There's something stirring in the North of England at the moment and The MaCaws are punching heavier than their weight in a resurgence of guitar-driven rock...
The Macaws are a four piece indie-rock band from Rotherham, consisting of vocalist, Keâne Ward, Charlie Walsham on Lead guitar, Dominic Walsham on bass guitar and Rob Neal on drums. They are part of a resurgence in guitar-driven rock music that is sweeping the North of England and bringing with it a new found bouncing ladism that is as infectious as it is riotous. Their debut single, One Night in Paris pricked up the ears of Full Send Magazine, so we tracked them down and found out that it’s actually not that grim up North at all…
So firstly lads, what inspired you to start a band?
It’s hard to say; I think initially we all will have different stories of how we got into music or why we wanted to start making music, but for the macaws itself, I think it was just 4 mates who enjoyed playing music and gigging, and wanted to see what we could do if we started a completely fresh, new project. We’ve all been in bands before and for one reason or another, they came to an end, so the macaws was just an opportunity for a new lease of life musically.
How did the four of you find each other?
It’s hard to say, the band is founded on friendships rather than professional relationships. Charlie and Dom are brothers, so I presume that’s how they met each other. Me and rob are also related, but we only found out about that recently, it’s not how we met. Dom, Rob and Chaz were in a band together for a while, then I was in a band with Chaz and Dom, so when these previous counterparts concluded, the four of us started this project. But we’ve all known each other for a while now, and a while before this band started.
For the uninitiated, how would you describe your sound?
It’s a question that I always struggle to answer. In ways it’s indie; but there’s song we have that seem too heavy to be put under bluntly under that bracket. But having said that, we do have songs where “indie” would be a fair description. I find it easiest to say we are “post punk”, I think it’s a broader term that somewhat encapsulates our abilities and sounds. we have recognisable catchy riffs, infused with passionate vocals all backed up with strong bass tones and explosive drumming. We’re anthemic at times, but also quite rogue.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
We have a range of influences, all of us individually have been curated and influenced by different artist. I think we’re driven a lot of by early “ish” rock. Rolling Stones, thin lizzy, the who, sex pistols, the doors, the Beatles, these sort of bands. But there’s loads of bands and singers after those mentioned that we love and take influence from.
Butter the toast, then get some scrambled eggs and cheese on, bosh. I darent ask the others, I reckon Charlie would have something like salmon
How would you describe the personality of the band?
We don’t take ourselves to seriously, we’re quite laidback and almost normal in ways. Our main topics of conversation revolve around music and football. Of course, we’re capable of being unpredictable as well. Capable of unnecessarily making ourselves the centre of attention. I don’t think you’re much of a band if you don’t have that ability. We mean well, for the most part.
What sets you apart from other up-and-coming bands?
I wouldn’t say there’s anything major that makes us any different to anyone else. There’s a lot of good talents out there and we’re just doing our own thing and trying to have a good time. I think we care more substance than style. We don’t care so much about how we appear to others, as long as we think the product we’re making is the best it can be, then that will suffice.
Is there any message in your lyrics? (We’ve only heard ‘One Night in Paris’ so far)
Sometimes there is. Sometimes you sit down with a direct intention of writing a song about a specific topic or happening. But you also get songs that are plucked out of the air, where you’re just riding on a line or riff you’ve made and you wait to see it takes you. I like to think people in time will be able to interpret their own messages from our songs. I’m not sure one night in Paris is one of those songs. It’s not really about a night in Paris… but I’ll leave it to the philosophers to figure it out.
How do approach song writing? Who writes the lyrics?
We’re still yet to find a system. A few of our songs have come from us individually playing or writing at home, and then we’ve brought it in and everyone’s added their parts. But a handful have just come from us jamming and noticing that there’s a tune formulating from doing so. I write the lyrics generally. Sometimes I write about the standard boring things, what you’re feeling or what you’ve experienced, and sometimes there just nonsensical with no narrative or point to them. It makes little difference which method I choose, I usually end up disliking them all equally.
