GOLDBLUME
How does music make you feel, has it ever been a therapy?
We all have different feelings for writing and playing music:it should be fun at it's base level, but I think the pieces we write (lyrically and instrumentally) convey the cathartic nature of our sound. If it wasn't something that made us smile, or made us grit our teeth and strain out some genuine emotion, I don't know how we could honestly carry on performing it. HUSK was definitely a form of personal therapy against the apathy and emptiness of becoming older and more self-aware.
What’s the best thing about tour?
It's such a great feeling when strangers compliment you about your music after a show. Meeting some fantastic people/musicians and being received by other musical communities positively, and hopefully repaying the favour next year whilst building that circle of grassroots art. Having a great week, seeing cities and towns, having fun together after the hard work.
What / who was the inspiration behind HUSK?
It’s hard to pin one thing, but I think when I wrote the lyrics (Jethro) there was an overwhelming sense of disconnection during the two years it took to complete. The disconnection felt to my home (with the political turmoil in the UK) and the only other place I felt home in Wisconsin (ditto!), to strained emotional relationships, to the perceived modern way of life and myself, and then to the self-aware hypocrisy of trying to eat all of these fears and continue trying to earn money and stay independent. I kind of dug myself into a hyper-aware, hyper-anxious hole and yet still managed to roll on stage and become someone else. So maybe Husk is directly about the mask we sometimes wear. Maybe. It's difficult to be concise, because the band was a completely different animal when we started this process, kind of accidentally, in October 2016.
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What makes music so important to you?
How it can be an emotional outlet for some and how others can connect with it on different levels for different reasons. It’s all Jethro’s ever wanted to do since being a child! The idea that people can become your best friends for life through the music we make, or play, or see others perform. It's a familial environment in that respect, and we love and cherish the respect of others who share our passion.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever played and why?
There have been many very enjoyable ones; some highlights include a human pyramid in Peterborough, playing in the basement of a tattoo parlour for Worcester Music Festival with tiled walls, and the sold out show under Gaffa Tape Sandy and Fightmilk on Jethro's birthday (with a bashful rendition of Happy Birthday) in Bury. Actually, Bury probably has always been a top show, the crowds are so receptive and friendly and respectfully raucous - I mean that as a big compliment!
