The “DIY” band partially credits their family, Echo and Paul McCartney, for their success.
Steve Penn, 35, from Crosby, and Kenny Stewart, 39, from Aigberth, are the key player and vocalist of The Heavy North respectively. The six-piece's unique sound has gained attention in recent years, and the band will be playing several Merseyside shows this year, including Birkenhead Live.
When asked to describe the genre of the sextet, the pair said they couldn't remember the name, but that they had taken it from a critic who used to work for the ECHO. Steve says, “This was actually a review from someone who wrote for Echo months ago. They described the heavy metal sound as 'dive bar blues' and we liked that.” Told.
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“So we stole that from the revue and called our first EP 'Dive Bar Blues.' So from then on we've been kind of a blues-rock, maybe blues-garage-rock band. Ta.”
The Heavy North was formed at the end of 2018. Other band members are guitarist and producer Jose Ibanez, fellow guitarist Jack Birch, bassist Andrew Horrocks, and drummer Mark Rice.
Steve and Kenny were interested in music from an early age. Kenny said: “My friend's brother had a band, and I remember a big group of us going down. We all wore Lacoste tracksuits and went to see it. I We were just like, “Wow, that's so cool.” We were all really excited. I think it was two weeks later, and we were all planning to go to guitar lessons.
“But I've always loved music. Growing up, my mom was always into soul music and Motown. My dad was into the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Fleabag, Mach, Paul Weller. I had a good musical background from an early age.”
Steve said: “I think I owe my mother and father a lot of credit for my interest in music as a child. My mother and father used to go to Cavern clubs together and get involved in the Merseybeat scene. I was of the generation that participated. My father has a photo of Paul McCartney from his school days hanging in his loft, and he's in it too.”
They both attended Liverpool Institute, now LIPA, at the same time.
Steve added: “When I joined my first band, I think I was about 15, and Kenny was the singer. We were mainly doing cover songs and a few gigs in pubs. For 10, 12 years. I never expected that we would come full circle and now be in a band together again.”
Despite being a self-described “DIY” band with no management or a lot of money, The Heavy North have enjoyed considerable success in recent years. Steve said: “While we are essentially professional musicians, we are largely independent in the sense that we don't necessarily have a management team or label behind us.
“But we've been very lucky to have played at some notable festivals over the years. We played at the Kendal Calling Festival in the Lake District last year and it was my It's been a really great opportunity for us, and we've also done some touring with some international bands, including Dirty Honey, who came over from Los Angeles earlier this month.
“I think we've slowly built up a strong following in different kinds of cities in the UK. We've done some touring ourselves as well. We're a DIY band, after all. We retained a lot of creative control over what we did, and that worked really well for us.
He added, “It's been five or six years since we started working together, but we're not at odds with each other and we still have fun writing and performing.”
Kenny said: “Everything tends to come back together in terms of the production of the album and the merchandise itself, but everything tends to go right back into the pot. So being in a band is a tough job to be fair, so that We're lucky that we're not actually shelling out a lot of money in terms of points. But you know, we could be even luckier.”
Tonight at 6pm, The Heavy North releases their latest album, Fire in the Furnace. The album was recorded live at The Heavy North's local headline show at Baltic Camp and Furnace on December 1st last year. The band performed as a large 14-piece ensemble featuring the Northern String Quartet, brass section, and backup singers.
As for why they are releasing an album of live shows, Steve said: A lot of people have said in recent years that Heavy North is a really tight band and a really powerful band live. And for those who need proof of that, or just want to hear it for themselves, this live album is an opportunity to really address that.
“I think it's a great thing that bands of our level don't often get the chance to release live albums, because some of this stuff is reserved for bigger bands with labels, management and distribution deals. Because it's normal.” But the fact that we have the skills within the band, especially Jose, to be able to mix and produce a live album makes us feel confident that our fans and followers will receive it the same way we think it will. hoping. ”
The Heavy North aren't necessarily shocked, and feel their experience in the music industry has kept them calm. Kenny said: “I don't think this is surprising, but I think a lot of us are very easygoing people. We're a little older, so we really appreciate every little success we have. ”.
Steve added: [about] Be down to earth and realistic about what you want to achieve and the experience you want to have with the band. I think my expectations have definitely been blown away over the last few years, with the opportunity to fly overseas and people paying for the flights and hotels for us.
“I never expected to get to that point, especially in a relatively short amount of time. Going back to when we first started, it was basically me, Kenny, and Jose getting together in the studio and having a little jam. I was watching what would happen.
“That's when we got together, and five or six years later we put out some self-released albums, did some touring and international shows. Like Kenny said, we took every opportunity we got. We are very grateful. We realize that we are not 18, 19-year-olds who can just leave school and immediately jump in the back of a van and disappear.
“We all have our own lives and responsibilities and families and jobs, but what's important is what we can accomplish and the experience we'll have by being in a band together.”
Fire In The Furnace is available for pre-order now and will be released next year.You can find out more information here.
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