interview – Page 3 – Bread Records

Knead To Know: Cottons 🥪

17th Feb 202217th Feb 2022artist, bread, knead to know, local scene, new musicLeave a Comment

we’re back with our next Knead To Know interview, with the amazing Manchester-based indie rockers Cottons! 🤘

we had Cottons perform for us down at The Old Abbey Taphouse here in Manchester back in 2019, and they absolutely smashed their set, it was a brilliant gig. since then, they’ve been releasing some proper bangers, we’re massive fans of their sound and they’re lovely chaps as well. 😊 one of our favourite tunes of theirs has to be “Disregard The Times”, it’s got a lovely groove to it, proper boss songwriting and the album art is simply gorgeous.

since then, they’ve put out a load of fantastic music, most recently their new single “Time To Leave” – continuing with their calming and mellow indie signature sound, but really moulding their style to create something really unique to them. it’s a lovely tune with their usual classic songwriting, definitely one to catch if you’re a fan of indie or alternative rock. ☀️ we’re proper delighted to be able to have been able to ask them a few questions about their music, find it below!

Tell us a bit about yourselves and what you guys do!

We’re a four piece band living in Manchester, playing a familiar indie sound with melodic verses & driven chorus’. Consisting of Ricky, Jasper, Jack and Charlie, Cottons began by meeting at Uni. We’re currently working on new music that we’re pushing to release throughout the year!

We had you guys perform for us back in like 2018 over at The Old Abbey Taphouse – feels like a lifetime ago now! How has it been over the years in the band?

That was a fun gig. It was Ricky’s first gig as part of the band so that definitely made it a memorable one! We’ve had a quiet few years due to the pandemic but we feel like we’ve developed our sound a lot, the next few songs will sound quite different to our previous releases so we’re excited to see how they’re received! I think Time To Leave has been the first song to move in that direction.

What are your main inspirations for music and creativity?

Lockdown gave us space and time to listen to new music and find new artists, when we all got back to Manchester we would listen together and share demos and ideas we had created. Change of environment is a big thing for us too, a lot of these songs reflect where we were and what we were doing at the time.

How do you write? Do you take a group approach to it, or do you have someone focus on lyrics, jam the tracks out to build them from ideas or otherwise?

Usually one of us will have a shell of a song that we take into a practice room to jam through, this gives us a basic idea then we can work on individual sections and parts. Lockdown forced us to become comfortable with logic, so we wrote a lot on there too and sent bits across to each other.

Did you find it difficult to work together as a band creatively during the lockdowns? Obviously it wouldn’t have been easy to practice together, or did you use other means such as video calls / streams?

We just focused on content really, we did a couple of lockdown covers remotely which did help us grow.

How have you been readjusting to gigging and post-pandemic music over the past few months?

We did a headliner in Manchester, Charlie was sick down an alleyway before we played so as a first gig back not the worst. In all seriousness It was quite nerve racking running up to our first gig back but as soon as we got on stage we remembered why we’re doing this.

When you’re performing live, what do you each find best about it?

Ricky – Jumping off stage
Jack – ‘I don’t know, I just find it fun init.’
Jasper – Riffin’
Charlie – Giving it large

How have your releases been going lately? You’ve been doing videos, putting out some top singles – what response have you guys got from audiences?

We filmed our first music video, we shot it in Derby whilst Boris was probably having a party. The response has been good to the video and helps put some faces to the name. We’ve had some recognition from Dean Jackson on BBC Intro East Mids which has been really encouraging.

Is there anything coming up we should know about?

Yes.

Have you got anything else planned for 2022?

