Sounds of Bristol 2018 - Farebrother
Posted on: 22 Feb 2018There’s a huge array of creative talent in Bristol, and whether its music, art, design or anything else, 365Bristol wants you to know about it. With that in mind, we present the Sounds of Bristol series: a detailed look at some of the brightest musical talent in the city right now. This week we sit down with Tom Hunt - frontman of indie-rock four-piece, Farebrother.
Poised for a busy year in 2018 after the release of two singles in August and December 2017, Farebrother have spent a large part of the past month-and-a-half in the studio, recording demos and putting new music together. Although they’re primarily based in Bath, Bristol has become something of a stomping ground for the band, having played a number of shows in the city since starting out back in 2014.
Made up of frontman Tom Hunt, Matt Day on drums, Michael Vowell on guitar and bassist Owen Stephens, Farebrother bring together a mix of different musical backgrounds with a shared emphasis on guided storytelling and thought-provoking composition. “We never want our songs to become routine in somebody’s ear” Tom says. “We hope they sound different every time”.
The four all had different experiences with music in their early lives, but all grew up around it. Whether it’s going to a particular gig or picking up the right instrument at the right time, all four members have been involved in music their whole lives - Tom explains that “between us we draw from lots of different influences”, and believes that the variety adds a unique substance to their sound.
“We all grew up listening to different things. Michael and Matt were shown bands like The Eagles and that sort of thing revolving around their instruments. Owen was a big indie fan growing up – I think Kaiser Chiefs was his first gig – so he really knows the inner workings of great indie songs. I grew up around a lot traditional Jazz and artists like Don Mclean – the kind of music that was centred around big voices and great storytelling”.
As for their own sound, Farebrother’s releases to date combine distinctive drums with dynamic vocals that are somewhat reminiscent of Catfish and the Bottlemen frontman Van McCann. Tom describes their instrumentation as “something that bounces off things that we hear on a day-to-day basis”, and says they love their older influences and classic bands, but are constantly discovering new music and open-minded to finding inspiration from anywhere.
The band have drawn comparisons to a few other acts in the past, with people picking similarities between them and acclaimed indie outfit Editors as well as a slightly more unusual comparison with U2 – each to their own, I guess. Regarding the Editors comments, Tom’s only recently got into them, but is pleased with the feedback. “It’s ace to be compared with a band I enjoy as much as them”.
In their three-year lifetime, Farebrother have already got a few accolades under their belts, with more to come in the years ahead. They were over the moon to be given radio plays on BBC Introducing last year and Radio X a week ago, as well as playing a wider variety of live shows over time. They received a “great response” following their set at last year’s Dot2Dot festival in Bristol, and recently played their first headline show in London. “It’s things like that that really resonate with us”, says Tom. “We can really feel the progression and love seeing people from the other side of the country enjoying our music”.
In terms of future goals, the band remain open minded and want to maintain their focus on growing and developing their sound, reaching as many people as possible and, hopefully, creating some life-long fans. The next few months will see Farebrother play a number of local gigs as well as performing a few more in London, so it may not be too long before they amass a sizeable following.
Their most recent work has come in the form of recordings and demos for their latest batch of singles, due for release in the coming months. “We worked with Josh Tyrell (Rockfield Studios), who is someone we met a long time ago when we first started recording. We’ve got on really well and really liked his style so have kept him close. We took our time to pay as much attention to detail as we could with these tracks and it’s really paid off”.
At present Tom and the band are putting final touches to their current project, and preparing everything that goes along with it – music videos, album artwork and the like. They’re getting creative with their work, he says, getting everything together and lining it all up.
In a competitive music scene in Bristol, Tom relishes the busy nature of the band’s surroundings, glad to be based somewhere with so much opportunity. “It’s a great community in Bristol so there are chances to launch your own show around every corner, and the option to support the touring bands that come through so often. You’ve just got to stick your thumb out and get involved really”.
Recent Bristol shows at Hy-Brasil Music Club and Thekla have been beneficial for Farebrother, jumping at the chance to support the likes of Glass Peaks and Baby Strange in the past. Tom highlights Thekla as the band’s favourite venue in the city to play live, having performed there back in 2016.
When the band aren’t playing, they rate The Crofter’s Rights as the best spot in Bristol to take in live music. “There’s a great atmosphere in there when it’s packed out” Tom explains. “But to be honest, there are plenty of top venues to watch live music, so our favourite could easily change from day to day!”
When asked about his and the band's favourite hang-outs in Bristol, Tom says anywhere around the city centre is a regular spot for them. “Three Brothers Burgers was an old ritual where we always used to go before a gig".
"In terms of Bristol as a whole, it’s nice and relaxed while being non-stop at exactly the same time. There’s never a dull patch and you can always feel like there’s no rush, but something’s always happening so you can take your time to pick and choose your moments to make yourself heard”.
Farebrother's next gig is at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen with YVES on Friday 9th March. Tickets are on sale now and can be found here. Their next headline show is at the Sebright Arms on Sunday 8th April, with tickets on sale here. To keep up to date with upcoming releases, and to find out more about Farebrother, visit the band's website or check out their Facebook page. See below to listen to Farebrother's latest single, A Little Late, on Spotify:
Article by:
Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.
