Interview by Paul Monkhouse for MPM
Spare a thought for the up and coming young bands whose careers have suddenly had the brakes well and truly slammed on due to the pandemic. Just as their metaphorical rollercoaster ride was starting, they’re trapped in the car half-way up that first, vertiginous climb from the safety of home, desperate to go forward and straining for the top but finding the whole world has frozen.
This has been the story with Lincolnshire rockers Kaylyde, the buzz ever growing recently and their star ascending only to be put on hold for the moment.
With their own brand of fizzing intensity and bewitching dark cool, they slip between material like the sensual and powerful ‘Chase’ to the heads down ‘Cold Blooded’ with well oiled ease. Fronted by the hypnotic Molly Cartawick, there’s a hunger here that nothing will stop and guitarist Ben sets out their plans for the continuation for their upwards arc.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6xpYbGzqaY&w=560&h=315]First off, and most importantly: How are you doing?
We’re all doing well thanks! Sorely missing live shows as we’re sure many bands are but other than that it’s a happy camp!
How have you been keeping yourself busy?
We’ve been working individually on material which is different to our usual approach (collaborating in a rehearsal situation), Jake has been releasing drum covers on social media, Ben has been recording some demos to bring forward to the band after lockdown, Sam has been working on his bass technique a lot and Danny has also been busy writing riffs.
Have you been doing any online live shows or seen any good ones?
We don’t all have the facilities to do an online show unfortunately, but we have all been enjoying seeing online shows from various bands in our local scene and also across the globe.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btBkp3M_a3Q?start=1&w=560&h=315]Have you had to change your way of writing material?
Yes definitely. A lot of our songs come from ‘tune-up jams’ where the band is setting up for rehearsal and suddenly you’re jamming and a song is born, so to be writing individually instead of as a collective is definitely a big change and not something we’re used to.
Do you keep in touch with your fellow bandmates / other musicians much?
Yes, we’re all a tight knit bunch so we keep in contact as much as possible, with restrictions easing now we’re able to see each other a bit more which is great.
What plans have you had to change this year?
Lots of gigs and festival slots which really sucks. We had plans for music videos etcetera which have had to be put on hold.
What do you think of the social distancing gigs (like the one that happened in Kansas recently – 229 people in a 1,100-seat venue) or the thought of drive-in gigs as has just been announced by Live Nation?
I think coming up with a solution is essential to getting the music scene back on its feet but policing a socially distanced gig – especially in small venues – would be very difficult. A drive-in gig sounds really cool, do different brands of cars enjoy different genres?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8Z8yJAdY0s&w=560&h=315]How do you think the music industry will have changed after this period of lockdown?
There was something online about Live Nation potentially planning a 20% pay cut plan for artists in 2021 so that’s worrying, especially for musicians who earn their entire living from their music.
I think there will continue to be more online gigs, especially if venues can’t stay afloat after lockdown. It all seems very bleak at the moment but I believe people will want to try and keep live music alive, there are lots of fundraisers going on at the moment and hopefully we can get back to some kind of normality and get back to some rocking shows!
What plans have you got for when the isolation finishes and gigs start back up again?
We have a list of things we are going to crack on with as soon as we’re released back into the world, ranging from music videos, heading back to the studio, more experimentation musically, lots of stuff to be getting on with and we can’t wait.
How can people support you during this time?
You can head over to our social media accounts to get updates on all things Kaylyde and see some pretty pictures of us all:
Facebook: facebook.com/kaylyde
Instagram: @kaylydeband
Twitter: twitter.com/kaylydeband
YouTube: Kaylyde Official
You can also stream our EP ‘Shadows’ and also our latest single release ‘See Right Through You’, on all major platforms – just search Kaylyde. If you head over to our band camp page you can also buy a physical CD and some of our ace t-shirts and baseball tops!
Bandcamp: www.kaylyde.bandcamp.com
