Having already recieving high critical praise for their debut single Take your time, Newcastle Upon Tyne four piece Street party in Soho are back with their latest single, 17. Tomatrax caught up with Ryan Young, the band’s lead singer, to discuss their music!
How did the band form?
Myself and Nathan had grown up together, just as Jackson and Harry had too. When Jackson, Harry and I all attended the same high school the band was formed in a music lesson, but when we decided to take the band outside of school we decided to bring in a different drummer and bring in Nathan.
Where did the name Street Party in Soho come from?
In my form room in high school there was a poster for an old art project, the name developed from that old art canvas.
You’ve already received a lot of critical acclaim for your music, has this made you feel any pressure?
I don’t think we feel pressure, we enjoy what we create and what we create is what we release. We’ve developed as a band over time and with that so has our music and we’ve never felt like we couldn’t write or record a song because it wasn’t ‘us’ we go with and trust our gut instinct.
You have a number of remixes of 17 coming out as well, what’s it like to hear other people’s remixes of your work?
It’s weird! You can plan or hope for a certain outcome but you can never predict what you’re going to get, in that sense it’s fun and exciting. It’s cool to see how a song we came up with in a bedroom has become someone’s remix or project, at times it gives you a sense of pride that people want to be so involved, you can’t buy that.
Are there any plans to release an album?
Hopefully in the future, but not right now. We’ve definitely spoke about it and have an idea of what we want to do. We have an extensive catalog of songs now so it is totally doable, we just want to find the right producer and make the best tracks we can from them. Working with Mike from Polarsets was awesome, he has been a real inspiration and supporter.
Each member brings in different musical influences, is it hard to make the different elements work together?
Sometimes, but each influence is another aspect and avenue to explore. If we all thought in the same way or with the same process, it might become boring but the differences mean that we keep each other on our toes.
What’s the music scene in Newcastle like?
It’s difficult. There isn’t really a fully developed scene and to get a good gig you really have to work for it, people aren’t as interested in unsigned gigs in Newcastle as they are in almost every other place in the UK that we’ve played.
Do you ever listen to your own music?
When I have to, it’s rare that I would give it a listen in general although I think the lads might be guilty of it!
What music do you listen to?
We listen to everything. From Bombay Bicycle Club to Chon, Glass Animals and Young Fathers to name a few. We don’t limit ourselves out tell each other that “that’s not real music” we try to explore and listen to as much music as possible.
What do you have planned for the rest of the year?
Anything that comes our way! We’re hoping to continue to release some more singles and take any gigs or festivals that come our way, we try not to say no to anything so who knows where we might end up!
Check out Street party in Soho’s website to find out more!
