Interviews: Midland Railway

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Rock band Midland Railway from the UK. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

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

All the best bands are named after railway companies. As it’s a really dorky name for a band, it opens the door to lots of nerdy train jokes, but it’s not so silly that people won’t take our songs seriously. There’s also a kind of beauty and romance associated with old railway stations. Of the pre-war railway companies, the Midland Railway served both Manchester and Birmingham, flows off the tongue nicely, and had the best color scheme, so it seemed like the most suitable one to name the band after.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

I love the energy of punk gigs, but I also enjoy a good pop melody, I also think the best music kind of puts you through it emotionally, and that needs both the right feel with the music, and for the lyrics to be effective. I wouldn't say it was such a conscious decision to play a genre as much as a case of trying to write songs I thought I would enjoy hearing or playing, and then trying to arrange them in a way that best brings the ideas to life. We then had to ask other people what genre we should describe ourselves as!

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

With our initial lineup, yes. Robert Hayton had been my first band’s webmaster but was a talented bedroom guitarist. We also recruited David Novan to play drums. He had drummed in my first band too. For the first year or so, Thom Cuell played bass, but he left after a particularly crappy gig, and Sarah learned all the songs in 6 days, in time for our next gig, and has been our bass player ever since. I knew both Sarah and David through the Manchester University Rock Music Society (then called HARM), and also through our mutual love of the band Therapy?.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Nick - Weezer

Sarah - Therapy?

Billy - Kind Lizard and the Wizard Gizzard

Kat - Ghost Andy - The Darkness 

Rob - Porcupine Tree

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Most have been inspired by life experiences. Some have just been ideas I thought were interesting, and a song can be an effective way to explore them. Sometimes, the music I hear gives me ideas, and then I have to try to find a suitable lyrical theme. I think it's good not to rigidly follow a formula. If you do that, it's likely your songs all end up sounding the same. Our biggest hit so far was just inspired by my girlfriend's obsession with serial killers, particularly Ted Bundy, and I initially started writing it as a bit of banter, but then we started to realize we had something that might be able to go quite far.

6. Where was your last gig?

It was at The Rat and Pigeon, in Manchester - a very small venue with lots of character and fantastic sound.

7. Where would you like to play?

We've been lucky enough to play some rather iconic small venues, but I would love to play some of the huge festival stages. The Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury would probably be the dream.

8. Who would you like to support?

Weezer would be my top pick - they're so good!

9. Who not?

Well, we've played a couple of gigs where the band after us has got lots of people along, but their crowd has no interest in anything we're doing, and just talks through our set, which is just a crap experience for us - it's better to be heckled than ignored and talked over, as at least that way they're invested in what we're doing. These experiences have generally been when we've been playing with rather middle-of-the-road indie bands, so for this reason, I'll pick Oasis.

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

I was horrendously nervous when I first started playing, but I dealt with it by getting incredibly drunk. Just to be clear, that is not something I am advising others to do in order to beat it! Over time, I felt more comfortable and started to enjoy the attention more, and I could drink less and less, and eventually, I felt okay just playing while sober. These days, I try to prepare properly, in order to reduce the likelihood of messing up, but then I feel I can trust myself as I generally know what I'm doing. I also try to embrace the chaotic aspect of playing live. Things can go wrong, but if we can entertain, sound good, and the crowds have fun, it is not a complete disaster if I make a mistake.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Weezer is my favorite when it comes to melodies, guitar sounds, and the energy and character their songs have. My favorite lyricists are Connor Oberst (Bright Eyes), and Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields). I particularly admire Conor Oberst’s ability to convey feelings so powerfully through music, and Stephin Merritt has a kind of very dark humor that I really enjoy. It was at an Idlewild gig (in Wolverhampton in 2000) when I remember thinking I really wanted to play in a band. They played with so much energy back then, and the crowd was so into it. I wanted to try to create something like that.

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

Perhaps disappointingly, I can't think of anything particularly weird! Is this something we can look forward to if we become more famous?

13. What do you think of your fans?

I feel very grateful to them. Creating music tends to have some big ups and downs, and knowing there are people around who appreciate what we're doing helps us keep going.

14. What do you think of our site?

It looks very metal. I'm wondering if I should be writing in a more metal way in order to better ingratiate ourselves with your readers? And lo, with this mighty response to question 14, the interview quest's completion was nigh.

15. Something to add?

Thanks for taking an interest in what we're doing - it really is appreciated. We have just released our new single, Bedroom Analysis, and our album is due out on 14th February, I hope some of your readers will enjoy it! If they want to hear our music, see where we're playing, or follow us on social media, links to everything are here: https://linktr.ee/Midlandrailway