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kittyrob0t · 1 year

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I used to think that I didn't wanna get anymore cats because I couldn't bare the thought of seeing them pass. And yet, Lucky's passing has only made me love him even more, more so that I want to love even more felines in my lifetime.

I remember looking for someone to come with me to Binangonan, somewhere I've never been, via commute and was so shy to tag anyone along with my personal shenanigans and possibly undiagnosed savior complex. But alas, when I saw him in person, all of my thoughts felt small. He was eagerly eating the treats I was giving him, but probably because he must've just been hungry as hell and I was just a stranger giving him treats outside his cage.

So I'm here, typing this - seemingly cheesy essay, Like a Star by Corinne Bailey Rae, as I do when one loses a pet. If you haven't jumped on the wagon, you really should save this song for future purposes. I once rode an MRT when I found out, another adopted kitten of ours died and I was crying, mask wet - playing this song in my phone, adding only to the existing agony that was already there. I have so much to do, that even when I was recommended to take a leave, am still doing things I shouldn't even do considering I just lost a child. And I can't help but feel like I'm disrespecting Lucky a little bit because I'm not even dedicating all my hours to crying and sitting still.

And I have, earlier today; as I sat in a room with his body. Imagining that his stomach is slowly moving up and down, even when I know damn well he's gone. I really thought he was gonna be with us forever. Even in looking for places to move to, I always wonder about getting one extra room just for my cats, even if they'll choose to sleep there more than in mine.

He's such a nice soul, I wished people got a chance to get to know him. And even when it got old before pretty fast about people saying that even when he looks a little unlucky, he brings luck to people and to be honest, I'm only really ruminating in that thought now. He truly made me feel Lucky to have been his home before he passed. I wish I could've given him more. And I feel so sad because I know there's so much more I could've given him.

Lucky was so nice, and funny, and sweet. And even with the months prior of him living the way he's lived with his previous owner, he still was very sweet when we got him.

I remember the first time he was making biscuits; it was in my room, on a pillow that I wished was my leg. I wanted him to trust me so badly. I also remember not wanting to get attached to him the first few weeks, because I was so worried that with the strain of illnesses he had, I won't even be able to get him out the vet. But alas, he persevered, and we did too, all because he was showing so much promise. I really thought that all of his struggles were done, and that even when he did, we were stronger enough to handle it. It was so fast, like a quick rain on a summer day, a few stations in train transit on a weekend. I even saw them as my mom carried him in the carrier on the way to the vet, what I thought would be another day of worry but with the promise of him home by dinner. It feels incredibly heartbreaking bring home an empty pet crate. I will never look at it the same again.

I love him so much, so much. So much that I understand rich people when they make a foundation over their losses, because I just know that if I was part of the 1% it's another gig I'd pull. I want him to live forever. The house feels empty without him, Ponkan and Melon have been looking for him when we came back, and they were just starting to become friends. It sucks that he's gone without me. I know people often caption their posts that they're running free or whatever, but I can't help but feel depressed knowing I won't even get to see it.

Dear Lucky,

I know you'll never know how to read, let alone even see this (I don't know how optimists do it), but by some miracle you ever get to, I want you to know how much I love you, despite me staying long hours in the office and only ever being to hang out fully on weekends, when even then I feel like I'm busy still. You're one of the best things that has happened to us. I only wish that you feel the same, and that we've been a joy to be around in your final days, that we've made you feel alot better being with us, that you feel alright sleeping and waking up in a home with us. I wish that you felt loved by us, that you felt accepted. I will always cry at the sight of your pink tent. Now I'm crying like a whale because of writing that. I want to hug it and smother myself with it. I'm happy for all the times you let me pet you, feed you and even hug you even when I feel like you're out to bite me. I never cared. I love you so much I don't know what to do with it. You were so young. I only wished you were were happy during your stay with us that it felt like a lifetime you'd never forget.

