Earlier on in the month, we headed over to West Yorkshire from York, to watch York based band The Howl and the Hum headline the Brude to a sold-out crowd. The show was nothing short of musical perfection as the four-piece rattled through their eclectic catalogue of hits, showcasing brand-new singles Hall of Fame and Human Contact. We caught up with the guys after the show to see if they could put into words how well 2019 has gone for them so far!
Can you put into words how it feels to have sold out the Brudenell?
The Brudenell is probably our favourite venue in Yorkshire, maybe the country, so it was an honour to play a headline gig here and then for it to sell out was a bit nuts. It’s the reason half of us moved to Burley Park, so it’s pretty much our local, and we’ve seen some of our favourite gigs here. It feels like a big Yorkshire hug, that’s what it feels like.
As a Yorkshire band, to play such big shows in your home region must feel like you’re doing something right?
Yeah this tour has ticked a lot of rockstar boxes for sure. We’re stunned by how many people are actually singing along, so we know it’s not just our dads in the crowd as they can’t reach the high notes
The new singles went down very well – how have you found the reception to Human Contact and Hall of Fame?
The positive comments are great, but the negative comments are very enjoyable. We’re going to put “looks like feminism is spreading well” and “vegan hippie liberal epileptic rave” on the poster for a future tour.
One thing that’s evident is you are never settled in a specific sound or genre, every song is so different – is that a conscious decision or do you just see what comes out when writing?
Um I guess it’s kinda both. Each song has its own feel and emotion that you try to replicate with the arrangement, and we feel that we should be expansive over the course of an album, but the most exciting part of writing is seeing where the song can take you. Sometimes I get nervous that we just can’t decide between all the different genres of music we love, but a lot of the time I look back and wouldn’t change it.
What’s the rest of the plan for the band in 2019 – can we expect more music and shows?
We’re going on tour again 11-17 November, playing Iceland Airwaves Friday 8th November, and will hopefully be releasing another single before the year is out, but there is a man in a suit with a gun to my back who is forbidding me to tell you any more than that sorry.
The band have come a long way from Sam playing open-mics in York, is it still a challenge outside of the region or do you have strong bases up and down the country?
We have some odd bases of fans – there’s the usual London, Manchester and Yorkshire, but whenever we go to Bristol it’s a great show, Wales has always been great, Hull and Newcastle are class, and Orkney is always very close to our hearts, though not geographically. It’s lovely when it feels like a homecoming show and you’re hundreds of miles from your own bed.
I personally cannot wait to see what 2020 and the future holds for you guys – what’s the “bucket list” thing you want to achieve as a band/personally?
Top of the Pops, years from now, I (Sam) am wearing a suit made of mirrors, disguised as a disco ball at the start of the gig, curled up and swinging from the ceiling above the audience. Then as the band are playing on stage, covered head to toe in jam and nothing else, I descend from the ceiling bellowing our new single (no microphone needed) and unravel, half reflection half man, until we are escorted off stage by the corpse of Terry Wogan.
See all final November tour dates here: https://www.thehowlandthehum.com/
Halfway 2 Nowhere 