We’ll be playing Bearded Theory in May, it’s our first festival so we’re very excited!

as always, it’s super lovely to be able to conduct these interviews with some of the best talent here in Manchester! we love hearing each artist and band’s unique perspectives and experiences, and Cottons’ here is really interesting in that they used lockdowns and pandemics to focus on themselves as a band, expand out their sound, try new things and it’s really worked out for them! 🙌 it’s a similar aspect to ourselves here at the label, in that we expanded out our online features, which in turn has worked out amazingly and we’ve seen some brilliant feedback from people and really managed to help push the musical community in a positive manner. great stuff! ☀️

brilliant to chat to the lads here, a massive shout to them for helping us with this. ❤️ we hope that you guys enjoyed this as much as we did! make sure you check out their tunes, we’ll pop some links below for you all to have a look at and let us know what you think! 🍞

Find all of our features! ☀️

9th Feb 2022artist, bread, fresh batch, gigs, just the crust, knead to know, local loaf, local scene, new music, The WrapLeave a Comment

just a lil one following yesterday’s post, we’ve got so many incredible features with so much boss music from the North West!

find them all over here on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk – it’s so great to be able to cover so much fantastic music here, and to be able to bring you so many amazing talents!

Knead to Know: Migson Pollock 🎸

22nd Jan 202222nd Jan 2022artist, bread, knead to know, local scene, new musicLeave a Comment

we’re back with our next Knead to Know interview, with the amazing Migson Pollock! 🤘

we’ve known Migs for a while now, having performed across Manchester at open mics and gigs for a few years now and his unique style and focused performances really stand him out as an artist – plus his use of the bow, pedals and loops all bring something new to the able that people don’t often see! ☀️ on top of this, he’s a prolific songwriter with plenty of tunes under his belt and even knows a whole bunch of covers, a great talent!

he’s just put out his debut EP under the Migson Pollock moniker, “New Migs on the Block” which sounds absolutely fantastic! it’s boss to hear these tunes in a studio setting and really shows off his creativity and talent – you can find it on Spotify here. check out our interview below! 🏵

So, you’ve recently put out your new EP “New Migs on the Block” – where did you record it, was it at a studio or at home?

I recorded it at Futureworks Studios in Manchester, with Paul from Tilted Audio.

You’ve moved from Wales to Manchester in the past few years, what are the main differences in the scenes throughout? What made you want to move?

The main reason I moved was to try and give myself a better opportunity to be able to do more with music. Whether it’s from doing gigs myself, or going to see other bands play and meet more musicians. It’s hard to compare the scene between north Wales and Manchester, as Manchester is obviously a much busier place, especially considering its universities and the amount of musicians here, who have countless bars and venues around them to play at. And in North Wales, the facilities and number of bands and musicians just isn’t as widely available anymore. And whilst I love exploring and travelling around new places in Manchester with my guitars, it’s always a great feeling when I get invited back home to do a gig.

We know you have been doing music for a long time now, Migs – give us a little summary of your creative endeavours over the years!

2009 – I first got involved in the music scene, with a punk band I formed called Ugly Fashion, playing guitar and being the songwriter
2010 – I took over on vocals after our original singer had left. (We started as a 4-piece band but remained a 3-piece from there on.)
2011 – the band broke up due to other commitments among the band members.
2012 – I started busking in Llandudno, playing acoustic covers by mainly 60’s and 70’s artists – Bob Dylan, Bowie, Rolling Stones etc.
2014 – Joined a duet with my friend Kiani called ‘The Guitarist & The Girl’. She would sing whilst I played guitar. We did gigs and went busking together over the next couple to a few years.

2014 – Ugly Fashion got back together with a new drummer.
2015 – Went to a recording studio for the first time with the band.

2016 – Ugly Fashion broke up again.

2018 – I started my solo project.

2019 – I moved myself and my music to Manchester.

2020 – I recorded most of the material for my first EP.

2022 – Mid-January, that EP was released.

What are your main inspirations for music and creativity?

Tash Sultana, Sigur Rós, and Spiritualized.
Tash inspired me to start creating music with a loop pedal, Sigur Rós inspired me to create music with a violin bow (not Jimmy Page, as some people think!), and Spiritualized inspired me to create some nice, slow rock songs, whilst still having that cool fort of feel to them.
But also recently I’ve dabbled into a bit of shoegazing, bands like Slowdive. And even more recently, I’ve gone back to my punk/post-punk roots and I’ve re-worked a couple of my old band’s songs mixed with newer influences – the band Crack Cloud for example.

Over the lockdowns and past few years, how’ve you been spending your time musically? (recording, writing etc)

Lonely!