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amphibeans · 7 months

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October 2 - busyhead

Hey hi ! This blog post came out on Monday instead of usually on Sunday. Very sorry if you were excited to get a new blog post of mine that day, but I was really really really busy this weekend and couldn't finish this blog in time. Currently writing this Monday evening actually. The title of this week's blog post is dedicated to some friends of mine who are big into a musician named Noah Kahan. They recommended me a ton of their music and started listening to him to see what all the fuss was about. Today (reminder that it's a Monday I'm writing from) I listened to his debut album 'Busyhead'. I loved it a lot, it's lush folk pop and it reminisces feelings of nostalgia to me. I am quite the victim of nostalgia, so that's why this appealed to me in a big way. Shout out to my lovely friends who recommended me this, I hope to meet them sometime. Listen to the album here

My first experience working at a venue

The big event I did this week was working at that venue I've been chatting about for the past week. Well that day came and went and was awesome, nay scratch that it was legendary ! Let me get you an overview.I arrived at the venue after taking a 2 hour train ride to there and it started pretty quickly getting ready for my job, which was stagehand. What that includes is basically building and breaking apart the stage for the acts that were playing; which were two bands and a DJ booth. The band (which was Glasvegas) arrived at about the same time that I came to work, and I helped with getting their material upstairs to where they were set to perform. They were very nice, just 5 dudes (4 were the band, one was their sound techician) from Scotland having certain doubts if people were ever to come to their gig or not. Their show sold about 300 tickets, and I'm confident most people came in the end.

Glasvegas performing on the tiny stage of the club surrounded by spectators.

Back to setting up however, it was extremely fun and interesting doing this for the first time. Setting up cables, giving the band their material, seeing it all being built in front of me was awesome. It took us about 4 hours setting everything up and at that point most of my work was done. Another band, The Christian Club from Belgium, came in later but couldn't set up their stuff due to Glasvegas having tons of technical difficulties with their soundcheck. In the end the Belgian band only had 30 minutes to do soundcheck before they were set to perform.

The Christian Club perform their aura in the Club (not Christian).

After all that was finished I ate some dinner with the latter band and they went on to perform. They were honestly really really good and I also bought a tape from them. Pure vibes, and the main singers' voice was deep and pure. I unfortunately couldn't see Glasvegas' complete set because I needed to catch the train back home. It's a bit of a bummer because the songs they did perform were bangers, and I would've loved to stay.I had an amazing time and I hope to do this more often. In fact my next one is already planned as of writing.

Halloween creatures?

With Halloween around the corner, I have decided that it's finally time to start releasing some new music again. And it's coming in the form of a reimagining of an earlier track. One of my favorite tracks I've ever produced is 'Pumpkin' from my debut EP. Before I made the track I was figuring out how to create the perfect string arrangement plugin to use to program violins. At the time I didn't know how to play the instrument (I can do it now but still with a bit of trouble) and was fighting teeth and bone to create something that sounds like it. One day, it finally worked out, and the end result was the track. My vocals weren't as fresh and lush sounding back then, and my singing was sub-par. With this reimagining of the track I'm hoping to fix this issue.

The cover of the new single, I took the photograph.

It's gonna drop on Oct 26. And it's gonna start a brand new era in Acacian. One thing that not a lot of people realize is that all my songs are connected with each other. I got hugely inspired by twenty one pilots and their huge lore that they have and I decided to do the same for my projects. Just for clarification, CALMUS is not connected. The story of Acacian that I'm trying to tell is really deep, and it's still in a lot of its early stages. I think once I have an album this will become more and more clear, but for now what I can only tell you is that it's inspired by tons of folklore I read and that the things happening in the songs aren't quite as real as you might think. They're inspired by the abstract dreams and ideas I'm having everytime a revolution happens around the earth. But to answer the question of a brand new era in Acacian, it's coming. A new story is forming. One with a lot of creatures, and one which will take some time to write and to conceptualize. I'm taking my sweet time with creating this new world, and I hope that in the end it'll be worth it for you reading this blog. Thank you by the way for reading, you are very special to me.

