Last week we announced that Nottingham four-piece, Paighton, will be supporting
Lawson on their tour which starts in September. This week we were lucky enough
to catch up with Joe Atkinson from the band to chat about touring, the added
dynamic of having two singers and gearing up to release their debut music video
in September.
Click below to read the interview in
full and find out where you can catch the tour…
So, first things first- for people who
haven’t heard of you guys how would you sum up your music and where did the
name Paighton come from?
Sonically, I'd say our music is a blend of
pop/rock with a country twist. It's very piano driven but also makes use of
banjo, mandolin and strings - generally not
your every day instruments. The songs in themselves are quite poppy, but we love
to crank up the guitar and introduce a rock riff or a solo every now and then.
We make a point of focusing on the lyrics, which are often incredibly emotional
and consequently quite
thought-provoking. I like to think we could be a suitable soundtrack to that
twilight country drive in an old 60's Mustang! Each song definitely details
a story and I think you can definitely associate
that vintage vibe with certain parts of the music. Paighton is my middle name, however
it's also the name of a character in a TV show I love. Andy also has a distant
relative who bears the name. Not the most
interesting of origins but we felt that it summed up what we were going for - a
sense of maturity, conciseness and intrigue in two syllables.
You have two singers which is quite
unusual and I guess gives you that edge and more to play around with?
It definitely gives us a wider range of options
to play with. Andy and I have pretty different voices in terms of texture and feel,
however when brought together they compliment each other extremely well, in our
opinion. Having two singers allows us to
really play around with harmony, which many people have said is one of our
strongest attributes. We tend to
swap vocal parts a lot - at some points Andy will sing the harmony and I'll
sing the main tune, and before you know it we've
changed around. We think it keeps things a lot more exciting, and opens us up
to a variety of different vocal scenarios that
wouldn't necessarily be possible if we had just the one singer.
You’ve just announced that you’re going
to be supporting Lawson- are you looking forward to the tour?
We honestly can't wait. Playing venues of that
size is a dream come true - we can't thank the Lawson boys enough
for taking us out with them. We're currently deep in rehearsal, practicing the
set for the tour. Getting to play to
thousands of people each night in different cities around the UK
Are you looking excited to getting out
on big stages? What can we expect from your live show?
Of course - chances like this don't come along
every day. We're so excited to play those huge stages for all of these people. We love
touring, so being out for a whole month is really getting us hyped up. In terms
of the live show, you can expect four guys
putting their blood, sweat and tears into every song they play. We've been
touring and playing shows regularly now for
the past five years, so we're going to relish this opportunity and try to win
listeners over. We love a challenge, so we hope the Lawson fans will be kind enough to
give us the chance!
You’re also heading out with Tyler
Hilton and you’ve hinted at some headline
dates- a busy few months for you guys then?
Definitely - and busy is always good! Tyler is an incredible singer/songwriter from the US UK
tour will definitely provide a great chance for people to see us in a different light. With regards to the headline dates, I can't say too much yet, other than we will be playing a few in December to test the water and see how people respond to us in that kind of setting. We thought it'd be nice to give people who see and potentially like us on the Lawson/Tyler tours the opportunity to hear more of our songs, in a smaller and more intimate environment.
tour will definitely provide a great chance for people to see us in a different light. With regards to the headline dates, I can't say too much yet, other than we will be playing a few in December to test the water and see how people respond to us in that kind of setting. We thought it'd be nice to give people who see and potentially like us on the Lawson/Tyler tours the opportunity to hear more of our songs, in a smaller and more intimate environment.
Your debut EP came out in June and
you’ve got your debut video “Drive” out in September. You’ve leaked some
teasers of the video- what can we expect from it? Will it be the same style as
the songs on the three track EP?
The debut EP was more of a starter, whereas the
upcoming EP is your main meal. The first record tested the water and helped us
develop a foundational sound.
Although not too dis-similar, the new EP, I feel, is a natural progression from
the first batch of tracks. It takes what we created on 'Chapter I' and
advances it, both in terms of musicality and lyricism. 'Chapter II' really
defines what we're going for as a band, and
collectively exhibits a group of songs that are more closely related aurally.
Each song tells a story, and we tried to include an extended range of sounds
such as banjo, mandolin, strings, organ
and harmonica in all tracks. It definitely delves deeper into the country-pop
genre, but at the same time it still sounds like the same band from EP number one. We're really
looking forward to releasing this one!
And finally, what else do you guys have
coming up this year- can we expect another EP?
At the moment we're currently focusing on
releasing our debut single, 'Drive', in September. The music video will debut
on September 8th, with the single dropping on Itunes shortly after.
Our new EP, 'Chapter II:Drive' will then hit Itunes and other online stores in
mid-October, partway through the Lawson tour.
The plan is to promote the single and EP for the rest of the year via online
press and consistent touring. We hit the road with Tyler
