Being in a band is all about camaraderie and you can’t help but feel that when listening to Heavy Lungs. “Being from Bristol is really cool because it has a big village feel to it. You’re always going to see someone you know walking around. We have a thing called the ‘Bristol bump’; you’re always fist bumping a mate when you’re in town.” So just how did Heavy Lungs come about? Danny told us “Our drummer George (Garratt) was in a band that split up and I knew how great a drummer he was, so when I heard he was available, I felt a bit like a vulture feasting on his old band’s corpse, but when you’re that good, you aren’t going to stay single for long so I knew I just had to go for it.”
With the gang freshly signed to Alcopop! Records, the decision to sign with the label was something that the band felt was right for them “There wasn’t any sort of bidding war, they were just great with everything and we had such a great time recording with them.” As such, All Gas No Brakes is a record that has been ready for a while “We demoed half of the songs in the spring of 2021 with Dom (Mitchinson) at Hum Studios before recording the album with The Wiz (Chris Fullard) at Holy Mountain Studios in London in June (2021).” The inclusion of ‘The Wiz’ in the recording process is something that Danny glowingly recounts “The Wiz is called that because he is a wizard. He is so good at everything and working with him was just amazing because he is so experienced. The whole process with him and Stan (Gravett – engineer) was the best we’ve ever been a part of. They just make everything sound massive. The album wouldn’t sound anywhere near as massive as it does without those two.”
With recording processes varying so much from band to band, it’s always fascinating to hear just how a band goes about putting a track together and Danny lifted the lid on this “It’s always very collaborative, with no single person ever taking charge. It was all of us working on the tracks pretty quickly over the course of a week. We always start with a riff. Oli (Southgate) is such a good guitarist, he’s always got a riff to build around. I then add a gibberish melody and go back to writing the lyrics later on.” This process was central to one of the albums stand out tracks, and first single, ‘Dancing Man’, which Danny recalls with a huge smile on his face “Dancing Man started off as an in-joke between us. We had a riff and one of the guys kept saying ‘Like a little dancing man’ in a strong Scottish accent and we just found it hilarious, there were times when we were on the floor crying and laughing, so we ended up working it into the song. I’ve always liked the idea of bands having in-jokes and taking them all the way to the finished product, because that doesn’t always happen, so it’s always going to be funny to us that our little joke ended up on our debut album.”
The recording process wasn’t all non-stop laughs, though, as Danny explains with a grimace. “I got food poisoning from eating a veggie wrap, which should mean you’re safe from that sort of thing! I wasn’t the only one who ate it but I ended up being the only one who got sick, so for 4 or 5 days it was really frustrating hearing the rest of the guys getting their parts worked out and recorded. I was worried whether my vocals would be as good as I wanted them to be because of the food poisoning. Luckily, I came through it and was able to get the vocals to sound exactly how I wanted them to sound. I spent the next couple of days eating only plain rice and boiled broccoli because I didn’t want to risk becoming ill again.”
Related: Heavy Lungs – All Gas No Brakes | Album Review
After waiting so long to finally release their debut album, Danny explained what that feeling is like. “It’s been a long time coming. It’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time because we’ve been sitting on it for so long. I’m like, what if it isn’t actually any good? What if it has never been any good? You start to doubt yourself but it’s going to be great to get out there and tour the album.”
With that in mind, the band are super stoked to be getting back on the road in October. “We’ve not done a tour since 2019 but we’ve played shows here and there. We’ve actually played a couple of songs live before the release of the album, like ‘2 Hot 2 Ride’. We played it at a couple of festivals shows earlier this summer and people had started to recognise the riff already but it’s going to be cool when people actually know the songs properly. We’ve got a physical lyrics insert with the record this time which is something we haven’t had with the EPs. Obviously people pick up the lyrics but it’ll be nice that people can look them up properly if they should wish to do so!”
Having a tour lined up for the first time in four years, with the figure of pandemics and lockdowns still in the rear-view mirror, it’s clear the band can’t wait to reconnect with fans en masse and Danny mentioned a few shows they’re particularly looking forward to. “We’re obviously excited for The Fleece, the hometown show. That one’s going to be a good time. Leeds is always great too and it’s a venue we’ve never played (Hyde Park Book Club). One of the guys has been to a show there before and has said how cool of a venue it is, so we’re excited for that one. The London venue (Moth Club) is another one we haven’t played before. I’ve been there in the past to see Metz a couple of times so it’s one I’ve personally wanted to play for a while.”
With a pensive look on his face, Danny explains what a Heavy Lungs show is like for those who have never been to see them before “A Heavy Lungs show is … cathartic. It’s loving. It’s accepting. At the same time, it’s energetic and fast paced. Whatever you do, bring your earplugs because it’s going to be LOUD. Protect yourself from tinnitus, unlike me!”
With a stunning debut album finally being unleashed on the world and a massively anticipated UK tour on the horizon, where exactly do Heavy Lungs go from here? What does the future have in store for the band and what does the band have in store for the future? “We want to be the biggest band in world, buddy!” the frontman winkingly quips. “The goal is to carry on making music together. Not just making music but pushing ourselves forward and improving and growing. Everyone in the band is all in and I mean ALL IN. Oh, and we want to play America. That’s the dream for any band, isn’t it, to play America? The land of the free, the big apple and all that.”