A look back at September

To end this blog post I wanted to look back on what I've accomplished in September. I want every last day of a month to be a sort of thinking point on what I've done that previous month, and to see what nice and not so nice things I've done to take with me next month. I want you to try and do the same. Think about the things you've done this month. Most people tend to look at the bad things they've done and not the great things they really accomplished that let them grow as a person, so I want you to focus on the positives. Of course, we shouldn't disregard the negatives, but see them as opportunities to learn. For me my positives can be big and small; the big things I've done is starting this blog and working for the first time in a setting I'm comfortable with. Small things for me are going out with my family to a couple theatre shows and enjoying being with them. For things I want to take with me to approve are definitely my school grades for math and get better at starting routines. I still struggle immensely with getting everything on time, having a schedule, and believing more in myself. I want to work on that more and that could be my focus for this month. Writing down what you want to change about yourself or what you want to stay the same helps you to better understand yourself and know what's really going on when doubts start to arise. I hope that these tips might help.

I took this photo after my parents and I went to a musical. It was awesome. The sun shining was a nice touch.

Song of the week: I Might Bore You. by milk. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have an amazing spooky month. - Acacian

#blog #student life #lifestyle #music blog #musician #photography #musicals #new music #concert

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sebstanseabass · 3 years

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Afterglow (A Bucky Barnes AU fan fiction) - Chapter 3

Afterglow chapters

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

A/N: Thank you all so much for the support you've been giving to this fanfic!

CHAPTER THREE

It was a day of sunlight and cold smoke in New York. The clouds split above towering buildings, the sun shining in its full glory. You left the apartment earlier, scared to wake Bucky up, only for him to wake up to his stepbrother's roommate creeping up on him in the morning. You pushed Bucky's face at the back of your mind. Perhaps he just looked like someone you've seen before or you've bumped into. Who knows? New York is a pretty big city.

With your airpods plugged in, and your phone in your hand, you started running on the streets, greeting some people with a smile on the way, ignoring the pain on your head. There was Millie from the flower shop, Bob from the woodshop, Rex from the coffee shop, and Colin the friendly street beggar. After five blocks, you didn't know anyone anymore. Just some strangers on the street you see from time to time but never interact with.

Already nearing highway streets, you slowed down your pace, careful not to crash into some bikers or worse, these honking cars rushing to get to their 8-5 jobs. There was a pang of relief that rushed over me as you stood on the other end of the street, waiting for the walk sign to turn green. It was one of the things you loved working in a bar and handling your own photography gig. You weren't answering to no one and rushing to work like these angry hooligans. You both worked in the evening and on your own time. Steve wasn't a bossy boss who yells at his staff. He was just like one of you guys, but unlike you, he had a sense of leadership.

And you get to run every morning -- even though there was still a throbbing pain on your forehead. Peter will never be able to persuade you to go work in their company or in any company for that matter. But you must commend him for his unwavering determination.

You stopped at a convenience store after rounding a few more blocks and bought a bottle of water which you've finished right in front of the cashier who found her phone more interesting -- or perhaps she was just used to some girl finishing a bottle of water in mere seconds.

"Hey, where's the trash?" You asked. The trash can beside the counter wasn't there. She just shrugged and popped her bubblegum.

You walked away from the store, knowing all too well that she wouldn't say or do anything past chewing and popping her gum.

Right across from where you were standing was a tall, elegant white hotel adorned with golden flecks of some kind of shiny paint, which you remembered was Bucky's. It stood twenty something stories tall and wedged between a coffee shop and a pizzeria. On Sundays, whenever you and Peter would walk past it, he'd never forget to remind you that it was Bucky's "empire." It was no Chuck Bass empire but you must admit, that was one fine hotel.

You crossed the street and stood in front of it, a way of slowing down your heart rate just a few beats low. You were just about to cool down, anyway.

You admired the engrossed name of the hotel on the archway that led to the lobby: WHITE WOLF with a wolf headstone right between it, like the one in The Arcadian. A memory of Peter telling you how Bucky renamed it came across your mind. Before it was White Wolf, it was the Golden something. Apparently, Bucky was in a safari somewhere north or south? Maybe west. You honestly can't keep up with some of the stories. Somewhere in the face of the earth -- he was on a safari and came across a gorgeous white wolf with fur as white as snow, eyes as blue as the seas and skies. Bucky swore the wolf looked right into his soul. That was implausible but it did give him a good name for his hotel. He repainted the whole beige building white, standing out from the other buildings around.

A woman with no shoes made you tear your eyes away from the beautiful wolf headstone, screaming Bucky's name. You stepped aside and leaned in on one of the archway posts. There was a muffled noise coming from her. You removed your airpods to listen.

