‘W
e nearly killed one of Neil Young’s band – by accident! Obviously!” says Mark Trotter, before adding wryly: “We’re painting a really bad picture here, aren’t we?”
Sure, they accidentally knocked a bottle of Champagne off a fancy mezzanine and it almost ended one of Neil Young’s band, but that’s about as rock and roll as Cambridge band Lonely the Brave get. No TVs through windows, no drug addictions, no salacious gossip. “We’re probably the least rock and roll band in the world,” laughs guitarist Mark, one fifth of the group which has slowly and stealthily whipped the rock world into a frenzy over the past five years. 2014 has been their best year yet, and it’s culminating in a sold-out homecoming gig at Cambridge Junction this month. Over coffee at Gwydir Street’s Alexandra Arms, Mark and bassist Andrew Bushen tell me they’re hoping to play some new material for their home fans, as well as some old stuff that, although much-loved, didn’t quite scrape on to the album. Mild mannered and softly spoken, they clearly aren’t entirely used to being interviewed yet, and although good natured about posing on the street for photos, admit they aren’t entirely comfortable with the publicity side of things, though it is getting easier. “You’ve just got to pretend you’re at a wedding reception or something,” says Andrew. The group – also including Gavin ‘Mo’ Edgeley on drums, singer David Jakes and Ross Smithwick on guitar – all hail from Cambridgeshire and Bushen and Trotter both live locally, having been part of the local ‘scene’ since school. “We’ve always been a Cambridge band,” says Mark firmly. In the last 12 months this little old Cambridge band have been signed to Columbia Records, released their much acclaimed debut album, The Day’s War, and toured with the likes of Deftones, The Marmozets and yes, Neil Young.
keep pushing
Playing “epic-rock” that soars and shudders and shouts, their lyrics are bright and sharp and choke you up. It’s emotional, painful, beautiful stuff with melodies woven in that even serious non-rock fans can appreciate. Considering the number of local acts that don’t escape to London and make it, why do they think Lonely the Brave has? “Because we wouldn’t give up?” muses Mark. “It’s a funny one that. Define ‘making it’. If by surviving from doing something you love is making it, which I think it is, then yes. If it’s being a millionaire and all the rubbish which goes along with that, then no. All we really wanna do is survive by doing this, and we’re doing that. I’d take that as making it.
“My day job is to get up and go play guitar with my friends. That’s pretty special.” Andrew agrees: “You never get to that point where we can sit there and be happy with ourselves. There’s always that next step, you’ve got to keep pushing.”
BOYS DONE GOOD
They were first signed to indie label Hassle Records 18 months ago (“the first massive step for us in all of this”), before finally giving up their day jobs, which included everything from asset management to nursing, in April. Since then, The Day’s War settled in the charts at Number 14 and claimed Number 1 in the rock charts. “Unbelievable. I mean we honestly had no idea. If it had charted at all I’d have been happy personally,” says Mark. “And if you look at some of the people in that chart as well; Dolly Parton and Kate Bush,” says Andrew, shaking his head. “Yeah, Kate Bush kept us out of the tenth spot! Damn her!” laughs Mark. “And you can’t beat Dolly, let’s be honest. She’s a force to be reckoned with. “ While they were massively surprised by the album’s success, the national music press were not so startled. Digitalspy had already judged them “rock’s new chosen ones” while Kerrang! called them “simply phenomenal” and NME went so far as to say: “Watch out Biffy Clyro – these patient rockers are coming for your crown.” “Ha, I don’t know about that!” says Mark incredulously. “It’s weird, we’ve been compared to Biffy a few times but I don’t get it. I don’t understand it. I think it’s lazy journalism to be honest. We don’t sound anything like them. We just happen to have guitars and we’re loud. We write big emotional songs and so do they. It’s a hell of an honour, don’t get me wrong.” Andrew swoops in: “I think there’s plenty of room in the world for us and Biffy Clyro. Haha.” They definitely seem very calm about the whole thing, and admit they rarely get star struck, except when they met their ultimate heroes, Deftones, after a support slot. “We were all really terrified of that one. We’re all massive Deftones fans,” buzzes Mark. “To be able to play a show with them is mindblowing, to meet them . . . we worried about the ‘never meet your heroes’ thing, but they’re just the nicest guys you’d ever meet, they’re lovely.”
•Lonely the Brave, Cambridge Junction, Saturday, December 13 at 7pm. SOLD OUT.
A description you could easily apply to these two. Mark is the self-confessed “stress head” of the group, while Andrew is considered the “calm mediator”, even though they’re not exactly volatile, however brooding and burly they appear – physically and sonically. What are you having to calm down? “Well [drummer] Mo usually,” Andrew laughs, adding thoughtfully: “If someone clams up during CAMBRIDGE MAGAZINE
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Andrew Bushen, top left, and Mark Trotter
interview
Lonely the Brave are currently Cambridge’s rock band of choice, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be beaten by Dolly Parton. Ella Walker meets guitarist Mark Trotter and bassist Andrew Bushen to find out about their hectic year.
rehearsal and doesn’t say anything for half an hour, then you know something’s gone wrong somewhere.” But no massive rows? “No,” says Mark, but accepts “we live in each others’ pockets. It doesn’t matter how much you love people and how well you get on with them, people grind after a while.”
new member
They recently welcomed fifth member Ross Smithwick, adding a second guitar to the mix. “He saved us,” admits Mark, referencing earlier lineup issues. “We were in a bit of a bad place until Ross came along.”
very solid person but he likes to muck about,” says Andrew grinning, with Mark confirming: “He’s a kid in a man’s body,” but it’s singer Dave Jakes that draws the most intrigue. With a voice that is incredibly warm and strong yet bruised, Jakes performs – seemingly shyly – from the back of the stage. “Shy probably isn’t the right word, I’d say introverted,” clarifies Mark. “Dave is Dave. He’s a real character. He’s the loveliest bloke. He’s just this gentle giant of a man, who’s phenomenally talented but he just doesn’t like the limelight, and that’s fair enough. “I don’t care where he stands, as long as he sings. He’s a special guy, Mr Jakes.”
Both agree he’s just made the band more dynamic than ever, although Smithwick had something of a baptism of fire. “Ross basically had to learn all the songs for the show in about three days,” remembers Andrew. “Some of them he was actually rehearsing in the dressing room the day of the first show!” Mark adds. “The first time he ever played them with the band was on stage!”
When we speak, the band is working on new material and preparing to head back into the rehearsal studio. Known for their powerful riffs, and, even more powerful, the darkly emotional undertow of their songs, Mark admits that sometimes onstage emotions have “hit me like a wall”, but mostly they’re all just sucked into the moment.
Mo, they say, is the rowdiest of the five: “He’s a
“I probably lose myself most completely when CAMBRIDGE MAGAZINE
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playing The Blue, The Green. Half the time I have no idea what’s going on when we play that song,” he says, while for Andrew, Backroads is the most beguiling. “It’s the song people have most recognised and associated us with and sung along to the most.” They are both convinced Lonely the Brave is a very different band to what it was five years ago. “I’d say we’re unrecognisable,” says Mark. “The energy and the emotion of what we were doing is still there from day one, I don’t think that’s ever going to change, I hope it won’t, but as a band we’re a million times away from where we were.” And there doesn’t seem to be any chance of them veering off the successful trajectory they’re currently on, and rightly so. “I just want to be the best band we can possibly be,” Mark confesses. “That’s the cheesiest thing I’ve ever said, that’s horrible! But you know what I mean. You keep going until you know you can’t do anymore, and we’re not there yet.” •Check the band out at lonelythebrave.com and on Twitter @lonelythebrave.