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 He’s been described by some as the UK’s answer to Bright
Eyes, winning approval from the likes of Stephen Fretwell and Elbow’s Guy
Garvey. 22 year old singer songwriter Liam Frost actually made his live debut
at the age of fifteen then spending a couple of years in noisy punk bands
before venturing out on his lonesome again. Well, with his five-piece band The
Slowdown Family. He released his She
Paints Picture EP earlier this year as well the single The Mourners Of St Paul's, cultivating a loyal fanbase. Following his performances at V Festival the next step will be to unleash the next single, The City Is At A Standstill. UK Music
caught up with Liam for a quick chat.
Hi Liam, how’s it all
going for you?
I’m absolutely fine. We just did V Festival this weekend. It
was a long weekend, I got back pretty late this morning. Now it’s time to hit the gym!
Are you on a bit of a
health kick then?
Yeah recently. I’ve been feeling it a little bit on stage,
like getting tired and stuff so I thought I might as well start doing a bit of
running and exercising.
Did the performances
at V Festival go well?
Yeah, it couldn’t have been more of a success really. The
Saturday was quite difficult for us on stage with the sound and things, but it
felt like a Manchester
audience really. The tent was rammed and I asked if any one was from Manchester and entire audience went nuts so I guess it was
pretty much a Manchester
gig.
So, what is your new single The City Is At A Standstill
about?
Pretty much just girls and drink and the things that happen
when you mix the two. It’s just one of those songs that came out without much
thought.
Coming from Manchester, is it an
inspirational city for music?
I think it’s something that Manchester bands definitely understand.
There’s just something about the city, everything from being around the bars
that bands hang out at right down to the scallies that mill out the city late
at night.
When did you decide
you waned to be a musician?
I’ve always wanted to do music. Music’s been a big part of
my family. No one in the family are musicians, but there was always music
around the house, like there’s always some music on in the house and it was
just something I picked up on from when I was about four. I picked up the
guitar when I was ten and I’d always sang since I was little. I can’t imagine
one point in my life when I’ve not wanted to do music. I’ve been lucky in that
I’ve been able to do it.
You were in a punk
band before hand right?
My first music offering in Manchester was stuff on my own when I was
about fifteen and then I went into being in punk bands. I was into that sort of
music at the time, and it something I still listen to a lot, but it was just
something I felt like doing at the time. I got to about nineteen/ twenty and
just decided I was bored of shouting and just wanted to go back to what I was
used to doing which was solo stuff. I carried over a lot of the aspect of that
scene at that time, like the DIY sort of thing. A lot of the stuff that I did
prior to signing a deal was done with very much a punk ethic of doing it all
yourself, like pressing your CDs and getting gigs.
It’s quite a
departure from the acoustic stuff you’re doing now.
I’ve not noticed it so much because I’ve always listened to
loud shouty music and the softer kind of thing as well. I imagine it would seem
like a big departure to some people. The band I’m in now is still a noisy band
it’s just that we use folk instruments instead of guitars.
How did that cover of
Naïve by the Kooks come about?
It was an accident more than anything. We had a session with XFM in London and it was supposed to be a full band
session. I’d been there all day we were
doing all this radio stuff and we were supposed to do a session with the full
band later in the day but they showed up late so they cancelled the session
with the band. They just said ‘do you want to do a solo’ and I was like ‘that
sounds fine’. Then they went through it and asked me if I knew any covers, so I
just got the music off the internet for that song because it was something that
was on the radio a lot of the time at that point. I recorded in one take and it’s just become
this big thing I suppose.
They do seem to be a
band that is picked on a lot lately don’t they?
Yeah, I don’t really get that. I think that they’re just a
good pop band. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with good pop. We did a
show with them recently and I don’t think that they want to be anything else
other than a band that writes good pop songs and I think that’s a good thing.
I’d rather have the Kooks than something rubbish and plastic like Shane Ward
that. I’d rather that pop was something like the Kooks than something like
that.
What’s next for you?
Lots of live concerts, an album and hopefully Sophie Dahl!
The single The City Is At A Standstill is out now, followed
by the album Show Me How The Spectres Dance on 11 Sept.
For more info: www.liamfrost.co.uk
Words Helen Duong
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