Interview: HUSH from SPECTRUM
In anticipation of this month's upcoming edition of SPECTRUM, Brighton Dome sits down with HUSH, one of the unique acts featuring in the February Showcase:
When did you start writing music?
Thomas (Guitarist and Songwriter): I started writing for this project in 2015 but it wasn't until last October that I started writing our current songs with lead vocalist Kymara. I'm personally inspired by the arrangements and ethos of Sly & The Family Stone and Chic, while both me and Kym idolise the raw outspoken funk of Betty Davis.
How did you meet?
Kymara (Lead Vocalist): The boys [Thomas, James, Neil and Turlough] had been playing together at Kings Mansions and me and the girls joined late last year. The guys were looking for a new lead vocalist, so Thomas asked me to come and jam with them. Immediately there was a good vibe and we added vocalists Emma (my housemate) and Zara to enhance our sound. And since then me and Thom have been writing sweet music!
What track are you most proud of?
Turlough (Bass): Probably our track Untouchable. It just has all the elements of a funk song you could want, cheeky guitar riffs, a thumping bass line which complements the four on the floor style beat.. and the gorgeous vocals really capture a kind of Chic vibe with a touch more sass!
How would you describe your music?
Rigby (Drums): Well it's fairly sophisticated but it's also raw, it has a sass that doesn't come that often due to the bold charisma and lyrics of our vocalists, which is highlighted by funky bass lines and flirtatious guitar riffs. I actually think our music is more accessible than some people might expect. It has an atmosphere that just makes you feel confident and a part of something.
What are the main influences on your sound?
Neil (guitar): Our music has a mixture of different styles like funk, soul, jazz and pop and our specific influences include Chic, Betty Davis and Parliament Funkadelic. But every so often there's a spicy tint of some of our more separate influences, such as Vulfpeck, Frank Zappa or D'Angelo.
Have you released any albums yet? Are you signed to a label?
Emma (vocalist) : No to both of those, this show is only actually our 5th performance so far. We do have a few interesting things lined up though, but all I can say is that we enter the recording studio near the end of February!
What are you listening to at the moment?
Thomas: actually as a group we've recently been getting our P-Funk on, particularly the Mothership Connection album
What are your plans for the future?
Zara (vocalist): So we’re due to start recording this month and have some interesting plans lined up with QM records, which we'll be announcing soon. We also have plenty more live shows coming up, local to Brighton and branching out to London and beyond in the near future. We're all super excited for our future as a band.
*Please note: this event has changed venue and is now taking place at Fabric (previously advertised as taking place at The Basement)*
Supported by GM Building and The Pebble Trust