How have you been readjusting to gigging and post-pandemic music over the past few months?

It doesn’t really feel much different to me now. It just feels like a lot of time was wasted without them. But now I’m writing more often, knowing it won’t be too long until I’ll get to perform them live. So it feels like everything I do now is becoming more worthwhile, and they’re not just ideas staying stuck in the back of my head – I’m actually completing them.

We’ve seen a lot of you over the past few months over at open mics and gigs across Manchester – what do you enjoy most about performing live?

Probably getting the violin bow out during the song ‘Lost it’. And although I don’t claim to have the originality in that, seeing the reaction of people who’ve not seen that being done before is always pretty good.
An elder gentleman said to me a couple of weeks ago that every time I play that song with the bow, it was making him fall asleep… I think that’s beautiful.

Obviously, you use quite a unique set-up for your live sets – what made you want to delve into the world of pedals and the such?

Seeing a video of Tash Sultana performing ‘Jungle’ on youtube in 2017. I had seen people using a loop pedal to do guitar solos and stuff before but I wasn’t really impressed. But when I saw Tash performing what sounded like full and complete songs created only on a loop pedal, I was just blown away.
All I was doing musically at that point was busking and doing a bunch of acoustic gigs, playing other peoples songs, as I had no desire to be an acoustic solo artist, so I never really bothered to write any of my own that way. I thought maybe being a loop-artist was the way forward for me too, as I much preferred playing my electric guitars than acoustic.
I told my friend Rico (Ugly Fashion bass player) my idea and he told me he has a loop pedal he would sell to me, which happened to be the same one Tash Sultana started off with. And I guess the rest is history.

Have you got anything else planned for 2022?

Yes!

it’s so lovely to be able to hear different musicians’ perspectives on creativity, how they’ve got to where they are and their influences, and to see the similarities between certain artists and even the differences! ☀️ it’s been great to chat with Migs here, and we hope you enjoyed this insight into him as an artist. we’re huge fans of his music and the EP sounds boss, really worth checking out – we’ll pop some links below for you to have a look at. 😊 a big thanks to Migson Pollock for chatting to us here, and we’ll be back with another interview real soon! 🍩

All of our features and more! 🤘

12th Jan 2022artist, bread, cream of the crop, fresh batch, gigs, grain radio, just the crust, knead to know, live, local loaf, local scene, merch, new music, The WrapLeave a Comment

remember you can find all of our features, reviews, interviews and the such here on our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk!

we’ve got so much stuff on there now, such a lovely collection of North West music – plus we post all our gigs, music, merch and more there too!

plenty of stuff going on at the moment and we’ve got a bunch of fantastic things coming up too.. watch this space!

Knead To Know: Gideon Foster 🥪

1st Jan 202222nd Jan 2022artist, bread, knead to know, local scene, new musicLeave a Comment

here’s our first Knead to Know interview of 2022, with the fantastic Gideon Foster! 🤘

Gideon’s been a regular on the Manchester scene now for a year or so, frequenting our open mics and we’ve had him perform at a few gigs now – the Hebden Bridge-based songwriter is fantastic, with a real knack for lyricism conjuring lovely imagery throughout his songs and even being featured in the likes of Rolling Stone Brazil and other great publications! 😊 he’s released a bunch of singles and even an EP over the past year or two which sound fantastic. he’s able to bring these to life so well within his live performances and we’re stoked to be able to have him on this feature!

Check out our interview below! 🛣

Over the lockdowns and past few years, how’ve you been spending your time musically? (recording, writing etc)

I’ve mainly been writing and recording since the lockdown started, I’ve had a lot of time on my own and music has been my only outlet really. I feel guilty saying this when it obviously caused a lot of suffering for many but I don’t think I would have had the space to write the things I have otherwise, so it’s been a really creative time for me.

What made you want to start making music?

