over the years, and ones which have so much history and character. It has been good seeing many of them begin to receive grants over the past month, which, hopefully, will keep them above water until they can properly open their doors again. For us, it’s just been a shame missing out on a year of gigs and festivals, which has sucked. It was also pretty crap not being able to meet up and practice, but we managed to have plenty of drunken zoom calls which just about kept us going. We just hope that it won’t be long until the live music industry can start up again and we can get back to playing loud tunes in sweaty rooms.
SAM: It’s an extremely worrying time for everyone in the industry. If we don’t see the government introduce more emergency arts funding similar to that of France and other European countries, then more venues will close, freelancers will have to find new work, and bands will disappear off the face of the earth.
ADAM: It makes me feel worried and optimistic at the same time. Not sure how much longer all the iconic venues can stay around without funding, but I also love how music is entirely online right now, and we still enjoy it.
NSG: I read that you played Rivfest, which was created in memory of Viola Beach. I bet that was an honour to play?
JAKE: All gigs are an honor to play and I will never take one for granted ever again, however, Rivfest is another tier of honour. The whole day was so brilliant and full of love and always perfect, it’s truly an amazing thing to be a part of for sure.
ED: Rivfest is so great. It is a huge honour playing at an event created in memory of such an amazing band whose future was so tragically cut short. The vibe at Rivfest is so friendly and is just an all-around amazing day. The amount of great local bands and artists that play is awesome, and it’s just great being a part of their long-lasting legacy in Warrington.
SAM: Rivfest last year was one of my favorite shows we’ve played, always an honour to play such an amazing festival for such an amazing cause. Even if I did manage to break my finger falling down the stairs after the gig.
ADAM: Absolutely an honour to play gigs in support of causes like theirs.
NSG: You just released your new single called Could I. I read somewhere this was originally written as an acoustic summery kinda song. Could you tell me how this changed so much to become the heavier rock song that it now is?
JAKE: I think it first changed with Adam playing the drums a bit heavier, and it sounded so good, we all quickly caught up to him and a whole new outlook was discovered on the song, it was a great moment.
ED: Yeah, Jake’s original demo was all happy and summery. But when we played it all together it became a different beast.
SAM: Yeah it was, I reckon the main reason it changed was because the first time we played it we didn’t have an acoustic guitar so with a bit of distortion and some faster drums it naturally transformed very quickly.
ADAM: We were practicing the song in rehearsal one time and just started experimenting. I really liked the heavy intro and we thought the entire song should follow that same energy. Something different.
Artwork Credit: Jake Vickers
NSG: How are the next 12 months looking for you? Restrictions permitting, will we be seeing you in Liverpool anytime soon?
JAKE: I really do hope so, we were actually due to play The Zanzibar earlier this year which unfortunately was unable to happen in the end, so something definitely needs to happen!!
ED: They’re looking positive to be fair. We’ve got a few new songs in the pipeline along with interviews and other stuff. Plans are also in place hopefully for some gigs into next year and yes, fingers crossed, we can get on stage in Liverpool as its always been one of our favourite cities to play.
SAM: I hope so! We were due to play at The Zanzibar and then lockdown happened! I don’t think we’ve actually played in Liverpool since Sound City last year so it’s about time we returned.
ADAM: We’ll back as soon as we can. Liverpool is one of my favourite cities to play in.
NSG: Thank you for giving us the chance to interview you, anything else you’d like to add?
JAKE: Just a big thank you and a bigger virtual snog to you guys!! Nice one! x
ED: Thanks for featuring us, it’s much appreciated! See you at our next gig in Liverpool… hopefully, it won’t be too long away. x
SAM: Cheers for having us! Looking forward to being back in Liverpool when this covid stuff’s sorted. xx
ADAM: Thank you for having us. Thankful that people are still interested in us whilst there’s so much going on. x
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