What are your Full names?
Marina O’Shea, Ben Kapur, Steve Tanton, Alex Edworthy and Tom Burns
What is your band’s Genre?
Rock
Give us a little bio of the band and you guys as individual.
Born from a shared love of music performance, LOTW formed to bring energy to every stage they play from music created with nothing but absolute passion. Having all played professionally for many years, LOTW band members all began their separate careers playing at the top of their professions. Together their aim is to bring their music to the UK Festival scene in 2016. With a stage performance guarantee that will see their spectators at live gigs being part of the action!
Their frontman Marina began her music debut in a previous band that toured the UK and released tracks featuring Roger O’Donnell from The Cure. Her debut single ‘Upside Down’ written with All Living Fear’s Matthew North succeeded to a No 2 slot behind The Foofighters on Amazon’s Rock Chart.
Their drummer Steve Tanton began his beat hitting career as Tinie Tempah’s drummer for two years, recording the live session of his Number 1 hit single release ‘Pass Out’ at Maida Vale studios. Having played to crowds of up to 65k with chart topping artists from around the globe, he can do on one hand what other drummers do on two. As well as this, he’s been a music producer with his own company Poundhouse Productions for several years now, producing and promoting indie music from around the UK. And he’s got a mighty fine voice too!
Guitarist Ben Kapur performed as lead guitarist for Ian Gillian (Deep Purple) to Smoke on the Water, at 10k strong festival Guitars on the Beach. He’s also toured to some amazing places like the Royal Albert Hall, and with some incredible musicians – Robbie McIntosh, Billy Gereghty, and Andy Scott from Sweet. Ben also has a mighty voice!
Keys player Alex is a classically trained multi-instrumentalist; piano, guitar, cello, singer. He has played in Orchestras since a very young age. Al is a versatile songwriter, writing in several different styles; rock, folk, progressive and pop. He’s also been a producer for local independent record label NIMA records.
Bass man Tom; is an electronic production master! Having run his own electronic label for many years now, Tom’s skill on the bass is only matched by his production knowledge. With an ear for a funky beat and the coolest bass face we have ever seen!
Where did you get the band name from?
This was from Marina…Having spent ages staring out of a window while working an office job and writing music on the side, the name kind of evolved from there!
Who does what in the band?
Marina is the lead singer (and tells bad jokes!) Ben is lead guitarist, Steve is our drummer, Alex our keys player and Tom our bass man. Ben, Steve and Alex all sing backing vocals too – and sometimes lead alongside Marina! We all write the songs together.
Are You Signed?
Not yet!
What instruments do you play?
A lot of us guys are multi instrumental; right now we’re playing as above, but Ben, Steve and Alex are all multi instrumentalists. Ben was originally a sax player and Alex a guitarist, and Steve plays bass in another brilliant band!
How did the band come about?
Marina was the driving force behind LOTW. After years spent shaping a lot of the songs on this first album for LOTW, Marina found Ben and began putting the band together. There was always a strong vision for where the band was going to go and what it was going to be about.
How did you guys meet?
All online! Apart from our bass man. Marina and Tom had been friends previously, but as is the norm these days the rest of the band came together from a search online for musicians wanting to make music happen.
Who are your influences?
Alex: -It’s pretty hard to sum up the entire band’s influences as I think we are all coming from slightly different places. From my end I’m gonna have to say Pink Floyd, Biffy Clyro, Genesis, Crosby Stills and Nash (for the vocal harmonies)
Ben – Joe bonamassa and Pete thorn, John Mayer and Stereophonics
Marina – Annie Lennox, Kate Bush, Lana Del Ray, Al Green, REM, Matt Corby, and the brilliant Sound of the Sirens!
What are your backgrounds whether it’s in music or not?
We all have musical backgrounds; all the guys have been playing their instruments since they were young sprogs. Marina, however, is actually one half of a comedy sketch duo – as well as being an actress and dancer. She has toured and written her own comedy works professionally for 8 years.
How did music come in to your lives and when did you start doing it?
Marina – I think for all of us it came pretty instantly; for me, growing up there was never a moment at home when music wasn’t being played. I grew up listening to all my Mother’s favourite artists; music and singing out loud was very much part of every day life.
When will you be releasing material?
Our rough recordings of two of our songs are up now- but we plan to record and release a full album in late 2015.
You are heading out on a mini tour give us a bit more about what to expect from that?
A lot of fun! Our stage performances will involve a lot of audience participation; we want you up on your feet and joining in!!
What city’s are you heading too?
Currently Exeter, Croyde and Lyme Regis. But London, Bristol and Wessex are all on the cards!
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
Alex– Marina is a prolific lyricist. Ben is a constant noodler on the guitar; together it just works. Writing songs can come from anything; a bad day at work, a good piece of news – the boredom of reality..It’s fun to draw on everything around me. My favourite is people watching; I’ve written songs before which take a guess at what a person I’ve seen in the day might be doing in their own lives. Like perception..
What is your best moment since joining a band?
Playing incredible stages to giving crowds! There is just nothing more rewarding then coming out onto stage to a crowd that really wants to be there for the music! The buzz of an amazing sound system delivering out your own original songs – nothing beats that!
What’s the best bit of advice have you ever received?
To believe in ourselves; as cheesy as that sounds. Supporting each other is key; it’s a tough industry and as all creatives know battling your own self doubts is 90% of the battle. If you can get over that, you can get over anything to get on stage and make it happen.
Where do you see the band in 2-5 years time?
On tour still around the UK, but playing bigger venues to pack more dancing feet in!
Where would your dream place be to perform in the UK?
The main stage of the O2 Arena in Greenwich!!!
Where is your dream place to perform in USA?
Red Rocks Amphitheatrer in Colorado
If you could do collaboration with anyone in the UK who would it be?
Tough question; Coldplay would be pretty awesome. And Damian Albarn – he is an incredible writer. Madness would be a lot of fun to work with – their live shows would be insane to be a part of!
If you could do a collaboration with anyone in USA who would it be ?
Defintely John Mayer or Imagine Dragons! And Prince for his utterly sensational writing skills.
If you wasn’t doing music what would you’s be doing?
Driving everyone mad around us! Marina constantly sings, Steve drums on anything around him and Alex Ben and Tom are much the same…
If You got asked by a tv show or film to have your music played on, which show or film would it be?
Something that had real meaning; like the feature film 12 Years A Slave, or The Theory of Everything. To have our music played on something with historical and emotional meaning would be quite something.
Failing that, we’d be happy with Top Gear!
Do you have a website, social media pages and music pages for your fans?
We do indeed! our website is: www.lifeoutsidethewindow.com Our facebook is: www.facebook.com/LifeOutsideTheWindow
And our twitter is: @LOutsideTWindow and we have a soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lifeoutsidethewindow