I came to it quite late actually, I’ve always been musical but never wrote a song until 6 years ago then I had a real change in life and discovered music really helped me, so I sat down and started writing songs. It was only really ever intended as a personal thing but a friend suggested I put them on Soundcloud and I mistakenly shared it amongst all my friends on Social Media, anyway people seemed to be complimentary so I carried on! My inspirations are too many to mention really I’ve been very lucky due to my advancing years to have lived through some great times musically but still open enough to appreciate all the new stuff being made.

How have you been readjusting to gigging and post-pandemic music over the past few months?

The main thing has been the ability to get out and do live stuff again after so long and just to be involved in life, there is obviously a lot of caution still around but fingers crossed 2022 surprises us for the right reasons and we can all regain a sense of fun.

We’ve seen a lot of you over the past few months over at open mics and gigs across Manchester – what do you enjoy most about performing live?

Yeah sorry about that! I love meeting people and being able to share the songs and to watch other musicians who have been doing things a lot longer than me, I learn from it.

In the studio what do you usually do to get ready for recording? What kinds of processes do you go through when creating your music?

Coffee, usually followed by putting the world to rights with my producer Si and then seeing what we come up with, the songs are all ideas from me just sitting down with a guitar and coming up with something, and hopefully that initial idea stands in its own right but i think what we’ve tried to do is take that initial idea and say how can we do this a bit differently for a recording. I think the more we have done you just tend to know when something starts to work.

As you can see from your releases, you’re predominantly putting out singles – are there any plans for an album at any point in the future?

Ah album yes! When I started out on this road a few years back that was the plan really just to make an album but I ended up just putting songs out as they were made and we’ve been doing that all the way through but then over the last few months I’ve written a lot of different stuff and I’ve decided to just carry on and put the whole thing out as an album, we’ve got about halfway through it and have just released a song from it called “Fatal Kiss” as a single as a taste of things to come.

When you’re writing, what inspires you the most?

Different things at different times really, observations of life, personal experience, nature, during 2020 I’d just go up the hill behind where I live and sit in the sun listening to music, I listened to Folklore a lot and developed an addiction for mint choc chip ice cream and it just puts you in a good place.

I think things have evolved for me really this all started for me with a spiritual awakening which is something I never sought it was just spontaneous and when I was initially writing stuff I never really considered that as being a subject to write about, but as time has gone on I’ve started to write more about that, “Fatal Kiss” is really about death, but the death of the old me, there’s another song on the album called “Prophecy” which is about a woman stood on a cliff looking out to sea, it’s a dream I’ve had most of my life and has started to make sense over the last few years when I discovered my Grandma used to see the same thing and even though she’s not here I feel like she’s always giving me nudges. So it’s all a bit ethereal really.

How has the past year impacted your relationship with music, creativity and releases?

The last year has been a strange time for me, very introspective for the most part but in a positive way and strangely despite everything going on in the world I’m ok with life . It’s really allowed me to concentrate on music, and getting ideas recorded.

Have you got anything planned for 2022?

Firstly the album, more promotion and hopefully getting out and playing live more, but I’d like to travel again as well, I love seeing new places when I can so fingers crossed things get a bit easier . Other than that, just to be happy really.

It’s so great to see so many different perspectives within music, the influences and experiences that carve a musician’s creativity and Gideon’s is no different! 🙌 Gideon’s drive to perform and create is super inspiring to us and we’re proper lucky to have got to known him this last year or so. We can’t wait to hear his album – each of his singles and EPs have been fantastic so far and we’re sure he’s got plenty more boss tunes on the way. ☀️ a massive shout to him for doing this for us, we love this one with so many intimate and personal details really giving you a proper insight into each of the artists. We’ll be back soon with yet another of these Knead to Know interviews, for the time being check out Gideon’s music below!

So much music here on the website now ☀️

18th Dec 2021artist, bread, fresh batch, grain radio, just the crust, knead to know, local loaf, local scene, new music, The WrapLeave a Comment

ey up we’re so proud of how much music we’ve covered through all the features we do

there’s literally so so much from the local scene here, so many incredible releases from artists here in Manchester, up North and even beyond been doing this for over a year and a half properly now and it’s a real great collection.

head on over to our website at www.breadrecords.co.uk to find it all in full, you’re sure to find something you love – if you want to get featured, drop us an email at michael@breadrecords.co.uk and we’d be happy to sort something out!

