The 4 piece form Teeside are rocking it out with their love of music and have released their debut EP 'Times a Factor, Kid' last month. All members shine in their music all offering an interesting dynamic that makes up the Leopard Rays sound, which has a great blend of 90's rock inspired sounds. Here we spoke to Luke from the band about the recent EP, the origins of the band and what is coming from them (very) soon!
I looooove the band name, it feels so classic and different! How did the band name come p
So, When I (Luke) was in Sea World Orlando,FL I stumbled across a ray pool with every type of ray imaginable. There was this really big one though, found out it was called a Leopard Ray and that was it, lightbulb moment there and then.
On an individual basis, what musicians inspired you to pick up your instruments and then eventually songwriting?
As a band, we love rock music. Especially the likes of Foo Fighters (Luke), Smashing Pumpkins(Sean), Alter Bridge(Sean), Nickleback (Dave). They’re kind of the big ones, 90s rock is kind of our bread and butter when it comes to drawing influence.
‘Easy Tiger’ was your debut single, it feels very 80’s rock in the guitars! How was the song written and what was the experience like releasing your debut single?
It came together really quick, in the space of about half an hour (alongside Out Of My Chest) the chords and lyrics were written. Then next practice we all worked out some parts and boom, two new songs. We were all on edge, didn't really know how it was gonna go down but at the same time it was ultra exciting.
It seemed like you guys had a lot of music ready to put out! ‘Out Of My Chest’ being the third single in a few months, it has a very bold and epic scale to it! The guitar is really impressive, very rock and arena like. How did that song come about?
As mentioned in the last question, it went through that process. When it came to recording it in the studio, we drank a load of coffee and really put our heads together when laying guitar parts, the song needed to be bold in that sense.
How are the people around you and support you? Do you guys find it important to have a good solid base to help you get your music out there and elevate the band for new experiences? What was an early memory of the band that is looked back fondly on?
Locally, our scene in Teesside is incredible for support because everyone gets on so well and genuinely enjoys the music. It can definitely help a band that's starting out when it comes to pushing for these new experiences and sticking with and supporting your roots is a very healthy trait to carry on through your carry. A really good early memory was playing Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre, incredible to play a stge of that physical size.
‘Moon’ has a 90’s sound that sounds so brilliant! I heard some Foo Fighters in this one? It’s also one that made me think about what it would be like hearing live, how important is playing live for you guys?
I can see why you heard the Foo in it *chuckles*. We’re massive fans of Foo Fighters and truly admire their sheer energy on stage and in the studio. Playing live is critical for us, we use it to connect with our fans, blow off our own steam, get better at playing our songs as well as road testing new material.
How did the opportunity come about to record the EP ‘Times A Factor Kid.’. Also what a great title name!!!!!!
We had a bunch of songs that (we thought) work very well together on playback. With that we decided to bring out a EP, kind of just went into the studio with the EP mindset to begin with actually. Thank Tom (Bass) for that…...
The song of the same name stood out for me on this EP, how was that song written?
It started off with the intro guitar which I (Luke) jad for a while and then when the rest of the music came to be written we needed some lyrics. Tom sent me the line Time’s A Factor, Kid and boom the lyrics came flooding to me.
Are you as a band conscious on wanting to try and mould yourselves to stand out or is it something that is not thought about much?
Oh yeah, definitely. We feel that if we are pushing ourselves to stand out and do great things then it’s probably making us better musicians during the process.
Its been a month now since the EP has come out, wha have you guys been doing and how did you feel like the reception was like, obviously hoping for more a normal release I bet!
We’ve been working on something new that we cant wait to tell you about….
Over the moon, we put a lot of effort into this release and are glad people are listening and enjoying.
How has writing going, could we see something in the near future?
Very very well! Keep your eyes peeled at the end of October....
To finish off, how are we feeling about the uncertainty of I’ve music currently? Is there anything in the pipe line for a gig soon?
We have some festivals booked for next year so we have every intention to play live as soon as possible and when possible we wanna do it big!
Comments