What’s been the biggest buzz so far?
We’ve been lucky enough to play on the same bill as some unreal talents to be honest. We supported The Sherlocks a few times on their acoustic tour which was a surreal experience. We’ve played in London with The Molotovs and Laurie Wright, two insanely talented artists. I’d say they’ve been our biggest achievements. We’ve been lucky in a sense as we’ve not always earned these gigs from merit, but I think we’ve always stepped up to the plate when it mattered. We’ve picked up people from these gigs who now follow our progress and updates which is great, and ultimately why you do it.
What do you find exciting about the current British rock scene?
I think there’s a lot of talent around. And tons of artist trying new things, some of which are slept on, and some that have been deservedly recognised for their efforts. Hopefully in time the support that’s needed for a lot of bands to flourish will come; as I think the scene could be thriving more than what it is right now.
Do you align yourselves with other Northern rock bands such as The Roasadocs? (What’s the scene like in Rotherham?)
We give a nod to them, there’s so many bands like them from the north that are creating fantastic music. Though I think we’re somewhat different, I’ve yet to see a band that reminds me of ourselves. Not because what we’re doing is completely new or different, I just think there’s an array of sounds and talents to choose from in this unsigned scene, and we’re not particularly trying to copy anyone. I think Rotherham is yet to peel off its cover and show what it truly can produce. Though it is improving, we’re seeing more and more artist coming through from these areas, which is great for the town.
Who would you most like to tour with?
I’ve mentioned the likes of Sherlocks Molotovs and Laurie wright, touring with any of them would be a load of fun. But honestly, there’s very few that we’d say no to. There’s a lot of bands we collectively like, and touring is something we’ve spoke about. I guess it’s a case of waiting for the right thing at the time to come around.
What’s been the hardest challenge so far? (Getting gigs etc).
Probably a bit of everything. From making songs to getting gigs to building our own following. This band wasn’t a rebrand of our old bands, it was a fresh beginning. So we’ve had to put a lot of time and effort in and we’ve had to get everything right as well to be able to hit the ground running. But once you make those first few steps, making a couple original songs, playing a couple of smaller gigs, everything starts to fall into place and you start to find a rhythm. We’re still trying to up our game in whatever ways we can, and will continue to do so.
How are you engaging with fans online?
It’s not our strongpoint, we’re very basic in ways. We post about the gigs we’re doing and photos / videos from the gigs, but I feel we’re gradually getting there. Our roadie Igor is taking a lot off videos and photos of us which is giving us a lot more content to share with people. Footage of us behind the scenes, or in the act itself. We’re always practicing and discussing things in the back ground, but sometimes on social media, it probably looks like we’re doing nothing at times. So we are working on having more content that we can share with people, just to keep our media active.
What advice would you give other bands trying to get into the industry at the moment?
“Just do it” – Nike. No but seriously, I think some people get caught up about what people might think or how it might go, the best we can say is just get out there and do it. It becomes a massive positive part of your life, and if it doesn’t work out, at least you gave it a go, and it’s a story to tell if nothing else. Get out there and gig as often as possible.
You’ve managed to get onto the line-up of the Rock N Roll Circus at the Don Valley Stadium. How excited are you for that one?
We can’t wait. It’s the first time as this band that we’ve been on a line-up with names like that. We’re all fans of Milburn, so we can’t wait to see them as well. We only hope that being put on line-ups like that, becomes a more regular thing.
What’s next? New music? Touring etc?
Touring has been mentioned. But when you’re all working full time and have other commitments, it’s not the easiest to organise. We are recording a new single over a couple of days at the end of March. So hopefully the turn around with that is quick. We want to get it out there as soon as possible, we think it’s a step up from our debut and shows a bit more of our musical capabilities. There are other gigs that we’ve got in the pipeline that we’re excited to announce as well. We want to carry on the successful start that we’ve had, and we’ll do all we can to ensure we do that.