"...the hell is Bucky? You! Have you seen that son of a bitch?" She approached the valet boy. He shook his head no. Then she went to the uniformed man on his post or was it a podium?

"I haven't seen Mr. Barnes, madam."

You could tell by the sly look on the man's face that he saw his boss probably running down the street and taking a cab, but before even stepping foot on the streets, Bucky probably told not to tell.

The woman's lips were smeared with red lipstick, hair disheveled and was wearing a man's clothing, probably Bucky's.

Was this the thing that happened at his penthouse?

"Okay, I'm just gonna wait for him in his penthouse. If you ever see your boss, tell him I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes, madam."

She went back in, hips swaying along with her blonde hair, not giving a damn at the strangers staring at her as she walked towards the elevators.

The uniformed man caught your eye and you gave him a small wave and a smile. "Crazy morning, huh? Okay, bye."

You chuckled nervously and walked away as fast as you could back to the apartment.

When you got back, Bucky was already up, eating something out of a bowl while watching something on the television. You ignored the memory of you staring at him as he slept safe and sound earlier.

Without looking up, he spoke: "Weren't you supposed to rest?"

You grinned as you walked towards the kitchen, and prepared a protein shake. Suddenly forgetting the wound on your forehead. It didn't hurt as much now.

"I don't listen to Parker." You answered. "I never do."

You set your airpods on the kitchen island then grabbed a shaker, poured in some water and dunked a scoop of protein powder inside. You shook the whole damn thing while approaching Bucky.

You stood beside the couch and faced television. It turned out he was watching some old cartoon.

The image of his hotel flashed before your eyes. "I ran past your hotel today. There was a woman looking for you."

He almost choked on his cereal. You could feel his head look towards in your direction but you ignored him, enjoying the chase between Tom and Jerry on the tv screen. "Can't believe this is still on tv." You commented.

"D-did she say something?"

"Kept shouting your name and stuff. Called you son of a bitch and all that." You stopped shaking the shaker then took a big gulp. "I hear she's planning to burn down the White Wolf into the ground." You stifled a smile, letting the liquid stay in your mouth for a little while. "Then find you and take all your money away."

He groaned, picking up on your tone. "Not funny."

"All of that was true except the last part, though." You finally let out a laugh then looked at him who now had his eyes back on the screen. "So, you leave your girlfriend alone up there? Then come here?" You would've said it was pretty low of him but this was Bucky. You knew he'd done worse.

"She's not my girlfriend."

"She's a girlfriend?"

"She's nothing but a one night stand. Don't have a girlfriend." He sighed, putting down the bowl. It turned out it was cereal he was eating. Cartoons and cereal. Wow. He really did act like an eight-year old. "Then after we... well, you know, she suddenly told me she loved me. I was drunk! Then I felt this rush, like a panic, then when she was fast asleep, I didn't know what else to do so I came here."

You knitted your brows and kept your gaze on him. Last night, he told you guys it was a long story. A thing came up. "That wasn't a long story."

"I was hammered and real sleepy. For me it was a long story." He replied.

You just laughed in response, then walked towards your bedroom. Before you could even finish your drink, Bucky shouted for your name. You yelled for him back.

"Will you come with me to the hotel?" Bucky's voice was loud but small. Like a child asking to go to the playground. It felt more like it with the muffled cartoon noises in the background.

You stepped out of your room, finishing the rest of your drink. A big gulp. Then you pouted at him. "Want me to drive away the scary woman?"

Instead of responding with a simple yes or a slight nod, Bucky shot you a wide smile with his shoulders up, making an accidental flex with his lean tricep muscles on both of his arms, and squeezing his chest muscles while he was at it. He held it for too long that veins were starting to show.

You diverted your attention from his muscles to his face. He tried to look cute as a button but in your view, he looked strained. Yet his smile never wavered. You finally agreed to go with him as long as he took a shower first, telling him he reeked of alcohol.

"Are you always this mean?" Bucky said, but his voice was light and not at all heavy or dark.

"Pretty much." You snickered before going back inside your room.