Grain Radio

Knead To Know: Tay Temple ☀️

16th Dec 202116th Dec 2021artist, bread, knead to know, local scene, new musicLeave a Comment

We’ve got another of our brand new Knead To Know interviews, today we have the fantastic Tay Temple ✨

We’ve known Tay for a good while now and we’re amazed at how far she’s come in the past few years, even in the midst of a pandemic and global lockdowns, she’s been smashing it and writing, performing and releasing throughout it all.. an absolute machine with so much talent! 😊

She’s been featured on our Just The Crust a few times now with her singles, and our very own michael webster did a lil cover of “Millennials” as well – we love to see it. Her brand new EP “Painfully Aware” is a beautiful collection of Tay’s songs, really giving the listener an insight into her thoughts and feelings, through lovely americana/indie-influenced songwriting, a fantastic band behind her and her usual amazing vocalwork and guitar playing! One of our favourites of the year for sure. 🙌

Check out the interview below!

Having released your singles just prior to, and throughout the pandemic, how was it to be able to put out your EP once things had opened up again?

The whole thing has been a bitter sweet experience. I released my debut single ‘Millennials’ back in March 2020 just before everything kicked off so it was really bad timing. We recorded the EP over 2019/2020 so when it finally came out in October this year I wasn’t as attached to the songs but I’m still so proud of the final product.

What kinds of things did you do to prepare for recording?

I’m a perfectionist so I record every rehearsal then listen back and pick out instrumentation parts I like – lead guitar riffs/ bass lines / drum fills etc. I also write out all the lead sheets for each song, as well as the lyrics, bpm, key signature, harmonies and a few other things. Basically I like to be as prepared as possible.

Have you got a favourite song from the EP, if so.. How come?

I think I’d have to say ‘Ladybird’ because it’s just such a significant song to me and the societal obsession with female beauty is something I strongly disagree with. I mean, I even got a tattoo of a ladybird. If that’s not commitment I don’t know what is haha.

What are your main influences within your songs – artists, music, the general world.. Lots of things often come into it!

I’d say the general world / politics are definitely a major influence on my writing, if not the main one. But I also write a lot about my own experiences because channeling my emotions into songs is basically my coping mechanism.

How has the past year impacted your releases, creativity and relationship with music?

If anything it’s made me realise just how much I need to perform. Having that taken away really impacted my mental health and made me question my whole identity so it’s safe to say I’m over the moon that I’ve been lucky enough to have multiple gigs this year.

It’s also made me so much more appreciative of the wider industry roles that don’t always get the limelight; Live Sound Engineers, Promoters, Booking agents, Venue owners etc. Without those people, artists like myself can’t put on shows so they are just as important and it’s a shame they don’t always get the credit they deserve.

What do you find most enjoyable about music?

When I first show my band something I’ve written and it all just starts to click. That’s when I know if a songs gonna work or not. It’s one of the most euphoric feelings – I just love it.

Is there anything else we should know for what’s on the horizon for Tay Temple?

I can’t reveal anything just yet but we have big big plans for 2022 and I’m just so excited for it all!

It’s fantastic to see such an insight into Tay’s music this way, and we couldn’t agree more with her on the under-appreciated areas of the music industry; and also with regards to the need for music for not only getting your thoughts out there, but with relation to creativity and self-care. Her attention to detail is super inspiring and we hope that you guys can take something away from this for yourselves! 🤘 a massive thanks to her for doing this for us, amazing stuff. 😊

We’ll be back soon with yet another edition of our Knead To Know interviews, in the meantime check out Tay’s music below! 🍞

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcfPVNHCDGs

Knead To Know: Dr Fabola 🥐

2nd Dec 20212nd Dec 2021artist, bread, knead to know, local scene, new musicLeave a Comment

We’re back with our lovely Knead To Know feature, in a brand new format – we’ve put together an interview with the one and only Dr Fabola! 😊

we’ve known Dr Fabola for a long time now and he’s only gone from strength to strength over the past few years – with absolutely brilliant songwriting and guitarwork that is so intricate and lovely, it’s fantastic to see him putting out so many releases and songs. ☀️ we were hooked when we first heard “Sweetest Thing I Know” and we’re huge fans of his upbeat and positive songwriting style.

his new song “Autumn Dream” is super lush, maintaining his signature fingerpicking style on guitar, with gorgeous soundscaping around him and a lovely soft vocal from the man himself. 🤠 a perfect song to put on during these cold winter nights!

we’ll get into the interview now, shouldn’t we?!

