Weekly > Interviews
The Little Black Hearts
Leeds is bursting with brilliant bands at the moment, but very few can match the intesity and live experience offered by Rich, Benny, Dave and Mart who make up The Little Black Hearts.
They are starting to gain a real following now and if they can keep going like this it’s only a matter of time before the right support slot comes along to blow them wide open to a bigger audience.
We’ve got them coming down to play at one of our Beat Surrender presents nights in Leeds on the 31st so we caught up with them to find out a bit more about the band.
You’re playing at our night on the 31st Jan, what can any of our readers expect who haven’t seen you live before if they catch you at that or any of your other shows?
Well we only have 30 mins to win them over so we have to give it everything. First gig of the year, new lead guitarist so expect some hard n fast, dirty rock n roll. It’s gonna be like a punch to the face but something strangely sexual about it!
What’s been the best gig you’ve played so far in your career?
Gotta be the Bingley Festival last year. Big stage, big crowd and massive sound. Worked so hard to get that opourtunity and we did ourselves proud. It gave us a taste of where we want to be on a regular basis, so we know we have to keep grafting, keep writing and most of all keep believing in what we set out to do…all that and a touch of luck and sure we’ll have more days like that!
And the worst?
The ones when you’ve worn out your friends like a drug dealer, then couldn’t be bothered to promote it, you’ve fallen out with your manager and some twat promoter has a go at you because you didn’t bring 100 people with you to a town you had never heard of on a Monday night!
We’ve played our fair share of weird shows, Runcorn on tour a year ago really stands out. Benny drove us down from Glasgow overnight, he took 40 winks in the van as the rest of us braved the locals. We returned to find someone had parked their car right in the side of van and nearly sent Benny through the front window..not a good start. The venue had a steel cage across the stage and a 10ft drum riser. Things started to pick up when about 200 young rockers showed up.. but then the heating broke. It was that hot in there that everyone just listened from the road outside, we played to about 5..crap!
As well as the relentless gigging you’ve been getting your name about in other ways too such as the CD you gave out at Bingley Music Festival etc, does it feel like things are building for you now?
It is starting to, every new tune and every gig feels like step in they right direction. We do play a lot of shows but we have to or we’ll be forgotten about. Unless you have some serious chart success, playing live is the only way a band will make a living, so if we can step it up a level, at least we’ll be ready.
How healthy do you think the music scene is in Leeds at the moment?
A bit too healthy at times! There’s so much talent knocking around that does it make it hard to stand out. As if its not hard enough being a local band then we get all these amazing bands moving to Leeds and nicking our shows! The scene might be getting a little saturated but at least more venues are opening so should be room for everyone.
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Add to favouritesWhich bands are exciting you at the moment?
We’re all blues rockers so Them Crooked Vultures is as exciting as it gets for us. Detroit Social Club that we played with at Bingley are gonna be huge. With Rage getting to No1 it’s pretty reassuring knowing that people still want big rock n roll riffs.
Do you have any recording and release plans for 2010?
We’ll be recording with James Kenosha in a month or so, loads of new material to get down. Think the next release will be a freebie, maybe a 4 track EP in March. It’s important that everyone gets to hear us at this stage so can’t rely on a few downloads on itunes! Just uploaded a live favourite ‘Firecracker’ to our myspace so download it for free at www.myspace.com/thelittleblackhearts
How do you stand on the recent file sharing debate?
Right now yeah, go for it pass our music around your friends and spread the word. But long term, it means the bands we love just won’t be able to afford to make music, so we’ll be just left with whatever Mr Cowell wants us to hear. We’re paying for all the money grabbing record execs that had to format everything 5 times over to drain money out of fans. The only way it’ll come back is if people want the art work as well as the music.
Picture courtesy of Claire Morris.
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