Manchester-based indie-rock trio The Falls Band have released their new single, Open Fire. We asked them the BIG questions . . .
Speaking about the track, vocalist and lyricist Harrison Sharp says, "We've been itching to record Open Fire for a little while as it's a definite fan favourite live.
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"It's short, sharp, super catchy and encapsulates our current sound perfectly. The song carries a fiery energy that mirrors the sense of everything falling apart, where control feels just out of reach.
"We used Open Fire as a metaphor describing being 'shot at' and to translate that emotion into something physical, symbolising danger, disorder, and the importance of recognising when to pause, step back and to look after ourselves."
Tell us three things about yourselves . . .
Tom, Ren and Harrison have been friends since school, Joel joined us recently, only a couple of weeks before our Manchester headline gig.
Ren plays multiple instruments.
When Tom isn't on a stage, you can usually find him wild camping.
How would you describe your music?
Tom: By definition it's indie rock but I feel we all add our own unique twists to it that we've picked up from the different genres we like to play. This challenges us to create something out of the style we listen to individually, making us more adaptable and giving us the ability to translate our skills from what we listen to, into an indie rock style.
What is your favourite song right now?
Ren: Addicted To Pain by Alter Bridge. It's my favourite because Myles Kennedy's vocals are incredible, I love the slower chorus riff compared to the faster verse riff. And the breakdown is really fun to sing
Who are your musical inspirations?
Joel: As a band they vary massively - we all have different inspirations. My musical inspirations are a bit of a variety bag but especially for what I do now it's the likes of Blur's Damon Albarn, Alex and Graham, The Specials, The Leveller's Mark Chadwick, the Clash's Mick Jones, George Harrison alongside Doc Watson, to name a few. Most of these inspirations inform the way I write songs and form my guitar phrasing.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Joel: The first gig I went to was when I was in high school and I saw an older band called The Playthings, they played a bunch of classic punk and ska songs and I later ended up becoming friends with their guitarist and joining them for a few gigs as a guest.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Ren: Cross The Night – Silverchair - "I don't want to be lonely; I just want to be alone".
This lyric is from the first song off their controversial album, Diorama. It's quite suggestive I suppose. I like it because it can be taken at face value AND it can be dug into. There's many ways of interpreting it: "don't abandon me, just leave me alone for a moment" "don't forget me, just give me space". Interpretive lyrics that aren't as simple as just a simple catchy tagline are much more impactful, hence why it's my favourite.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Joel: I bought two records at once, which were Rubber Soul and a picture disc version of Abbey Road by the Beatles after my sister took me to Birmingham Bullring when I was about 15.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Tom: FUNKY HOLO HOLO BIRD by Masayoshi Takanaka.
Where can people find your music/more information?
People can find more information across all social media platforms under the name The Falls Band so make sure to give us a follow. Our music can be found on all music platforms including Spotify and Amazon. This year is building up to be a big one for us and social media is where you will find links to our pre-saves, tickets and more Falls news.
Alan Corr
