I first saw Fauna in June and it was a last minute gig that turned out to be one of those gigs that stick with you for a very good reason (gig review
). So when I saw the lads were releasing their first single I contacted them asking if they'd be interested in an interview and thankfully they said yes.
So on a cold, dark evening I headed over to their rehearsal space and we got to chat about music, their influences and their passions outside of music. If you've not met them or know of them yet ,then Fauna are Adam on guitar, Scott on bass, Danny guitar and vocals, Tom on drums.
Debbie: Obviously the new single is out on 28th November Ride the Night and you're having a party?
Danny: Yeah, we're going to have a launch at Night & Day and we've got 2 bands supporting us, Afternoon People who played with us at Off the Square, they're a great bunch of lads and another band called Sea Legs. Free entry as well and free t-shirts! We'll just get a t-shirt cannon and throw them out!
Debbie: Well my name is Cannon so I can just throw them out for you...
Band: Laughs.
Debbie: So what's the writing process been like for this record?
Danny: It being our first EP as a band, it's been a collection of thoughts and tracks that we've had over the years just coming together as a band. Stuff that we've written and jammed with and changed... Adam and I we've played together for years, we're brothers by the way.
Debbie: I didn't realise that..
Danny: So we've played acoustically a few years together anyway.. it was very folky so Tom sorted that and made it more heavy.
Tom: Yeah we met each other half way with that, as individuals we brought our own influences into it.
Adam: It's good with something you can work on for so long and then you bring it to a place like this and the bones of it are still there....
Danny: Ride the Night we wrote in like 10 minutes. Literally the first time we all played here, before Scott joined.... we had this riff and we all jammed with it. It's kinda nice, that the first single is something we all wrote together.
Debbie: When did Scott join the band?
Scott: December.....
Debbie: So influences, off tape I said we wouldn't go there but it seems logical to do so.....
Danny: No that's fine... For me kinda folky, I don't like saying country but I'm a graphic designer and I like to listen to music but not too heavy when I'm working... It's hard to pin down a specific artist or anything like that though. It's not like I want to write songs like Led Zeppelin....
Adam: Who do you think we sound like?
Debbie: I had a feeling this was coming..... Erm, It's bit Zeppelin influenced, Brian Jonestown Massacre - psychedelically Pink Floyd kind of vibe.
Tom: I like that!
Debbie: I hate to pigeon hole you. I said in my review that I hadn't heard any of your music before so it was fresh to me when I heard it. I said I'd love to hear more from you.. but you can see it two ways... I like it, very trippie perhaps a bit of Maharishi Beatles thrown in as well. There was a blue and pink lighting when I saw you. It was so elegant. Those colours are inclusive, it's not masculine or feminine it's a but of both.
Tom: Yeah I get that yeah.... when we make it it's not like we're trying to appeal to any audience.
Danny: Yeah, we play it because we like it.
Adam: I feel like if I think this is a jam, then hopefully others think it's a jam.
Debbie: Is your music anywhere we can listen to yet?
Tom: At the moment no, but when we release it (Ride The Night) it'll be on all platforms so everyone can listen to it wherever they want to.
Danny: There'll be a B side too Easier Soon - I don't know if you remember it when you saw it but we think this is one of our best tunes. We played towards the end of the set when you saw us.
Debbie: So what are you going to be playing first at the gig?
Danny: Easier Soon, because we want to grab people's attention.. we're playing and 90% of the time people don't know your stuff and if we play that and people like us then it's good.
Debbie: It's cool you guys are headlining.. but you would as it's your single release.
Danny: Yeah, we're really looking forward to it. All our friends, to come and see us and celebrate with us. It's important to give them something back so we're doing it for free.
Debbie: What's your favourite venue in Manchester?
Tom: What played in or gone to?
Debbie: Either or.
Tom: I love Yes in Manchester, the Pink room.
Debbie: I love Yes! I love the Basement as well.
Tom: We've played there.
Debbie: No way.... You can't move much if you're on stage though as the pipes on the ceiling. I've seen Stealing Sheep in there and Ten Fe as well. I think one of the best is Deaf Institute, I love the mirror ball, it's so beautiful. I cried there once because it was so beautiful, The Hole and The Hum, were playing Sweet Fading Silver and they dimmed the house lights and just had the mirrorball going, doing its thing. It was just beautiful. I love the Albert Hall as well, the acoustics are so beautiful.
Danny: Yeah if you get it on a summers night and the light comes in through the stained glass windows it's beautiful.
Debbie: Favourite venue you've played?
Adam: I liked Gullivers.
Tom: Nambucca's in London was really sic.
Debbie: I've never been there.
Danny: Yeah it's got a good stage and a good crowd and some big bands play there.
Tom: Miles Kane played there the night before us.
Debbie: Wow, no way.
Tom: Yeah.
Debbie: You're all pretty chill on stage, there's no ego on stage at all.
Adam: Yeah you don't want any dickheads on stage..
Tom: Yeah you get some drummers flicking their hair and stuff, it works with some bands but when you're doing jazzy stuff it doesn't work.
Debbie: So is your main influence jazz?
Tom: No..... it wasn't really jazzy it wasn't rocky neither.
Debbie: Other than Manchester and London where else have you enjoyed gigging?
Danny: We've played Live Wire in Warrington and we really loved playing there.
Tom: Yeah, they were really sound.
Debbie: So have you guys had any record label interest yet?
Danny: We did have an email from one once asking if we could play a gig, but it never came through and we've not heard from them since.
Debbie: I think sometimes it's better if you're discovered by accident. Someone is there for the love of the music alone and nothing more.
Adam: You've got to be really lucky to get discovered like that - you've just got to keep going.