You were sitting on your yoga mat -- just finished some few stretches -- and watching some tv show on the HBO channel when Bucky came out of the bathroom. A towel hung low on his waist -- you didn't even bother to look at his toned details so as to not freak him out with all the staring since you've been doing that a lot since he'd arrived. You focused your attention back on the screen.

"Were you just working out?" He asked, ruffling his hair.

"Just some yoga." You shrugged.

You let him borrow an oversized shirt of yours. The entire time, he was behind your in your room. Bucky attempted to make some small conversation while you were rummaging through your stuff. "Cool space you got here. You photograph?"

"Yeah." You replied. "It's probably not convenient having a studio space inside my room but Parker and I couldn't afford a three-space bedroom, so yeah."

"It's still pretty cool." His response remained.

Your room was bigger than Peter's since you had to have your studio corner. He wasn't a space hogger or anything so he let you get the bigger room. You had little decorations in your room except for a few photos of college friends, old roommates, and you and Peter, a clock on the wall, some band posters from the 70's like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, and the lights you needed for your studio corner. On that side, on the other hand, had more things to offer. Products from previous projects and all the stuff you needed for taking photos like lights, backdrops, tables, a bunch of chairs, and whatnots. Then the walls were just plain white. Yet Bucky still managed to explore around until you found him an oversized shirt.

You threw the shirt towards him. He managed to catch it on the air without looking at it. A quick reflex.

"Do you have some of your photos here?"

"They're in the bar downstairs." You replied. He looked at me with both eyebrows raised, asking a question with his face. "I work there as a bartender and my boss lets me put up my photos on the wall."

"Well, I'd love to see them."

"Actually, there's a shipment coming this afternoon. There will be no people. You can come with me then." You paused. "Unless you have other plans?" There was a part of you that wanted Bucky to have no plans this afternoon. You had a feeling he didn't. You wanted to trust your instincts.

"I have nothing going on." Oh good. "I can show you how I make a mean drink while we're there." Bucky smirked then put on the shirt which had a Rolling Stones logo on the front. He looked down on it and shot me a smile. The shirt still fit him, hugging all his muscles but it was better than Peter's clothes who wear the tightest fits on earth.

"What do you think?" He asked, showing you his fit while still having the towel draped around his waist.

"You look like a rockstar." You blatantly replied. "And hey, I can also make a mean drink. Really mean."

"Please I make the best ones, doll."

"I'll be the judge of that."

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes smut #bucky x y/n #bucky x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes story #chapter 3 yay #bucky fanfic #fan fic #fan fiction #bucky barnes fan fiction

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secondhandnewsradio · 3 years

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SHN INTERVIEW: Sleep Walking Animals

by Claire Silverman

photo: Ryan Hall

Sleep Walking Animals, the indie-folk alternative rock band from Manchester, England, have just released their self-titled debut EP. Since SHN first interviewed the band at the start of the year, they have released two more singles, started playing live shows again as restrictions opened up, and have announced a co-headlining tour around the UK in October. At their EP launch gig at the Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden on the 20th of September, they performed their new music to a sold out crowd.

CS: Congrats on the EP coming out. When we spoke back in February, you mentioned your plans for the EP, so it’s very exciting that it’s here now. How are you all feeling?

Tom: Like it's about time.

Jack: “Angus’ Fool.” “Wild Folk,” and “Dance Laura Dance” are on the EP, so we started recording this EP in October 2019. So it's been a big process, and the EP is kind of about that process.

Tom: We didn't want to release things until we were happy with everything, because we did record enough songs back in 2019 to go on an EP. But in post [production], we were a little bit concerned that they weren't all up to the standard that we wanted. It was our first time in a studio together as well when we recorded those songs, so we needed to practice, we needed to get together more and get more experienced in the studio. Then we ended up going up to Stockport and using a studio called Green Velvet Studios and we laid down five tracks, three of which are on the EP.

Jack: So, yes, excited.

photo: Ryan Hall

CS: Is there an overarching theme across the EP?

Tom: It feels like it's very much about things that have happened to us in the time it took to put the EP together, and things that have inspired us enough to write about, you know, various introductions to people, to new experiences, illnesses, life events that sparked something within us to try to make a good song out of.

Jack: The whole EP spans across when we started the band in 2018 right up to now, so a lot of the songs are about growth and change. But the songs are about our growth musically as well, which is a nice kind of coincidence.

