22 April 2024
Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with Aidan from York band Everything After Midnight 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?
Okay so here’s each band member and a lil bit about their musical past:
Steph – Steph leads the charge of the EAM brigade, providing a combination of ethereal vocals, soaring melodies and poetic thought to each tune. Her musical history can be located in the vast array of literary and poetic icons of the last 50 years. A member of the LGBTQ community, she strives to promote her female and non-binary peers, often providing them a platform across her own and Everything After Midnight’s social media.
Aidan – originally from the North East, he has been in bands since the age of 16, playing guitar, singing and indulging himself in the Rock n Roll lifestyle. Self-taught, he thrives on the DIY approach to writing music and is passionate about supporting grassroots artists and bands.
Jacob – a scholar of Johnny Marr, Jacob has been a fanatic of music for as long as he can remember! From funk to post-punk, Jacob’s style of writing and taste in music has no bounds.
Andrew – born and raised in the steel city, Andrew provides stomping baselines and musical insight into all areas of the band. From vocal melodies to riffs, Andrew is the assist king of Everything After Midnight.
Joe – unquestionably the maddest member of the band, you can often find Joe playing blast beats on his drums or spinning decks at drum and bass events. With a long and eclectic history with music, Joe is the master of the beat and knows what he wants, when he wants!
We all met a long time ago in a galaxy far far away… Just kidding… we all met whilst studying at the University of York in 2019. Following the departure of our old drummer, we brought Joe into the fold and haven’t looked back since!
I wish I could say the name came from a literary text or something interesting but it (sadly) just from a list of names that Steph suggested and the name that we all thought sounded good.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
Our musical influences range from Johnny Marr to Dodie – we often sit on the boundary between Radiohead’s The Bends and The Beth’s Future Me Hates Me.
How would you describe your sound?
Not Wolf Alice.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
Our latest release, ‘Little Hints’, takes the band in a new direction, twisting and turning at every corner, exploiting loud-quiet dynamics with a raucous delivery. Little Hints is about, to quote The Vaccines, “post break up sex”; the bittersweet feeling of sharing intimacy one last time before parting. The lyrics “dial and comply, recite the cliché, if this is goodbye then that is okay” encapsulates the clichés of break ups, post break up sex, relief, sadness, love, and acceptance.
What’s your local music scene like?
York’s music scene offers a slice of Pavement with side order of Slowdive! As with the city, the music scene offers a weird and wonderful perspective on one of the UK’s oldest cities with artists from different backgrounds being present at every corner. The one thing we all love about the venues in York is you can still get a pint for under £4!
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
The next 12 months are jam packed with some tasting festival performances at Tramlines Fringe and Wutopia, having already taking Aelius Festival and Yours To Keep by storm. There may be some more music around the corner as well… but you’re going to have to stay tuned for that!
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Now I could give an honest and well thought out answer but to be honest, who wants to hear that??? I think we would all agree that collaborating with Take That would be pretty amazing, especially if we were given the opportunity to row in the same boat featured in ‘The Flood’, lead single of their 2010 album ‘Progress’ (The one Robbie returned on).
Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
More of a reoccurring intrusive thought on stage than a funny story but I always have the fear of God enter me when on stage that the fly on my jeans is down so I always position my guitar in a way so I can check. I do it every time and I hope no one has noticed…
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
A fun fact about each member of the band:
Steph – Once burned the frame of a window with a candle in the bathroom, assuming the smell of the burning was just the scent of the candle.
Aidan – Accidentally mistook Jacob’s room as the toilet once after a big night-in during the Pandemic… Don’t worry, he didn’t wee in his room, just his own.
Jacob – He is a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Karate
Andrew – When he was at school, his mam blended his curry because he was ‘fussy’
Joe – He looks like a Macaulay Culkin
You can find out more about Everything After Midnight via Facebook, Instagram, Linktree, Spotify, TikTok, X (Twitter) or YouTube.
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