PLEASE TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
Leaf UK are a four-piece rock band from Stoke on Trent (the bumhole of the Midlands). We are a bunch of angry old men with a taste for a massive riff, a hook from hell and lyrics that will make you wonder if we should really see someone to talk it over with. I am Colin, short, angsty vocalist and we have Jarad on guitar, an insanely heavy riff-master, Mark on drums whose technicality is astounding (and he works us hard in rehearsals) and the beautiful Daz on bass, a giant who makes me look even smaller and has tightened up the bottom end considerably.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM OR SINGLE
We have gone for something different with MMXXIII, ‘2023’, where we are releasing one track a month for twelve months. We thought we would try something out of the ordinary, and it means that people see us metamorphosing as we release, rather than a samey sounding set of songs released in an urge to get an ‘album’ out. With each of our releases you see incremental changes, which I kind of like.
WHICH SONG WOULD YOU SAY SUMS UP YOUR SOUND THE BEST?
Get Back On My Feet Again (to be released in September) - a fusion of the grunge sound reminiscent of Soundgarden, combined with the relentless intensity of Turnstile, infused with the raw anger showcased by Cleopatrick, and the infectious sing-along quality akin to Blink 182 and the Foo Fighters. Picture this and you'll come close to grasping a feel for our musical style and this song epitomises what we are about.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO MUSIC?
70’s glam was the thing that first floated my boat. I loved The Sweet, Gary Glitter and the showiness of it all. The poses, the hair and the stack heel boots made me want to be a 'rock star’. However, it was AC/DC and Highway to Hell, my first album (on cassette!) in the early 80s that made me wake up and say, “I want to play guitar!”, so I did and have not really put it down since (I should be a better player considering!). When those chords strike up, that is the tone and the feeling I want even to this day - it sends shivers down my spine.
WHAT DOES TYPICAL WRITING AND RECORDING DAY LOOK LIKE?
We don’t really have a typical writing day as the inspiration can come from rehearsal jams or I might bring in an almost completed song, but our secret is that we are very self-critical. We analyse all our songs and refine and change until we are happy with the result. We are also not afraid for one of us to just say, “no I do not like it” and just throw it away.
Recording days are more structured. We prepare timing stems for the engineer and producer beforehand, and then it follows a pattern. Set up in a relaxed manner, drums first, then guitars, bass and lastly vocals. Jonny Price, our producer for the last couple of years interjects, changes chords, words and inflections, pushing us on to better things - he can be quite brutal!
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR BAND NAME/ STAGE NAME?
Back in the early 90s, when we embarked on our journey, we were young and messed up, arguing about everything, including the name of the band. The story behind our name could be seen as slightly unimpressive, but proves we are honest! Our practice sessions took place in a Scout hut, and while brainstorming ideas for a band name, a spooky incident occurred, a bag of leaves unexpectedly tumbling out of a cupboard, and just like that, "LEAF" was born! However, after taking a break from music for over 20 years, we discovered that others around the world had adopted the same name. We have rebranded ourselves as Leaf UK, although we're fairly certain we were the originals... frustrating.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE HARDEST THING ABOUT YOUR MUSIC JOURNEY SO FAR?
Making money, getting gigs, keeping up with the constant social media-feeding frenzy? It is an absolute nightmare, but we do it because we love it. Our big problem is not being lumped in with other bands of our age. Some are great and we love them, others are too rooted in old-fashioned ideas and styles. We have a vibrancy and relevancy that should transcend age – the singer of hip young things Bathtub told me recently to stop playing ‘old people’s venues’, and we are looking now for alternative venues to mix it up with the kids!
WHAT'S BEEN THE EASIEST?
Making music with the other geezers in Leaf. Rehearsal is not a chore in any way, and we love getting together and just making music. Easy, lovely, but a bit loud!
WHAT WOULD YOU DOING IF YOU WEREN'T MAKING MUSIC?
To be honest music is what keeps me going. I teach in ‘normal’ life and that can be highly stressful. Music keeps me sane, so either in a hermitage, a prison or in an asylum. The other guys are in similar positions, we do stuff, enjoy some of it, but music is our way out of the monotony of the day to day. We would all definitely be more miserable.
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN?
“It is only work”. Former boss, who understood my perfectionism and wanted me to direct it to my music, rather than the ‘job’. I remind myself every time the daily grind gets on top of me; music is my passion.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Over the next year we are looking for gigs, anywhere and everywhere. Anyone out there want a grunge band with massive riffs, catchy hooks and a groove?
Long term we just want people to hear our music, turn up for gigs and appreciate us. If fame and fortune come along, then all the better. We will carry on releasing a song a month until we die. Hey, it took eight years for Idles to release Brutalism, so you never know.
Links
Leaf Website - www.leafband.co.uk
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/leafbanduk
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leafbanduk
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@leafuk146
Bandcamp - https://leafuk.bandcamp.com/
Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/leafbanduk
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