Tom: “Angus’ Fool” was the first song we ever wrote together, so the EP spans from our first song together to things we were writing in lockdown. So like Jack said it’s a span of two and a half years.

Alex: “Native” was written after we played Farm Fest [this summer].

CS: So now that you have more music out and have started to establish your sound, how did you figure out what genre of music you wanted to make?

Alex: It's funny, you just mentioned “Native” and I think that was the point that pushed us to fatten up the sound a little bit. I mean, the style of the song made us realize that we can push it a little bit more. And we have a few like one recorded songs, which are definitely a lot more rock-y.

Tom: We're inspired by all sorts of different bands as well. And, you hear it said a lot but a lot of great artists steal from other great artists and that's how they become great, so we're taking influences from people that we all listen to. So this is why it's hard whenever anybody asks “so what kind of genre of music do you play?” I can never really answer that because it’s changing all the time.

Jack: But I was saying to Bill the other day, (he's not officially in the band yet but he kind of is. He's the drummer who played with us on Monday) we've never really spoken about what genre we want to write. We didn't speak about influences, particularly.

Tom: We're just going with ideas. We all have our own little pockets of interest that we bring to the table and I think that’s what makes out sound quite unique

Alex: When someone brings something and then all of a sudden there's so many layers on top of it, which are coming from all kinds of different directions. And it's just hard to put your finger on what it actually is. But it's cool and we like it.

photo: Ryan Hall

CS: It seems as though COVID restrictions are kind of mostly lifted here in England. At least, concerts are happening again. What's that been like, through the pandemic till now, and being able to play live shows again?

Tom: It’s been a massive relief, really, it means that we can get out there and get some gigging experience, start playing our stuff live. It's a completely different beast to be in the studio, it’s a completely different skill to have. And the more we do it, the more we’ll improve, and the more people will respond well to our gigs. There is such a massive impact from a live gig that you don't get from sitting down and putting your headphones in and listening to the Spotify track. You get the performance, you get the live engagement with music, and with the people on stage. That's just palpable.

CS: Since you're all performers, you're all actors, how do you think your other stage experience impacts your music?

Jack: That's an interesting one. Because I think the three of us are definitely coming out of acting and want to follow music, solely. Obviously, Tom, you both really well. [Laughter] And Nuwan’s also still following both. It's just something that when we are playing live, and it's going well, and there aren’t any technical issues, that we can just give ourselves completely to that moment. And I think that's easier for someone who has trained to do that, which is kind of what we did at drama school, I guess, to give yourself to the moment,

Tom: Yeah, there are great artists and performers, actors, musicians who haven't haven't gone through a formal training process. I think it's actually more important than training. Personally, I find the two things very different, being onstage as a member of Sleep Walking Animals and being on stage or on screen and being an actor in a role. I think the only similarity for me really, is the fact that when we go on stage as Sleep Walking Animals, I feel myself put on a character. I'm not Tom, I’m whatever else that is.

Jack: John. [Laughter]

Tom: I think we all do that whether we realize it or not. Because we'd be crippled with anxiety and insecurity and all the other horrid things that sort of flood into you when you're onstage performing in any way, you know, those don't happen or they sort of diminish if you put on that guise. So I guess that helps in that sort of transition.

photo: Claire Silverman

CS: You mentioned Farm Fest a bit earlier. What was it and how did it come about? And how was it?

Tom: So Farm Fest is a new, upstart festival that myself and my girlfriend Lottie host and organized. It's on her childhood farm and it's something that Lottie had wanted to do for a long time, to use that land to provide a space for a festival, entertainment, camping. We started it a couple years ago. There was that little bit of time between lockdowns where we got a weird freedom in the summer of 2020 and people felt like it had kind of gone away. Luckily, we all collectively know a bunch of musicians and comedians. It started small and then this year, we did it again. We charged a bit more money for tickets, and we are getting bigger and better. It feels like it's sort of gaining a bit of momentum. And it was the highlight of our year, we got to perform on a mainstage with a great sound set up. For us it was a big crowd to play to who all knew the songs and were singing along. It felt like a real festival, right.

