Interviews: Nouvelle

This is a new interview with the Post-Hardcore band Nouvelle from the UK. Check out the interview and follow the band on his FACEBOOK PAGE. 

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you plan it or came out just like that?

As with what I imagine the case is with most bands, it took a while for us to land on Nouvelle, we had been toying with ideas, but we struggled to agree on one particular word or phrase that really spoke to us. Pearce came along one day with Nouvelle (a derivative of the French word Nouveau, meaning ‘new’) and it felt right since it was a new, fresh project for most of us in the band.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

I think that Post-Hardcore has been making a resurgence in the alternative community, especially in the UK. We’ve seen bands like Casey and Dream State come and go from the scene and others like Holding Absence going from strength to strength, not to mention all the fantastic acts in the underground, but we wanted to pay homage to the bands we grew up listening to like Fightstar and Funeral for a Friend.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

We knew each other through degrees of separation I guess! Dan, Liam and George began the band after their previous project disbanded, I and Pearce knew each other vaguely through a mutual friend and had hung out very briefly at a show in Bristol a couple of years prior!

4. Each band member's favourite band?

Pearce - The Amity Affliction

Dan J - Fightstar

Daniel S - The Devil Wears Prada

Liam - Four Year Strong

George - Alexisonfire

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Lyrically we’re inspired by our collective experiences. Life can and has been real tough for some of us, however we never wanted to exclusively be a sad band for sad people - there is an element of ‘positivity’ (for lack of a better phrase) or a lesson that was learnt within the songs. We hope that people can maybe find some solace in how we portray that.

6. Where was your last gig?

We’re still pretty new to the scene, we haven’t played any shows yet! We’re working hard on our live performance and can’t wait to get out and play our music!

7. Where would you like to play?

Personally, my pipe dream is to play a show at The Underworld in Camden, London. I’ve always loved that venue and how crazy some of the shows I’ve seen there have been! If I had to choose anywhere outside of this country, then it would be Japan for sure! But I know collectively we’d be genuinely excited to venture further out of the South-West of the UK.

8. Who would you like to support?

Fightstar would be a dream come true if they ever decide to come back from their hiatus.

9. Who not?

To be perfectly honest, I don’t think we’d rule out playing a show with anybody unless they’re notorious for being terrible people. Though I can’t imagine we’d go down well on a bill of Slam bands, we’d give it a fair whack, why not?

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

I suffer from stage fright every time I play a show - as soon as it’s gone time I’ll have a brief moment of panic, similar to being strapped into a rollercoaster! But after it all kicks off, it’s easy to let go of the fear and anxiety and just get lost in the expression of what I’m playing. I guess that would be my advice - embrace your art and run headfirst into the fear!

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

We harp on about them a lot, but Fightstar and Funeral for a Friend! They’re just legendary bands that have inspired us all from a young age. Otherwise, I’d have to say some of my personal choices are Bring me the Horizon and The Devil Wears Prada. Their production values and the way they never limit themselves to just being guitar-driven bands are wild! They know how to accentuate the standard ‘rock and metal’ formula using synths, soundscapes and orchestration to take their music to another level.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

We were recently asked on Social Media if the breakdown in our debut single would be the Scooby Doo theme song - we asked them for 10 Scooby snacks in exchange for an answer!

13. What do you think of your fans?

We’re very grateful for all the support our friends and peers have shown us in the weeks since we unveiled this project! We’ve worked incredibly hard on our initial releases in conjunction with some of the most talented people in the UK, without them we wouldn’t have been able to present our art half as well as we’re fortunate to be able to.

14. What do you think of our site?

The wealth of genres covered by Breathing the Core is fantastic! It’s great to see a dedicated website championing the entire scene!

15. Something to add?

Thanks firstly to y’all at Breathing the Core for the interview! Our debut single 'Canvas' is out now! Check out the Music Video on YouTube, the track is available on Spotify, Apple Music and most other streaming platforms. Sling us a like on Facebook and Instagram too if you would be so kind! https://linktr.ee/bandnouvelle