HEARTS AND SOULS

Hailing from what some might consider being ‘god’s own rock’n’roll county’that’s spawned its fair share of successful rock groups - Yorkshire’s newest rock band, Hearts & Souls, is releasing their five-track EP, Nights Of My Days, and, as a foretaste of a full album’s worth of songs to come, it promises to shake the bodies and move the minds of listeners who love their music forever trapped in the deep amber glow of 70s rock. Produced by The Quireboys’ Paul Guerin, there’s an intentional raucous live studio feel to this fistful of tracks as genial guitarist and lead singer Luke Smithson details the EP’s backstory: “Many years ago, there was a track I’d done. And hid it from the people who I was recording with at the time because I really disliked the person who I was recording music with. It wasn’t working out. So, during the lockdown it was quiet, and I thought, right, I’ll do it now. That track ended up in the hands of The Quireboys Paul Guerin.” Luke takes up the reins of this tale: “There was a Jaguar dealer friend of mine, who repairs Jags, and he said to me ‘You like The Quireboys, don’t you?’ and asked if I would collect Paul to come and get his Jag. So, I went and collected him. It happened by total chance; there was no link to it. I was involved with the recording, and, at the same time, Paul naturally ended up with the track and asked me, ‘What’s this, you’ve done’?”

Then fate intervened in a special way as Luke tells me: “I had the musicians there, but obviously couldn’t do anything, go anywhere and play live. It was difficult. When Paul started talking to me, he said ‘Why don’t you just take as long as you need and just get together whatever you’ve got’? And then I ended up in The Quireboys for a brief stint while Griff was away. So, the band - Hearts & Soul - was forming around all of this at the same time. It started as me wanting to record one track about two and a half years ago and everything else has happened as we have gone along.” Following Luke’s remarks, chance meetings change lives and who would have thought Luke would have fallen into The Quireboys’ ranks on one of their anniversary tours as he further reveals: “I joined to cover the end of the 30th-anniversary tour because Griff wasn’t there. It was on and off for probably six months or something like that. But never joined as an official member. I did it because things weren’t good there,” he adds, “I don’t remember how many gigs I did, but we went out and we did it.”

Joining in on guitar and vocals, Tom Q Cusic adds more background to H & S’ formation: “Many, many moons ago I had just started on the local circuit and, much to his disappointment, I wouldn’t leave

Luke alone,” laughs Tom and Luke, “So, we met at one of the venues and ended up getting along and, as these things do, started jamming and we’ve been in and out of bands together for about eighteen years now.” Now together in Hearts & Souls, they plan to go out as a band with Alan Sullivan on bass, Jimmy Milne on drums and Wes Brook on keys firstly at The Waterloo Bar in Blackpool then later at HRH Gt Yarmouth in November. In the meantime, there are plans afoot for more gigs as Luke says: “We’re going to do some in Leeds, and surrounding areas, and we might be doing some maybe with The Quireboys but that’s still not organised as we speak.” Tom adds: “We’re looking at some dates down in London as well, but we’re trying not to do loads and loads of gigs just for the sake of it. Logistically, it’s getting harder for bands, even locally, to get gigs as there are more bands than there are ven- ues.” With five tracks ready for release on this EP in the Spring, I enquire as to whether there is anything else recorded in the pipeline and to my surprise Luke tells me that they have recorded a new track with a Black Star Rider: “There’s the one that we’ve been doing with Sam Wood called Whispers and we’ve got another three or four written and finished. They’ll eventually be recorded and that takes us somewhere in the region of ten tracks which will give us 45-minute live slots.” With Paul Guerin at the production helm, I’m intrigued as to the overall vibe of the album that he’s captured from these veterans: “ In some respects, we’ve lifted elements of Frankie Miller for the rhythm section of certain tracks,” says Luke, “we’ve got Humble Pie, Steve Marriott and we’ve got early Aerosmith. Everything stays within the 1970s boundaries.” Tom agrees and states: “You can normally tell with a song which one of us has come up with it because Luke definitely always comes from that sort of big open G honky-tonk tuning. Whereas my playing influences tend to be down the bluesy end a bit like Rory Gallagher. But also, the prog and funky end of things where Luke definitely has to rein me in on occasion.” The laughter and camaraderie between Luke and Tom reveal themselves in the blend of their musical approach on the five tracks comprising Nights Of My Days EP. In fact, it’s heartening that they and the rest of the band put the full force of their collective heart and soul into this music. I can’t wait to hear the finished album and, in the meantime, witness the onstage chemistry. If it’s anything like this interview, then it’s going to be one helluva fun night!