CS: You guys are pretty active on social media, at least on the Sleep Walking Animals account. You guys don't always take things super seriously, which I like. What’s your approach to using social media? What do you think of it?

Jack: I wish we didn't have to. I think we probably all do realize the importance of it because Instagram is pretty much the only way of promoting anything, which is so fucking sad. Yeah. And I thought today, because Joe and I are reading a book about Joy Division and the start of the punk scene stuff, and they didn't even have t-shirts, because they wanted to stick it to the man and that kind of thing. But you just can't do that now. It's just like times have changed and there’s so many bands and so many artists that you have to be on it. Like, it will only be a matter of time before we go on to TikTok.

Tom: As an unsigned band without management or label yet, you know, we're left to do it on our own. Like Jack said, it's our only way of letting people know about our music. We might as well try and enjoy it if we've got to do it.

photo: Ryan Hall

CS: Now that the EP is out, what are your future plans for the band?

Tom: World domination?

Joe: Recording.

Tom: Yeah, more tunes. We've got quite a few unrecorded ones. Keep doing what we're doing, really, following the footsteps of the people and bands and artists who have inspired us. Just keep going with it and see what happens. We're not putting immense amounts of pressure on ourselves. We do it because we love it. We do it because we think our music is worth pursuing. Yeah. Just see where the wind takes us.

CS: And you've got a tour coming up in October.

Jack: Yeah, a UK tour. It’s a co-headlining tour with Polary and My Pet Fauxes. So we're playing in different cities and we're all sharing the headlines slot and supporting each other at the different venues.

Tom: The 17th of October we're playing Leeds at Oporto, then on the 18th at Dublin Castle in London, the 19th we’re in Bristol at Crofters Rights and then the 20th at Night & Day in Manchester.

CS: Good luck for those shows and again, congratulations on releasing your debut EP.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Listen to Sleep Walking Animals’ debut EP here

Follow the band on Instagram Twitter Spotify YouTube

sleepwalkinganimals.com

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sftswigan · 4 years

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Wigan band, Rivver, join us for a chat about their debut single and plans after lockdown...

Alright lads, how are you doing and can you just give us a brief insight into the band, who plays what, how you formed etc.

Matthew: Yeah man we're doing good so we're Rivver we're made up of Matthew Barber on vocals and rhythm guitar, Danny Harrison and lead guitar and backing vocals, James Snow on bass and synth, and Tim Glynn on drums and pads. We formed when Barber, Danny and Tim were sort of thrown together by a mutual friend and then after struggling to find a bassist for a while, we decided to get Snowy involved and we've gone from strength to strength since.

Yeah it seems like you’re name is getting out there more and more which is great to see. You recently released your debut single Elena earlier this year, what made you record and release that particular track?

Tim: At the time it was the one we felt most confident playing live. For me, the lyrics are solid too which I think would resonate with a lot of people and interpret them differently. We also loved the lead riff from Danny and it just became the obvious choice at the time for us.

Seems like a good enough reason to release it then, would you say it’s a popular one amongst your fans? How have the gigs been going since you started? What’s been your been your best gig so far and why?

James: I'd say it is a popular song among fans simply because it's what some people know us for. Regarding gigs I feel our gigs are just getting better and better as our confidence and stage pressence grows. My personal favourite gig was studio 2, in Liverpool in February this year becausse of the amazing atmosphere and venue.

TIm: Yeah studio 2 was my favourite as well

Is that the footage you have online as a teaser for what will be your next single? What would say are the bands musical influences and what are you all listening to at the moment?

Matthew: So the footage that's out at the moment is a song we wrote in February called Smile Back, it's something we're definitely working on and getting ready but it's not going to be our next release. WIth the next release we're keeping our cards close to our chest, there's no footage or recordings of it available yet aside from those we as a band have, the only tease we have given is the name is Essence and we're hoping to have it ready soon.

Danny: In terms of bands influences I’d probably say popular bands from the 80’s such as The Smiths, Simple Minds, The Cure and New Order musically we also derive some influence from today’s indie scene with the likes of Foals, Bloc Party, Catfish and the Bottleman and The War on Drugs.

