AN INTERVIEW WITH JACK OF LIBERTY SHIP - 20/12/2016

LIBERTY SHIP - photo credit to the band's manager Ost
From left to right - Jack, James, Lewis, Kierran

LIBERTY SHIP are a four-piece band hailing from Sheffield.

 

Consisting of Lewis Hancock (lead vocalist & acoustic guitarist), Jack Eddison (lead guitarist & backing vocalist), James Brown (bassist & backing vocalist) and Kierran Bond (drummer & backing vocalist).

 

Back in 2013 they toured the UK while they supported King Charles. In 2014, they toured the UK again as they supported Reverend and the Makers. Last year they were selected from over 1, 500 applicants to open the mainstage of Sheffield's 'Tramlines'.

 

This year they played the Crystal Stage of Tramlines and the Jack Rock's tent at Isle Of Wight Festival.

 

In the past few weeks they played the mainstage of Leeds' 'Kazoopa Festival', the main room of The Leadmill and Manchester's 'When in MCR'.

 

To talk about all this and a little bit more I got myself an interview with lead guitarist Jack.

 

The boys of the band at Isle Of Wight Festival - photo credit to Will Ireland 

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How was it that you all first met?

 

We all met at school in about 2007. I'd known Lewis and Jimmy since we were about 7 or 8 and I kinda guess we always knew we were gonna be in a band, it was just case of finding a good drummer which was when we met Kierran in maths when we were about 12!

 

When was it that you all first realised music was something you wanted to pursue? Was there something specific that triggered this?

 

We'd been playing together from 12ish and really got into it when we were about 16. We got our own practice room and got really fuckin obsessed with writing tunes and playing gigs. Then when we saw people singing the tunes back, it really hit us that this is what we wanna do!

 

What would you describe your genre to be at present? 

 

We've got quite a mixed sound, we've all got different influences but if you wanna put it into a genre if say Indie, Rock & Soul.

 

One of your last gigs of 2016 is your gig at The Leadmill alongside The Wired, Sheafs and Paul Fletcher. What did you enjoy most about that gig?

 

The Leadmill gig with The Wired, Sheafs and Paul Fletcher was class! We've always loved playing there, it feels to us like the home of music for Sheff!

 

 

The Saturday which has just passed you played at a festival which returned for just its second time this year courtesy of MEAN Promotions, When In MCR. You will also be at the second ever Outlines Festival of Sheffield next March, which comes from the organisers of Tramlines as well as having just played the first ever Kazoopa Festival of Leeds brought to us by Double Denim Live. Do you think all these new metropolitan festivals are important? If so why?

 

Saturday at When In Manchester was also brilliant, awesome venue and those girls at mean promotions have a crackin taste in music so the other bands we played with were class too! 

The inner city festivals are a great way to discover new bands/artists so they're mega important! The all day affairs get people out early doors and gets people to see new acts that you wouldn't have seen otherwise!
 

Band with their logo in the background - photo credit to their manager Ost
 

Do you prefer festival sets or your own shows?

 

This is a tough one! At our own gigs you have plenty of time and everything's really laid back (until show time of course!) but there's something about the madness of festivals that we fuckin love. If it was me it'd be the festival sets.

 

What do you all think makes a good gig?

 

Our favourite gigs are the ones when no one knows us and you get to win em over. That's when you know you're really onto someting, it's not people you know just going mad cus they're your mates. They're digging you because you're making good music that fuckin means something!

 

Where would you say the influences for the music you produce come from?

 

Everything from the Beatles & The stones to Michael Jackson & David Bowie. I personally draw most of my influences from my favourite artists influences, because you can find what inspired them to write the tunes you love and make something different out of it.

 

Out of all the up and coming bands & artists, who are Liberty Ship listening to?

 

Cupids, The Jacques, Bang Bang Romeo, The lottery winners, The Wholls, Naropa, Tom Grennan, October Drift to name a few. And obviously this next one aren't up and coming, they're making a come back! But they were the reason we started a band back in school - FUCKING MILBURN!! So good to see em back, means the world to us them letting us support em back at their O2 Sheffield gigs earlier this year.

 

As we are close to drifting into 2017, what can we expect from Liberty Ship within the first few months of the new year?

 

We have a new single closely followed by an EP coming out late Jan/ early February, plenty of gigs and hopefully twice as many festivals! We're always writing songs too so you're more than likely to hear a new tune or 2 at a gig. 

You can listen to LIBERTY SHIP here:



Written by Sophie
@sopharnold_