THE KOWLOONS TALK LOCAL TALENTS AND “SPONTANEOUS, STUDIO MAGIC”

INTERVIEW | THE KOWLOONS by Morgan Hermiston

In April of this year, Liverpool lot The Kowloons released four-track EP Hallelujah, and a few months on, they’re doing it all again. With new EP Backwards Walking set for release in November, and massive support slots being secured, they’re a band destined for great heights. I recently had the opportunity to ask them some questions about this EP, going on the road with Vistas, and who they’d love to share a stage with next.

Being from/based in Liverpool, are there any grassroot venues or talents (other than yourselves) that you’d like to highlight? 

One emerging band we always like to mention is The Days, they supported us at our recent headline gig and we love them. They’ve got a unique sound and are nailing the early Beatles aesthetic, they’re yet to release anything on Spotify but keep your ears open for them! 

You’ve sold out a couple of headline shows too. Are there any venues in the UK or elsewhere that you’d love to headline someday, or at least perform in? 

Locally, we’d love to headline Olympia as that’s a really cool and unique venue with lots of history. Thinking more adventurously, we’d definitely love to play Glastonbury; it’s just so iconic, and even just to play a small stage there would be amazing. 

Your new EP Backwards Walking comes out on 26th November. What has been the most rewarding part(s) of this writing process so far? 

The most rewarding part of the writing process for Backwards Walking has been seeing our songs develop and come to life. For example, single no.2 ‘Turnstile’, began in 2022 when I (Ste) had a dream where I heard this imaginary riff, and I instantly woke up and figured out how to play it on guitar, and for the past few years we’ve been gradually forging it and refining it into a finished product. 

What’s also really rewarding is the process of translating the songs to the live setup. The overall EP sound is more adventurous, and there’s some new sounds on the tracks, but it means we have to try and do them justice live which can be a challenge. There’s a bit of a grace period in between finishing recording sessions and songs actually being released, which is a great time to hone the songs and prepare them to take out to the world. This can be a really fun and rewarding process for us all to experiment and interpret the EP into a garage band set up.

With two EPs already released under Modern Sky, has the process between those previous releases and this new production changed at all? Is there a format to it, or do you take each day as it comes? 

The process hasn’t really changed, we work with Alex Quinn at Kempston Street Studios. He’s worked with lots of great artists, so we trust him, and we have built a good understanding and workflow. We take each day as it comes in the studio, but we go in with a solid plan, specific reference points for guitar sounds, vocal effects, production techniques, etc.

It’s all discussed beforehand so everyone’s on the same page. I think that’s an important part of our recording process, as we have a specific sound and vision for songs, so we need to make sure everyone’s singing from the same hymn sheet. But saying that, we do leave that little gap for spontaneous studio magic; it’s always fun when ideas change, or new ideas are introduced late. 

With five tracks on Backwards Walking, how does the title tie all of the different sounds and concepts together? 

“Backwards Walking” is a lyric pulled directly from the last track on the EP How Could I Forget. It’s the whole ethos behind this body of work. We are looking back to artists before us for inspiration and using them as a springboard to move forward and create something we feel is fresh and new. Retrospective, but forward thinking. 

You’ve shared stages with some big names in indie and rock, and set to do it all again with Vistas in December for their 10th anniversary shows. What was the mindset and feeling like when you secured that opening slot? 

We were buzzing when we found out we’d been offered the opportunity to support Vistas on their anniversary shows. It’s always great to share stages with bands who have lots of experience and wisdom to share, and to reach new crowds and visit new places is great fun, so we’re just grateful to be a part of it. 

If we did a little bit of manifestation, are there any bands or artists that you’d love to share a stage with, or work with, in the future?

One of our favourites is Arkayla; we really admire their songwriting, and to see their rise to the forefront of the UK indie scene has been class. Anything with them would be unreal. Thinking more imaginatively, it would be cool to support someone like Ocean Colour Scene, as they are legends of the game and a band we really look up to. 

While the summer festival season may be over for this year, you still have a couple of sets at Neighbourhood Festival and Gathering Sounds left to play. If you could create your own festival, who would your headliner(s) be, and would you put The Kowloons on the lineup? 

We’d love to put on a festival that showcases bands specifically from the North West of the UK, as it’s proven to be a hotbed for homegrown talent throughout the years. 

HEADLINERS: The Stone Roses – Absolute Britpop legends, could definitely get the crowd bouncing. The Smiths – Most Britpop music is too happy so it would be good to have The Smiths on just to bring everyone back down to earth. The La’s – It’d be mega to bring Lee Mavers out of retirement so he can play us some new material. ‘There She Goes‘ would have everyone singing along and on shoulders. 

Some support acts we would pick: Arkayla, Guestlist, Keyside, and if there’s room on the bill it would be nice for us to open up. I think that would be a great day out!

Alongside their support slots with Vistas, The Kowloons have also just been announced as a support for Andrew Cushin at seven of his shows. With two more singles left to release before Backwards Walking is released, there’s a lot of excitement building around this band. You can listen to most recent single ‘Butterflies‘, and follow their socials to find out more about future releases.

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