Hey guys, how have you been since we last chatted?
All has been good thanks!
Introduce yourselves to those who may not know what The Hummingbirds are about.
So first we have Jay davies, he’s the lead singer and acoustic guitarist. Next we have Mick Kountis who plays lead guitar and backing vocals. Also on the drums we have Rich Smith who also accompanies Jay with backing vocals. On bass guitar we have Ryan Lewis and finally myself (Matty Brougham) who plays the acoustic guitar and is the general back bone of the band and the bands favourite and best member!
Your set to release your new EP out ‘Moving On’, tell us more about it.
Yes it’s a 4 track EP with what we feel is a completely different sound to what we’ve ever tried before. We experienced a huge influence off a number of different artists whilst making this EP but I think the biggest influence has come from a guy called ‘Ryan Adams’. Like the majority of our songs, it sends out a message on love and relationships and tells a story of events and situations we have found ourselves in throughout recent months.
Track Listing
- Moving On
- And It’s You
- Come Home
- Last Time
When will it be available?
The EP is available for pre-order now and is released on the 28.7.17. Our title track of the EP is available now on Spotify and Apple music!
What was the writing process like?
We usually approach a practice session with some chord ideas and build a song around them. Chords first, melody second kind of thing and see where the song takes itself. We booked some time away together and literally locked ourselves in a cabin and wrote as many songs as possible. I think at this time we had already written ‘Moving On’ and had it in our set so we decided to try and write a few tunes that would fit around it. We were taking the band in a new direction with a different sound and having a more open mind about the structure of the songs. It was a bit head wrecking at first trying to decide where we would go with a certain song whilst we were writing it but I think once we all got involved we would take different ideas and mess around with them. When we got home, Matty/Jay/Mick and a friend of ours called Eleanor Nelly sat in Mick’s flat and ended up writing ‘And Its You’ in about 2 hours.
What was the recording process like?
We recorded the EP in Parr Street Studios in Liverpool which has a history of amazing bands and artists. We tried a different technique this time to get the sound of the EP just right. We would play the songs to a live demo and then record separate parts over the ‘Semi Live’ recording. This gave it a not too messy but not too polished sound which fits perfect with the style of the tracks and the sound we were going for.
Which track was the hardest to write and why?
I would probably say ‘And Its You’. We were in our height of writing songs for the EP and we just had so many different ideas for the track. We were writing verses and chorus and swapping them and removing them and so on. At one point I was playing a solo during the outro of the song but once we played it live a few times we were coming up with more ideas for it and ended up changing it again.
Describe each track in two words.
Moving on – Our Favourite
And It’s You – easy listen
Come Home – F****** boss
Last Time – Absolute banger
Do you have any shows coming up?
We’re coming to the end of our current run of shows with the last being in Liverpool on the 2nd of September in the Arts Club. We’re set to play Liverpool’s International Music Festival this weekend alongside some of Liverpool’s finest.
What is the one thing that is a must have at your gigs?
A fan! I don’t mean a fan of the band…Jay almost drowns in sweat on stage. So we always need a fan for him…or a towel.
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