Posts tagged newcastle

Bands are usually a group of like-minded creative people who share an ambition to make music and share it with whoever will listen. This is certainly the case with Newcastle’s garage rock band “The Green Hour“.

In the back of a empty but warm Blue Bunny Café in Newcastle, on a particularly rainy day, which is where I caught up with a third of the band.

Unfortunately, Steve Gordon The Green Hour’s drummer was unable to make it. However vocalists Scott Young, Guitarist Nick Hodgson and Bass player Dan Murray were happy to talk, for what turned out to be more than an hour and a half about the ins and outs’ of the band.

Amongst the banter and occasional off topic tangent the various points of discussion were of course the EP and future plans for the band as well as an unexpected revelation.

First off some background, The Green Hour formed in 2010 and since then have been perfecting their garage rock sound by playing anywhere and everywhere in Newcastle.

Currently they have released their debut EP “Dance The Pony Blues” which showcases the sound they have been striving to achieve as the band explains, “ We have our style now, we wrote a load of songs but the last five are the ones on the EP.”

Drummer Steven Gordon

However they are not planning to stop just there but are instead thinking about acquiring a keyboard player to further develop their psychedelic and garage rock sound.

As well as this fans can expect a range of music from the members of the band from blues to even electronic music, “We have been discussing the idea of spending the summer recording loads of stuff under different names as well and try different things. “ And they have already started with Dan and Steve forming their side project 15:47 and promising a release in late August.

They went on to say, “but we still want to play a lot of things as The Green Hour but that’s the best part of The Green Hour, playing live…the music sounds its best live.”

This need to make more music and be create has made the band more aware that they want to be heard not just in their patch, “ It would be nice at some pint to spread out through the North East first. We have played everywhere in Newcastle, probably twice, we want to do a bit of Sunderland and Middleborough before starting to think about London but Scotland would also be a good place to start.”

Guitarist & vocals Scott Young

Although they sound cautious about spreading their wings and moving out of the local music scene just yet it is clear they have their sights set on London. As they explain to me why, “The thing about London, it’s the way forward, some bands have come out of London make us think we should be down there.

“Playing down there is the only way of getting anywhere. Bands from London who play up here like Milk were abit boring but because they were from London they got the exposure and that’s just what we need. You gotta go there eventually – Manchester as well.”

Yet as well as the music each member is or has plans to go back to University, Scott studies Forensic Science, Nick wants to go back to English Literature and Dan to do Music Technology. This leads us to the title of the interview, “Hip-Hop loving scientists” technically that makes Scott the mad rapping scientist. However when asking them who they would to support I stumbled upon their love for rap, “Kayne West, that would be sweet … we are mad about Hip-Hop, don’t know why we bother with guitars.”

I am glad they picked up their guitars rather then the mic but it just shows you the diversity of the bands tastes. For if it takes singing to Kane West in the music booth to record the new music they are planning then each to their own. As long as  they keep producing music like the tracks on their EP “Dance The Pony Blues” I am sure London one day will be calling.

You can read my review of the EP Here. 

Words Ruth Edmundson