Our ‘Track Of The Week’ is by Liverpool five-piece The Heavy North. Last Monday they released their brand new single ‘Darkness In Your Eyes’ which is also the first single off their debut album which is set to be released at the end of 2021 (how exciting!). We’ve had the pleasure of interviewing the band to get to know a little bit more about them and ‘Darkness In Your Eyes’.
‘Darkness In Your Eyes’ grabs the listeners attention straight away with a punchy drum beat with is soon followed by the most amazing funky guitar. Soon frontman Kenny Stuart’s vocals kick in creating the amazing sound that is THE HEAVY NORTH. You can definitely expect to see lots more from the band over the coming year.
We asked The Heavy North a couple of questions, here’s what they had to say:
You released ‘Darkness In Your Eyes’ last Monday, how has the reception been so far?
We’ve been blown away! Darkness In Your Eyes was released on Monday, and by Friday the track had picked up over 5000 streams on Spotify and loads of playlists, reviews, radio play. It’s been hard for us to keep up with it all, but we’re made up.
We also ran a competition on release day to give away our last signed test pressing copy of our Dive Bar Blues 12” vinyl EP and two tickets for our sold out hometown headline show at Jimmy’s Liverpool in November which seemed to go down really well too!
The whole response has been amazing, and thanks to everyone who’s bought, streamed and shared the single this week.
You’ve spoken a little bit about how ‘Darkness In Your Eyes’ touches on the themes of loneliness and isolation. What else influenced you to write the song?
As soon as we heard Jose’s riff we knew Darkness In Your Eyes had to be a single. Some people have said it’s got a similar feel to Queens of the Stone Age or The Black Keys, which isn’t a bad thing because they’re definitely two of our influences.
Kenny’s lyrics seem to have resonated with a few people too, and despite it being a bit of a dark theme it’s also been described as a “floor shaking stomper”.
Loneliness and isolation has had a massive impact on people during the pandemic. How have you found being a band during the last year?
The past 12 months has been so challenging for everyone, but as a band we feel we’ve made the best of a bad situation.
Looking back over the year, we’ve managed to release 3 singles, self-release our first ever vinyl EP (‘Dive Bar Blues’) and even squeeze in a live-streamed performance from the iconic M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool back in August – so all in all, not a bad 12 months despite not playing any ‘proper’ gigs!
‘Darkness In Your Eyes’ is the first single from your album set to be released later this year. Can you tell us more about your album?
Well the first thing we can reveal about our debut album is it’s not finished yet! Secondly, we’re hoping to release the album towards the end of 2021 and we have a few more singles coming over the next few months – including our next release ‘No Good’ which we’re really excited about
Finally, we’re pleased to reveal that our debut album will also be available on limited edition 12” vinyl – similar to last year’s debut 4-track EP ‘Dive Bar Blues’, but a full-length LP this time!
You’ve received national coverage from the likes of the BBC. How much does coverage from such a massive platform help up and coming bands?
It’s so important for bands and artists at our level to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible, and we’re really grateful for all the support and coverage we’ve received across the UK and beyond – especially from our local BBC Introducing in Merseyside with Dave Monks who has been really supportive of our latest single.
Whether it’s a tag on social media, a press article or review, or someone playing our tracks on a radio – it all makes a big difference and we appreciate everyone who has helped us with Darkness In Your Eyes
The band have massively been involved in the twitter scene which has exploded during lockdown. How have you found this for up and coming artists?
It’s been crazy! We’ve always tried to keep active on our band’s social media, but we definitely underestimated the power of Twitter! It started off during the first lockdown when we released our “breakthrough” single Lying To Yourself’ (May 2020) and we were invited to be part of a playlist ‘listening party’ on Twitter by Dan Potter, using the hashtag #DPHappyHour.
Since then, we’ve started using Twitter more and more and met so many like-minded fans, DJs, promoters and curators on there. We certainly wouldn’t have sold over 250 copies of our debut vinyl if it wasn’t for the Twitter community.
For all negative press that social media brings, there’s still so much good that comes from it .
You are from Liverpool; how does it feel being a band from such a famous city that has had so many talented musicians come out of it?
We’re fortunate enough to have a great music scene in Liverpool and there’s so many great artists, venues and promoters we’ve worked with since we started out just over 2 years ago.
We’re also lucky to be quite well-connected with other bands and artists in the area, which is partially down to Jose’s studio as he works with a lot of new and upcoming bands as well as established artists across Liverpool and beyond.
What other up and coming bands have you been listening to?
There’s so much good music knocking around at the moment.
Keeping it local, we’ve been listening to some established bands as well as some new ones from around Liverpool including Columbia (as you know!), Mondo Trasho, The Merchants, Cult Icon, Michael Robert Murphy, Silent K, The Fernweh, Bobby West, The Cubical, John Dean, The Peach Fuzz, Aimee Steven, The Shipbuilders, Red Rum Club, Eyesore & The Jinx – basically far too many to mention! If you’re not familiar with any of them we’d suggest checking them out.
There’s been some great bands from across the UK too who we’ve shared a stage with over the past two years who we listen to, like Shredd from Glasgow, and Black Doldrums from London, Cut Glass Kings from Stourbridge. Prior to the lockdown, we also supported Temples and Saint Agnes in Liverpool who are also boss bands and worth checking out.
What have you got planned once restrictions start to ease?
Like everybody, we’re looking forward to seeing our mates and family without restrictions and also having a proper pint together too. Of course, we’re looking forward to playing live again.
We’ve got a few festival dates lined up and we’re hoping to play a few UK dates too, but our biggest show of this year will definitely be our sold out hometown show at Jimmys Liverpool on Bonfire Night (Friday 5th November).
Make sure you keep up to date with The Heavy North on socials for all future announcements:
Home – The Heavy North | Official Website & Online Store
Facebook: @theheavynorth
Instagram: @theheavynorth
Twitter: @theheavynorth
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