Hutch: “We definitely take a lot of inspiration from that ‘60s stuff”
We sat down with the band to discuss their new EP ‘Mrs Sunshine’ and the Brighton music scene.
Photo: Sophia Metliss
Just before the release of their new EP, Mrs Sunshine, three members from the band joined me in one of Brighton’s cosiest cafes — Pink Moon—to talk about their latest musical endeavours.
How did Hutch end up meeting? Was it through university?
JP: It was and it wasn’t. So me and Dan (who’s not here) were next-door neighbours when we were kids. We learned guitar at the same time and started our own band together. My first gig experiences were playing with Dan in little pubs up in Bedfordshire. Dan moved down to Brighton and met Charlie.
Charlie: I think I met Dan through uni, and we’d both met through like friends of friends, and we then got really close and then JP joined.
JP: Yeah, I then inserted myself into this little group. Dan took me to see Charlie’s band, which I think is what’s so great about us: everyone has fronted bands in their own way. So we went to see Charlie play, and that was great, and then a little while later I ended up moving into this house with Dan and Charlie (and a couple other people). Me and Dan were like ‘we’re going to start this band’, and Charlie said ‘I’ll play bass’.
Lockdown sort of happened around then, so we spent a lot of time just the three of us, practising harmonies and writing songs. Eventually, we realised we were going to need a drummer and Owen played in another band we knew that was pretty intense and punky. He was the first person I knew who got played on the radio and we were like, ‘Oh my god, these guys are real! There’s no way he’s going to want to be in our band’. He said ‘I just want to be like Ringo Starr’ and we thought ‘perfect’.
So that was the four of us. We had another member for a while called Eva who played the harp, and that was amazing. I think she liked the idea of being a studio musician more, so it went back to the four of us for a while. Recently, we’ve got a flute player and another harp player, so there are six of us now when doing live stuff, and it’s pretty cool!
I want to talk about the upcoming EP that’s coming out soon, starting with Mrs Sunshine. I really love that track, and I guess I’m wondering… was that your way of encouraging the sun to finally come out?
JP: I feel like it was. The irony is we decided to release it in January, and that turned out to be the rainiest January on record.
C: The sun came out on release day, actually, and we hadn’t released anything for about a year. We’d had an interesting year, and we just had to take a bit of time, but Mrs Sunshine felt like the perfect tune to reintroduce us, just a straight three-minute psych song.
JP: I think it really sets the tone for the EP.
What was the inspiration behind the lyricism of the song?
JP: Owen came to us with the first verse of the song. What were you thinking about?
Owen: I’ll tell you what I was thinking about… I wish it was sunny. I feel like the whole thing is about enjoying those sunny days and missing them when they’re not here.
Moving onto your latest single, Pepper Kettle, the kind of distorted breakdown really reminded me of A Day in The Life by The Beatles (it was at this point that I noticed Owen’s Beatles badge pinned onto his jacket). Do you find a lot of your work is inspired by that kind of ‘60s and ‘70s sound?
JP: We definitely take a lot of inspiration from that ‘60s stuff. A particular track I thought about a lot while writing this was the theme song from The Wombles; I guess there’s that ‘60s/‘70s kids’ TV show element of it as well.
C: There’s an element of weirdness to it as well. We take the music very seriously, but we don’t really take ourselves crazily seriously.
So, those two tracks were from the upcoming EP. Is there anything else you can tell us about the rest of the EP?
JP: There’s going to be five songs; one of the songs that’s on there is even longer than Pepper Kettle, so that’s our longest song, and there’s another that’s probably our shortest.
C: And then there’s some in the middle. Most of our songs were recorded in a room with us just playing them live, and we wanted the EP to kind of reflect that; we wanted the songs to feel like a kind of cohesion of tracks.
JP: This EP was our first experiment with setting the mics up and then playing the EP the whole way through a bunch of times and picking the best parts out, so it definitely has more of a live feel.
Speaking of live performances, looking back at some of the bands that you’ve supported, like The Last Dinner Party and Oracle Sisters. What did you learn from the experience of supporting those kinds of artists?
C: I think it was a great opportunity to play to rooms of people who like that kind of music. You play to kind of similar audiences, and those shows were quite early on for us, but I feel like every gig you play, you’re kind of learning and taking something from it, especially when you’re supporting.
JP: There was especially one band called Yin Yin, who we’ve played with for three shows and every time we watch them it’s just been like ‘Wow!’. The Last Dinner Party is the biggest band we’ve supported. It was right on the cusp of them making it big, so watching them navigate that was super awesome.
What is it like being part of a city where the music scene keeps on growing?
JP: I feel like all we ever wanted to be was just a footnote on the music scene, and we’ve had the opportunity to play some of our dream venues.
C: There are so many venues, and there’s just such an appetite for live music; it’s literally on your doorstep. Starting a band in Brighton is the best part of being in a band.
O: I agree. It’s like the best-kept secret in the UK. If you don’t know, then you should!
JP: It’s a great privilege to play in Brighton.
Do you have any favourite venues in Brighton, whether that be to watch or perform at?
Together: Definitely Pink Moon!
C: But there are also some amazing independent venues like Green Door Store, The Hope and Ruin and The Prince Albert.
Are there any Brighton bands and local artists that you think more people should be listening to?
O: My favourite local artist (and has been for years) is Maximilian; he’s a fantastic songwriter. I think he’s magnificent.
JP: It feels like you can’t even start the list because there are just so many great bands. If you want a bit of cowboy rock, go watch Trip Westerns. There’s also a great band I’ve been listening to called Krumpets; they’re quite folky but really nice.
Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to start a band?
C: The best that you can do is give it a try.
O: You’ll have the best time of your life. You’ll be tired and living off meal deals, but you’ll be eating that meal deal on the road from Zurich to Hamburg. You don’t get the opportunity to do that anywhere else.
JP: It’s just a really big adventure.
Charlie: Make sure that you’re enjoying what you’re doing, as that’s what’s really important.
Mrs Sunshine is out now.
You can also find this interview in print. Order Issue 2 of The Indie Scene Magazine here.