So, tell us a little more about your latest release, Autumn Dream!

Autumn dream came on on Friday, 19th Nov, right in the middle of the Autumn season. I wrote this song as a sort of escape from the unfortunate events we’ve encountered in the last year and a half. We’ve been through an unprecedented couple of months, a harsh winter, an unusual spring and a summer that seems to have flown by. Now we’re entering Autumn and as we look forward to things getting better, I’d like to escape from the harsh realities and seek solace in the pleasures of the season – taking long walks in nature with loved ones, basking in the golden bliss, taking in the crisp cold air and just living in the moment. That’s my Autumn Dream, that’s what this song – this seasonal ballad – means to me.

What are your main influences within your songs – artists, music, the general world.. Lots of things often come into it!

My music has been influenced by so many musicians over the years. Bob Dylan’s story telling, Passenger’s fingerpicking, Tallest Man on Earth’s stage presence, Jack Johnson’s calming vibes, Jason Mraz’s sweetness, I could go on, but you get the idea. It’s all been a blend of my favourite folk, blues and pop musicians overtime. In general, my inspiration comes from everyday life.

How has the past year impacted your music and releases, or even live gigs and the such?

There are fewer venues and opportunities for gigging now due to the pandemic, but in recent weeks things have started opening up again, which is nice. Also, due to a lot of the closures, I’ve not done as much recording as I would have liked, but it’s all good because I’ve been fortunate enough stay creative and write alot, so the next time I’m in the studio, the problem will be choosing which songs to record 🙂

Which of your songs are you most proud of, and how come?

Something Good is one that I’m quite proud of. Sweetest Thing I Know is quite popular on the local scene as well. To be honest I think my best songs have not been released yet; some have been recorded and are going to be released in a few months so you’ll just have to wait and see 🙂

With regards to recording and studio time, how do you come into your own – what kinds of things do you do to get into the mood of recording?

I do a couple of breathing exercises to warm up my vocal cords. I also warm up my body (sometimes I do stretches or a few push-ups) to ensure I’m not too cold or stiff. Once my body is taken care of, I then need to immerse my mind into the music and get in the right headspace. It’s important for me to feel the music, the emotion, the vibes we’re trying to create in the studio, because if I don’t feel it, the recordings just won’t come out right.

What’s your favourite part about music – be it playing gigs, writing songs, collaborating with others, and how come?

I enjoy the creative process, writing songs, seeing them come to life in the studio and releasing them into the world. I also enjoy playing live, maybe this is my favourite part actually, being able to engage with an audience, share ideas with them and see how they respond 🙂

Have you got anything coming up that we should know about? Any gigs, music videos, more music, etc?

My next gig is at CPH for LongStoryShort on December 2nd. I’ve also got plans to release a few singles in the new year, and there are more music plans in the works as well. More info coming soon 🙂

well, there we have it 😎 amazing to see such a lovely insight into Dr Fabola’s world. make sure you head on over to his Spotify and check out the new song – it sounds proper lovely. we’re super stoked to have been able to put together these interviews, let us know what you think of them and we’ll be back with another one super soon! 🍞

Interview with Charlie Smith 🙌

21st Oct 2021artist, bread, live, local scene, new musicLeave a Comment

we went and did a lil interview with the lovely Charlie Smith the other day!

chatting about streaming sites, the running of the label, and our open mic nights – it was lovely to be able to discuss what we’ve been up to and the local scene a massive thanks to Charlie for sorting this out for us!

you can find the full interview over on The Riff at https://medium.com/the-riff/beneath-the-crust-of-bread-records-41d8c17edd5 – let us know what you think!