Danny: It's always the older fella's who get it... who come up to us after the gig and they just get it.
Tom: Probably the PinkFloyd thing (laughs)
Debbie: I think if you watch a band play well together and you're all good musicians, and it hits a chord then you don't need to know their material.
Adam: I think we are easily likeable from the first listen anyway...
Debbie: I'm sure you have an eclectic bunch of friends and they're all supportive of your music.
Danny: It's usual surprise we get.. Ah you're actually rather good!
Debbie: It's really good to find a band who are comfortable enough to do their own thing... you know you're not trying to be anything other than yourself.
Danny: Yeah we're not playing something because it's on trend.
Adam: That's the thing if you keep playing your own stuff then as long as you don't go out there trying to be somebody else then people will get you.
Tom: Who's to say that a certain trend is in..... you know some people are into metal, some indie.
Debbie: You do get some people who come in and change music, take Billie Eilish for instance. She and Greta Thunberg are two of the most influential people on the planet.
Adam: I like the way she's like I'm gonna let my music speak I'm not gonna sexualise myself at all. She wears baggy clothes and I love that.
Debbie: I think that's why a lot of teenagers like her, because she's like fuck you I'm going to be myself and what a great role model for kids! I've got a teenage daughter and it's amazing that there's role models out there like that for my daughter.
Tom: It's great timing isn't it?
Scott: Is it a bad time to say I don't know who Billie Eilish is?
Band: Laughs....
We play Billy Eilish's Bad Guy and he still didn't know who it is - (the rest of the band know who she is).
Debbie: What's on your playlists at the moment?
Scott: I go my own way really.. I listen to a lot of reggae, ska that kind of thing. Max Taylor, Mr Scruff, Thundercat. The things he can do with a bass guitar.... Skints that's my playlist.
Adam: Erm, you know My Chemical Romance have just announced they're reforming? I've been listening to that album ever since. That track itself it's an anthem.
Debbie: That video as well is insane... It's so moving.
Adam: Green Day as well.
Danny: Er Rex Orange County his new album, a woman called Yola she's playing Manchester end of this month, proper Deep South sound.
Debbie: Do you like country vibes?
Danny: Yeah.
Debbie: Have you heard Tomberlin? You should check her out her voice and guitar is phenomenal.
Danny: Idles as well.
Debbie: Oh Idles... one of the best bands I've seen live this year. Their energy was incredible. The mosh pit was insane, wigs, ponchos, shoes everything flying through the air.
Adam: But they've been going for years and all of a sudden they've just clicked.
Debbie: I think that The Mercury Prize they were the best band by far.... and Slowthai.
Danny: Maybe another reason they've gotten so big as well as they're quite political.
Tom: 1975 guy he's very political.
Debbie: And Grime as well people like Stormzy - I also think that Idles as they're singing about mens mental health and feminism positively that people who are Gen Z and Milleniall's really resonate with that. It's interesting how people are seeing something in that, its strikes a chord.
Tom: Again I don't listen to one specific genre - I listen to all sorts. This week I've been listening to Clubland loads. Bit of Peter Green, Idles, Fontaines DC.
Danny: I love the way he sings in his Dublin accent - it's authentic.
Debbie: I think if you want to have longevity as an artist you need to do that. The Lathums another band who've gone massive recently they're from Wigan and they're authentic too.
Debbie: So I've looked at them meaning of Fauna and if you look at the Latin meaning it's a regional goddess - and obviously it also means plants and animals. What the the worst name you guys came up with?
Tom: King of Hounds... sounds like a metal band!
Scott: I wouldn't have joined you with a name like that!
Danny: It was just a word.
Adam: There is a vibe.
Debbie: It's almost an environmental vibe to it.
Adam: It's hard for a name to reflect music but I think it fits our kind of music for sure.
Danny: I think whatever you choose you're potentially gonna hate.
Debbie: So I always ask bands this question - I'm gonna give you a tenner and you can buy 2 classic albums or one for a tenner in any format. What would you buy?
Danny: I think I would go Led Zeppelin 2 and then another classic....
Scott: Sister Nancy on Vinyl
Adam: J Dilla's Donuts on vinyl.
Tom: Dark Side of The Moon it's a classic on vinyl.
Scott: I'd do the same.
Adam: What about yours?
Debbie: Eat to the Beat by Blondie as it has my favourite every Blondie song on it Shayla it really resonates with me and the other one Stone Roses first album - so many great tunes.
Tom: I feel like that that's to modern to be a classic.
Debbie: Revolver The Beatles and Let it Bleed Rolling Stones?
Danny: I was going to say a modern classic Jamie T - Panic Prevention.
Adam: Oh yes! I can sing every lyric from every track on that album.
Debbie: One more question. What's your passions outside of music?
Scott: I'm a rock climber.
Danny: My passion is design I think. I like throwing myself into anything. Passion is my passion.
Debbie: I love that - I think if you can give your whole self to anything you're doing. Then it's worth doing it fully.
Tom: I'm very much into cooking. Always enjoyed cooking.
Debbie: Is there anything you like to cook more?
Tom: I do curry, bolognese, chilli that kind of thing. I want a whole plate full of food.
Adam: I do like going to the gym - Music is my absolute passion though.
Debbie: Mines literally doing this. It's so cool to hang out with people who make stuff you're passionate about.
Thanks lads for taking time out of your rehearsals to chat to me. If you'd like to see the lads and two other quality bands this Thursday at Night & Day Cafe then you can find details via this link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/809496902802171/
The band are on
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and
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As a treat I recorded Say it Back when I saw the lads in June at Gullivers. Check out the video below.