Matthew: I'm always listening to different stuff like I'm loving some of the music coming out of the Wigan scene by the likes of the Stanleys and the Flechettes but that'll be intercut with some stuff like Panic at the Disco so its a real mix-mash for me.

Tim: I have been listening to Sea Girls, The 1975, Kings of Leon, Don Broco and Bombay Bicycle Club, but also Post Malone, Future and Swae Lee, I like Rap and dance tracks because I can be diverse and creative with the drum beats when playing along.

James: I listen too a lot of different music from ska too metal but some of my biggest influences as a bassist are mötorhead and muse.

Danny: I’m always listening to a mix of bands like Kings Of Leon, HAIM, Fleetwood Mac and the Cure and sometimes the likes of Magic Numbers and even ABBA. For artists I like to listen to Jimi Hendrix, Peter Green and Prince.

That is quite a mix but having kind of diversity in the band can give you lots of options of where to take your music. Love hearing about how you, Matthew are enjoying some of what Wigan has to offer. I see a lot of people talking about the music scene in Wigan. What do you think about the Wigan scene at the moment?

Matthew: it's crazy the amount of top artists we have around here now, I only really started to recognise what was going on when we started to gig. Our first show in Wigan was at indiependence and I think that's what showed me how much talent wigan had to offer from the likes of the Facades, the Flechettes, The lilacs, Pink shirts for pale people and Jack Connah. And since then it's sort of opened my eyes to bands like the Stanleys, garden party, island dam and others so it's a real privelege to be part of this scene that seems to be packed with top artists and bands.

Yeah it’s quite a long list of bands isn’t it which is great. A good variation too as we’ve also got bands like Shallow Waters and Dirty Circus.

So I’d imagine your very eager to get back to where you were before all this happened. What are your plans as soon as it’s safe to do band stuff again?

Tim Yeah we can't wait to get back into the studio and play some of the gigs we had coming up pre-lockdown.

Matthew: Yeah we just can't wait to get back at it.

How many tracks can we expect to hear and which studio will you be going into?

Matthew: You can expect around 4-5 songs to be coming out in the next 6-9 months, as mentioned the next one is called Essence and there's a video of Smile Back on our Facebook from a live show which is on of the next singles but as of now it's all early stages on the other couple we've got in the works. In terms of the studio we're still in the process of making that decision.

Lots for the band and your fans to look forward to. I’ve read in other interviews with bands that they’ve been able to skype/zoom etc song ideas to each other. Have you been able to do this and if so have new songs come out of it or have you just jammed songs you’ve already got?

Matthew: We've mainly been keeping in touch with each other via messenger and WhatsApp, we tried to do a zoom practice but it didn't really work for us. But the second any of us had any ideas we put them straight in the groups we had and worked on individual parts from there. The other thing we mainly benefited from is that Danny's good at using logic on his mac so we've ended up coming out of lockdown with some new material.

That’s handy isn’t it having some recording knowledge in the band. Good to hear how bands have been able to still carry on and come out the other side.

Ok last question before we do the last feature...

Why should people listen to Rivver and where can they hear your music?

Danny: Anyone that has a taste for new music, in particular new indie/rock should give us a listen, we also have a nice element of “tip the fedora” if you like, at classic 80’s sounds as well. We are currently available on Spotify with our first ever recording ‘Elena’ a very driven, upbeat indie rock track.

There’s definitely a hint of Smiths in there, a great band! 'Elena' is a really good track and found myself singing it around the house the other day!

The last feature is 4 quick (one for each member) questions. Just a bit of fun really.

Danny - Lennon or McCartney?

James - Custard cream or Bourbon biscuit

Matthew - Tea or coffee?

Tim - vinyl or Spotify?

Thanks lads for answering my questions, I’m really looking forward to future Rivver releases and for you hopefully play at one of our gigs soon.

Danny - McCartney based on divine intervention because molodies came to him in dreams

James - bourbon

Matthew - Pint, because I don't drink tea or coffee

Tim - Spotify for how easily accessible it is

Matthew: Thanks for having us Dave and we can't wait for the first Sounds From the Street show we're at.

Bands/Solo acts that would like an interview please get in touch with us [email protected]

#Rivver #wiganmusicscene #SFTSWIGAN #interview #Indie #Postpunk #Garagerock

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