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We’re excited to be speaking today with acclaimed and gere-defying music group That Old Quiet Lighthouse; greetings and salutations, gang! Before we dive down the proverbial Q&A rabbit hole, could each of you say ‘hi’ and introduce yourselves to our ever-lovin’ readers?
I’m Ashley – bassist, lead singer of TOQL. I like long walks on the beach, sad songs about love and the face turtles make when eating lettuce.
Hi I’m Pip/Phoenix/they/them – I’m a synth witch, a siren of the violin, and when I’m not strutting the stage I’m telling fortunes or playing Mario kart.
Hi I’m James – I’m a guitarist, a Rush super fan and I make a mean mango chutney!
I’m Gabe, I play the drums. I love climbing walls, and listening to Phoebe Bridgers.
Congratulations on the beyond-brilliant new single Decade! Ashley, what was the genesis of this rousing tune?
Alas; the answer to that involves two things people generally avoid talking about – lockdown, and a past relationship. After my first long term relationship ending, it took a while before it properly set in – the week where lockdown started. I ended up back at my parents for two months where I had a lot of time to think, and desperate for a way to express my relationship-grief and bubbling emotions stimulated by the pandemic, an album was born, the first of which being Decade.
James, who was the producer on Decade and what did collaboration between band and producer look like in the studio?
Kevin Foy was the producer, he got in contact after liking the vibe of our first ever single ‘Not the Best For Parties’ – his biggest accomplishment was really helping us fine tune what we brought him. Demoes with a gazillion guitar parts layered on top of each other, secondary melodies as far as the ear can hear – he filled us with the confidence what we had was great, but also helped provide perspective with what to keep and what to cut where appropriate. He’s also a great laugh, which helps so much!
Pip, what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving Decade a few dozen spins on their hi-fi systems?
To be honest, even though it came from a challenging time I want people to take some positivity from it – I myself find it quite life-affirming.
Ashley, how is Decade similar to some of That Old Quiet Lighthouse’s prior work? How is it different?
Decade feels like a step outside of our usual comfort blanket. The sound world utilises distortion more than any song we’ve released before, it has an almost spoken word delivery, an almost hip-hop drum groove which again we’ve never done, no discernible chorus AND a bass solo to top it off! It felt like an experiment really; how much can we get away with, how far can we go?
Gabe, with the release of the new single, can fans look forward to an LP release from That Quiet Old Lighthouse in 2023?
Absolutely!! It’s ready and waiting in fact, 2023 is going to be the year of the Lighthouse (or the Windmill).
James, what does the touring dance card look like for That Quiet Old Lighthouse in the coming weeks and months?
Well, we’ve just come off a fair few support slots and small festival appearances in the last 6 months, currently our next show is Manchester in March, with the plans for a headline there the month after, world domination the month after? We’ll see! For now our focus lies on Manchester.
Pip, how did That Quiet Old Lighthouse come together as a band? Is there a VH1-Behind the Music story you could share with our readers?
We all met at RNCM, brushing shoulders in different bands. We started originally as a power trio, which was a good laugh but we soon found ourselves needing a fourth element – step in Pip Rousiamanis, and we’ve been bounding from sonic strength to sonic strength ever since!
A question for all of you! Who inspires you musically?
Pip’s inspired artists – my faves at the moment are Maurina Herlop and Lingua Ignota, basically anyone with zero regard for the status quo.
James inspired artists – at the moment I’m listening to a lot of Bros Landreth, Sigrid and a bit of Father John Misty, mixed with the new The Weekend album.
Gabe inspired artists – I’m listening to Pinegrove, black midi’s new album hellfire and a bit of Huey Lewis and the news!
Final – SILLY! – Question (for all of you!): Favorite movie about the music scene – This Is Spinal Tap, Almost Famous, La Bamba or Walk the Line?
Pip’s response to final question, I’ve not watched any films like that – my cup of tea is more Suspiria, the more intense the better!
Ash – Spinal tap is a classic movie, a lot of classic scenes but when the bass player gets stuck in the cocoon is probably my favourite. Or maybe the whole Stone Henge segment!
Gabe – Unfortunately I’ve never seen those films either!
James – I agree with Ash on the trapped in the set scene in Spinal Tap, the guitar collection is hilarious as well!
