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Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with unsigned UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with Jonny from unsigned Liverpool/Wirral band Seas Of Neptune to find out more…

Who is in the band, how did you meet, where are you from and how did you come up with the name?
We’re from Liverpool and The Wirral. There’s myself (Jonny), Andy (Bass), Jay (Lead guitar) and Dan (drums). Me, Andy and Jay met via a site literally called ‘Joinmyband.com’ and hit it off immediately, at the time we were with another drummer and we went together for four years before we split from him. Dan has only joined recently but we’re already feeling a good groove together and it’s given the rest of us confidence going into a new album recording cycle. The name was actually invented by a friend of mine when we were first talking about starting a band, back in 2011. He came up with it but we never did anything with it, years later when things came together I just used it. I still don’t know whether it means the seas belonging to Neptune the god, or the seas on the planet Neptune (of which there are none).

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
I (Jonny, vocals/rhythm guitar) have always been into music, probably stemming from my dad playing tapes in the car when I was little. Led Zeppelin, Free, Cream probably were the foundations of the music I went on to listen to and try to create. We all have musical tastes that both coincide and differ to a degree where there’s a common goal in terms of sound but the deviations and tangents are also a key factor in what we create.

We all share an interest for certain bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles. Jay is a big lover of Red Hot Chili Peppers and in particular John Frusciante which certainly comes through in our music. I know Dan likes Arctic Monkeys and Andy is a fan of Iggy Pop. These bands will never stop being a source of influence and you can sometimes feel certain specific influences coming through in certain songs. It’s all quality music and we’re lucky to have them in our creative melting pot. I’m quite sceptical of a lot of new music but always like to have an open mind. Something fairly new that I enjoy is Billie Eilish, her album ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ really struck me as an incredible piece of work which is so far removed from anything else I’ve heard but has some wonderfully written and performed pieces. We do a cover of ‘Bad Guy’ , done in our own way which is a lot of fun.

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
Our latest track is called ‘Taking For Granted’ and it’s our first single from what will eventually be our second album. It’s about looking at yourself and considering where you are and what you’re doing in your life. Is it passing you by? Are you just settled and pretending to be content with that. A lot of the last one and a half years have been wasted for a lot of people so it’s shortened our already-short time on earth by even more. One and a half years we’ve not been able to go out and live properly. It’s something that will hopefully resonate with people.

What’s your local music scene like?
It’s not great in Liverpool.There’s a few guys making an effort to keep the scene going but there’s a lot of music venues that have shut even before the lockdown. Everything is online these days and you need to be on top of the social media game, no-one wants to go and watch new acts anymore it’s just not a thing. Promotions for the most part are looking to make a profit by taking on bands that will guarantee sales of tickets and there’s a lot of pay-to-play nonsense going on still. Exposure still seems to be considered form of payment for a lot of venues or promotions these days. We’ve actually tried to combat this by putting on our own show, for instance the one at Jimmy’s bar on July 21st. We’ve sorted that out ourselves, spoke to the venue and got the other bands on board. It’s something that more bands should start doing.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
The gig on the 21st July, we’re playing with Saturn Split, Attic Theory and Polybius. We’re constantly recording new music with a view to releasing more singles ultimately culminating in a second album at some point. We do mini videos so everyone can keep up with what we’re doing week to week as well. We want to keep gigging and getting ourselves out there, and make up for all the time we spent not playing.

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
For a while we’ve wanted to collaborate with a female singer, it’s just not happened yet. Hayley Williams from Paramore has a super voice, especially on some of their more sombre tracks like ‘In the Mourning’. Her new solo stuff is very interesting too, she’s obviously very talented all-round and we could do something awesome together. So Hayley, if you’re reading this…

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
Someone once told us to ‘get on with it’ during a gig, it was one of our earlier songs with a longer, slower bass intro. It’s not made it on to the more recent setlists.

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
We’re back, and making some amazing content. Find us at Bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram and all those other places. Reach out and speak to us, come see us play.

You can find out more about Seas Of Neptune on their website or via Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, TikTok, Twitter or YouTube.