So how did the band first start and where did the name Amber Run come from?
Tom, Will and I went to school together. Then we met Henry and started a band. We all fancied a girl called Amber that worked in a bar that we all drank at.
Apparently you only played 6 gigs before you were signed to RCA, two of which were at Reading and Leeds Festivals, how did that come about and were you ever scared at how soon everything was happening, especially after having dropped out of uni to pursue the band?
We got the show through BBC Introducing and Dean Jackson in Nottingham. At the time I don’t think any of us were really thinking about how quickly things were happening – it’s only with hindsight you realise how extraordinary it all was. And looking back I do think we could have done things slightly differently. But we would have all still left uni and followed our dream. No doubt.
Although you have a very recognisable sound, there is quite a contrast between songs on your first album, between songs such as “Spark” and “5AM”, what genre would you put yourself into?
We just write honest music. Like it, don’t like it, that’s up to you.
What musicians do you listen to and are they the same musicians that inspire you lyrically and sonically?
We listen to bands like The National, Radiohead and Foals and yeah I’d say they influence us. Lyrically, bands like Elbow are a huge inspiration. Guy Garvey is bloody poet.
So your second album “For a Moment, I Was Lost”, will be released on the same day as your show at Rock Ciy – being from Nottingham, was it a conscious decision to play your home town on your Album Release date?
It was a conscious decision. We have an amazing affinity with Nottingham. It feels like coming home whenever we play. This kind of relationship between bands and a city is so rare and powerful. We love it. Can’t think of anywhere we’d rather be playing on the day we release our best music to date.
Which song is most personal to you on the album & Which is your favourite to play live?
Haze, White Lie and Fickle Game all resonate with me on a personal level. But No answers is my favourite to play live by some distance.
Have you been doing any writing for other bands or artists?
Bits and pieces. But we’ve been quite tied up with this project for a long time. Which is a great thing.
Tell us one thing that nobody knows about Amber Run, past, present or future!
The ongoing prank we have on tour is that we hide Red Leicester in each others instruments and bags. Funnier then it sounds written down…
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