Earlier this week, one of our regular performers Finlay Leslie released her first single of 2023, with Frazer Mitchell on production.
The song is called 'Bubblewrap', and captures Finlay's amazing vocal ability, along with a hugely catchy melody line. We asked Paul to catch up with Finlay to see what she's been up to. Paul Harmer: Hi Finn, Welcome! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview! Firstly, welcome to 2023..Its early days I know but January tends to be a bit of a let down after the festivities.. is 2023 so far what you expected..any resolutions that have 'done one' already? Finlay Leslie: Hi Paul, thank you for having me! 2023 has been a lot slower than I expected it to be, i have to say. I haven’t actually made any resolutions for this year, as I just knew I’d never stick to them. Paul: I know you have been part of Antix for a while and I am sure you have picked up plenty of tips and tricks, but when you look back to before Antix, at the point where you decided that music was going to be that big thing for you, what have been the biggest lessons that you could pass on to yourself back then and that you could share with budding beginners..give us a good, a bad and an ugly! Finlay: I wish I could have told myself to take every opportunity you get given. They don’t come around as often as you may think! Also, to appreciate any bit of help that someone has taken their time to give you. Paul: Lana Del Rey recently advertised her new Album in just one part of America on a Billboard in her Ex's hometown (drops mic!) so its safe to say that our songs tend to be quite personal and you can often get an idea of what something is about by the title - How did your new single 'Bubblewrap' come about and can you give us any juicy details about what or who it is about? Finlay: My songs in particular are very personal to me. I find it very hard to write lyrics if I think too much about the words or meaning. I’d say I definitely write through feeling other than thinking. Bubblewrap is about the insecurities of a new relationship. Being scared to give someone else the power to break your heart, but it’s too late.. you’ve fallen.. they have the power. Paul: 'Bubblewrap' sounds comforting in a protective kind of way or over comforting depending on what way it was intended..If this was a 'Hero' track (comforting) what would you call the 'Anti Hero' B Side!!? Finlay: Sharp and pointy objects??? 😅 Paul: Ive listened to your back catalogue and I would describe your sound as 'Rock Chic' more so now than your earlier stuff, but how do you see your style and are there any other styles you would like to mess around with that you haven't considered before? Finlay: This is something that I’ve always been stuck on. When someone asks me what genre my music is, I just say “Acoustic”. Which really could mean any genre, just played on an acoustic guitar! When I’m writing, it almost feels like I have no control over the song, I’m just the one writing it down. So they really just have a mind of their own, and it takes someone like Frazer to add his magic and make the sound come to life. Paul: Your track Reality from 2016 reminds me a lot of early 'Parachutes' track 'Shiver. The Cliche question would now be who would you absolutely love to work with but with the rise of 'Supergroups' I need to know who individual members of your band would be, so Drummer from one band, Guitarist from another and so on... Finlay: Ooh this is a hard question. I love so many bands and singers that it’s almost impossible to choose. Zac Farro from Paramore on Drums - they have been my favourite band since I was 12 and love zacs fills and sound. Ross Macdonald from The 1975 - another favourite band of mine. Lucy Spraggan on guitar as I would love to share the stage with her again. Charlie Simpson as backing vocals as he just has one of the best voices I have ever heard. Paul: What would you have in your Rider (dressing room comforts!) Finlay: Vodka with half pineapple juice, half water. Paul: I know you have worked alongside Frazer on 'Bubblewrap' and having worked alongside him myself, he is genuinely one of the good guys. Is there anyone local that you haven't yet had the chance to work with that you would love to..lets make it happen!! Finlay: Frazer is for sure one of the good guys. He is super fun to work with and makes recording just so easy! To collab with Lloren (Lauren Bannon)! Her voice is incredible and she’s such a genuine person. Paul: What is happening for the rest of 2023..Album, more track releases? Finlay: Frazer and I are going to be working together on more songs this year. Still undecided on whether to record an album or just individual singles. But yes, more music is in the works! Paul: Finally, thank you so much for taking the time to take part in this. How can people access your music and live performances? Finlay: Thank you so much for having me! My tracks are available on all streaming sites. I post regular covers and live streams on TikTok and my Facebook page is the best place to go for info about gigs! You can find them all here on the link below https://linktr.ee/FinlayLeslie
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As the new year starts to take shape (according to Twitter, we’re already 6% through the year!) - new music from our artists is starting to be released.
Kick starting the year is Weymouth based singer / songwriter / acoustic artist Hamish Jeffcott - a regular performer for the Antix Music Network, especially at The Gloucester, as well as performing festivals, pubs and clubs around the Dorset area. This week, he released his single “From My Knees”, and plans to release more music in 2023. We caught up with Hamish to see what he's got going on. Frazer Mitchell; Hey Hamish, good to catch up with you in the new year, and congrats for being the first artist on the roster to release original music in 2023! Hamish; Thank you very much, it is exciting to be releasing music again, it's such a good feeling and I think this song in particular means so much to me. From My Knees was written about the struggle of not being able to speak your emotions but hoping others will see your pain and reach out the hand to help you, a feeling I am very familiar with! FM; So, tell us what you’ve been up to recently. By the looks of your socials, you’re constantly busy! Hamish; Yes, I like to keep myself busy. I am slowly but surely pulling myself away from the cover music scene to try and push my original music more but even still gigs have been coming in thick and fast which is great! I have been focusing lots of time and effort into my original music at the moment, so even though sometimes my socials may seem a bit quieter there is lots of work happening behind the scenes. FM; So, you said in a private message that you were planning on releasing plenty of music in the next 12 months. Is this the first time you’ve released music, or do you have a back catalogue? Hamish; Yes, I have lots of music written that just needs to be recorded and released. A lot of it has been written and sitting there for a very long time, I am a perfectionist when it comes to my music and I always find that I don't want to release it unless it is perfect, but a recent shift in my ideology has made me think the world needs to hear this not just my mum and so its best to start releasing again. I have released two solo EP's in the past, also an album and an EP with my old band mate Ben Waller. But all of those were a few years ago. FM; So what do you have to look forward to in 2023? Do you have many gigs lined up? What’s the goal for the new year? Hamish; Well as you said I have a few gigs at the Gloucester courtesy of Antix, so thank you kindly, but otherwise there will be a lot of focus on recording and getting the original music underway. I really like the style I have found and want to push it hard this year. The more content I can pack together the more I have to show festivals and agents to hopefully get more original music gigs. I want to release a song a month (On average) so twelve songs in the span of the year. But hopefully I should be able to push out more than that, especially with other projects I have on the side as well. I am in talks with Ben Waller about writing together again which I can't wait to do as it is like a house on fire when we are together. And then my wife and I have an album or so worth of really good material to be recorded and released. FM; Well I wish you all the best for the new year, and hope you keep us up to date with the new music you’ll be releasing! See you at a gig soon! Hamish; Thank you very much, will see you soon. Check out Hamish’s new single From Your Knees here. |
AuthorSFrazer Mitchell - Producer, DJ, and Events Coordinator at Antix Music Network CategoriesArchives
October 2024
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