High Tyde have been making waves in the indie music scene for a while. Starting young, they quickly gained high-profile fans in the form of Radio 1’s late night DJs, and rapidly developed an international fan base. So much so, in fact, that if you check the Brighton quartets’ Spotify information, you’ll find their greatest number of listeners are found In Sao Paolo, Brazil!
Just after the release of their latest single, ‘Gold,’ I caught up with Louis (drums) from the band to discuss the past, present and future for one of the country’s most talked about up-and-coming bands.
Alright so I’ll kick off by asking how the band came about? Where did you guys meet and how did you get things rolling as a band?
“We have all known each other for so long, we met at the skate park. One day we went out to town, everything got a bit out of hand as it does, especially when you have to sneak into the bars haha! Anyway we got talking about how we wanted to make an indie band due to bands like Two Door and Bombay cause we thought they were fucking cool. So we had a jam the next day and haven’t stopped since.”
Your music seems to take major influences from bands such as Two Door through intricate guitar melodies, but also weightier stuff like Foals through the drum heavy rhythms. Who do you see as your major influences?
“Definitely Two Door and Foals played a massive part in our initial influences when starting the band. We love seeing their whole progression musically and the journey they have taken to get to having household names. Foo Fighters are a massive inspiration for us, as well as Hendrix and Kendrick Lamar. We listen to a shit load of different music so the creative process for us is always super fun.”
So, how would you describe your music to someone who’s never listened to you?
“It's Indie Rock music with an edge. We don’t mess around.”
Baring in mind you’re still just 19, things must have progressed fairly quickly to be gaining radio play from some of the UKs biggest stations (Huw Stevens and Phil Taggart at Radio 1 are both fans). How rapidly did things kick off after you started making music?
“We have been making music together coming up to 5 years now so we have written a LOT of songs. When we dropped ‘Feel It’ I definitely felt an urge to keep releasing more and more songs. The reaction was mega! It's amazing Huw, Phil, Annie and Clara are into our music!”
You’ve released a few E.Ps now, with a new one, ‘Real,’ to drop soon. Are there any plans for a LP?
“Who knows? Maybe next year...”
Your biggest tour yet kicks off next a month with dates at Scala and Electric Circus. How excited are you for it? How does it feel to be playing more renowned venues such as these?
“Insane! Was saying to the boys the other day. I can’t believe we’ve got to this point. It’s such a great place to be. We eat sleep and breathe High Tyde so it’s a really cool feeling to know that many people want to come and see us.”
Have you got any crazy stories from the last tour?
“Haha! Probably shouldn’t tell you a lot of them! We embrace every moment and are out most nights hanging out and seeing what each town has to offer. I love travelling, it’s my favourite thing.”
Do you have any dreams as regards to the band? What are your ultimate goals for High Tyde?
“I want to travel the world and play to as many people as possible! I love meeting new people especially if I can’t even speak their language. My dream would be to headline Glastonbury one day. I mean if I’m gonna dream, it has to be big.”
What music are you really feeling at the moment? Do you have any recommendations for us?
“Loving Loyle Carner at the moment. He’s fucking killing it! We saw him the other week at leeds fest as it was one of my favourite performances of the weekend. Also Tourist, proper into his debut ‘U’ if you get the time to check it out I strongly advise it!”
So it remains quiet on the album front from the band, but you can catch the bands latest single, ‘Gold,’ above, and Louis’ recommendations below. High Tyde’s UK tour begins on October the 25th in Leeds, finishing in Leicester on November the 5th – get your tickets here.