Prime UK Band singer Lee Heir, in what hopefully will be the first in a series of musical discussions with musicians from different genres, countries and backgrounds, spoke to Glasgow based songwriter Liam Doyle on the evening of his new release 'Same Mistakes', about mental health, musician life problems, the Glasgow music scene, and - more importantly - badminton.
Lee Heir: Hi Liam, very nice to meet your acquaintance. You're going to be my guinea pig for this first discussion so I hope you're ready fella!
Liam Doyle: Haha i’m happy to be the guinea pig, much appreciated for having me on!
LH: And thanks to your manager Caroline Easton for hooking us up for a chat. So, your new single 'Making Mistakes' is out at midnight tonight... how much of you is excited, how much of you is apprehensive, and how much of you is shitting yourself?
LD: Caroline is a legend! Don’t know how i’d navigate through this without her. I’m really excited to put ('Same Mistakes') out. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t a bit apprehensive.. we put our heart and soul into the stuff we create and we can only hope that people like it... but the main thing for me with this song is that I love it, so regardless of how it goes down, i’ve created something that I love.
LH: It sounds like you've got a great team behind you, which always helps. You've released the single on Mental Health Week; the lyrics of the song are of course very relevant to this subject, and you've expressed in your press release the background behind the song and the struggles you personally have overcome. When was the song composed and what would you say was the main down point for you around this time in your life?
LD: One hundred percent. I’m really lucky. I actually didn’t realise when I released the song that it was Mental Health week but it fits in perfectly with the way I was feeling at the time. I wrote the song in September time last year and I had been going through a really depressed period. I felt like there was just no light in my life and totally hopeless. I had felt down in the past but never quite that lost. I think just with choosing to do this crazy thing as a career, we are always chasing that high and chasing the next thing and I was just fed up. Fed up of reaching out to people and hearing nothing back, fed up of putting my all into something and feeling financially insecure. Looking at my friends and seeing a stability that I was longing for in a way. Just completely questioning my whole life really! I’ve always been a guy who carries a lot of stress and everyone's problems on my shoulders but keeping a face on and looking at the positives. This time I just wasn’t able to do that. I sat at the piano and this song literally poured out of me. It was therapeutic to say exactly what I was thinking and get that off my chest.
LH: I can one hundred percent relate to that. I also think that creative people have that darkness in them, and if they didn't they'd be writing pretty boring songs most of the time. And worse case scenario, being in music in any capacity is better than working in an office or call centre any day of the week. I think it's a very brave thing to do. I had gone through a bad spell after splitting up with an ex-girlfriend and we had briefly got things back on track conversation wise, and she said how brave it was to follow a creative path in life. Although I got the impression that even though I'd looked after my money and was on a secure footing in life, it still wasn't enough. She was looking for a certain level of security and I think it's more exciting to dip in and out of what to most people is the norm. That's where we differed in life, she was a realist and I was the dreamer.
LD: I agree.. i think we kind of have that built into our brains.. some great songs from it though so thats a positive haha! Ah sorry to hear about the ex. I think it comes down to the point that although people on surface are supportive.. theres still that nagging question ‘When are you going to get a real job’ .. ‘Whats your back up’ and it's infuriating! It takes a lot of guts to do what we’re doing and I have to remind myself of that every day... keeps life exciting too!
LH: The lifestyle of a musician or filmmaker is what inspired me to forming a band, not really monetary gain, which is good, because I haven't made loads of money from it! Who or what inspired you to play?
LD: I’m the same to a degree.. it’s never been about the monetary gain for me but as I get older, it factors into things a lot more. I get by though which is all I can ask for! I think initially, my brother played piano and sang and he was great. I had started secretly filming him and uploading to youtube which began to take off quite quickly in 2010/11. I’d always sang but hadn’t ever even contemplated playing in front of people or putting my music out until I saw the attention and feedback he was getting from it haha! I taught myself guitar and just started posting dodgy videos and playing open mic nights and the rest is history really.
LH: Interesting that your brother is what inspired you, and that competitive spirit that all brothers have in some way I'm sure. I never had that family push to get into music at all, which is probably why I was a late-comer to it. What was your brother's musical background and is he older than you?
LD: I’m competitive by nature haha. I never had a family push or anything... just something we discovered ourselves. He’s my twin brother but he played piano from an early age and it was something I wasn’t interested in until a bit later. He is a fantastic writer and singer but not so into it anymore although he does play keys for me when I need something a bit more advanced done!
LH: Why did he stop playing as much? Joining the 'real world'?
LD: He was more interested in academics than I was I suppose, and was more introverted I would say.
LH: Have you always been an extrovert, and if you weren't into music at a young age what were you into instead?
LD: I wouldn’t say so. I’m a talker, i enjoy talking to people and having real conversations. I’m an extrovert but not completely in your face about it (laughs). I was always into music but I never seen it as a viable thing really.. i had no idea how to get into it. I was in talent squads for badminton and was playing at a really competitive level and training a lot.. I still love playing and it’s a great way to ease stress but I found music and began taking that more seriously at around 16/17.
LH: My brother and I have had some of our best bonding sessions and conversations over a good game of badminton. If I ever finally get to Glasgow you will have to give me a good thrashing!
LD: Cant beat it! We played tournaments throughout the UK and Denmark and played doubles together so we spent a lot of that time either being friends or hating each other for playing badly depending on the result hahaha! Haha i’m 100% certain you will and we will definitely arrange that when you come up!
LH: But your good hand will be tied behind your back or otherwise I've got no chance. Anyway, completely back to your music, would you say 'Same Mistakes' is your favourite of all your releases? And what tracks would you say were cornerstones of your influences for the people reading this to check out?
LD: Hahaha I will play left handed! I would say ‘Same Mistakes’ is my favourite song i’ve released because I never held back at all with it. All my songs are deep but I was so lost in my head at the point that I wrote this that it really helped me see things clearly. I was listening to Active Child.. love a lot of Gabrielle Aplins stuff.. Brandi Carlile. Just real honest songwriters which is massively important for me. I didn’t particularly take any inspiration from any tracks melodically or lyrically as such. It kind of just felt like it came to me on autopilot.
LH: The best songs often do. Mark Bolan once said, "I just pluck them out the sky" about how quick he wrote his hit songs. I find that my favourite songs I write often mean the most to me lyrically, or have most of my spirit in them. How's the the vibe on the streets of Glasgow these days in the music bars and clubs?
LD: Thats a really good way to put it actually. I agree with him on that for sure and the thing is.. Even if everyone else hated the song... I like it which is what matters! (laughs) The Glasgow music scene is great... I do think that there is a lot of cut throat and back stabbing though in general... and it’s a side that i don’t get involved in. Most of my close pals aren’t in music at all, they work in factories and shops and ‘normal’ jobs and I like that because it means I can switch off from the whole music thing at times.
LH: Ahh I think we have loads in common on that front, I was talking to a really good radio host called Will Kent recently, and I told him that my friends are mainly normal and that I can't be doing with most musicians. I could tell you some ridiculous stories about some Nottingham musicians and promoters ... the truth is often stranger than fiction! What would you say the top three bars are in Glasgow that I should check out when Prime finally get there?
LD: I’m in the exact same boat! People are really out for themselves and I can’t be doing that.. I’ve had some crazy crazy experiences too. Will need to chat about them off record at some point ha ha! I would say Box is a great bar: Live music every night of the week and it’s just a really cool atmosphere. Also King Tuts is probably my favourite venue to play and even to go and see a gig. Great atmosphere and the history in those walls! The Hug and Pint is a really intimate venue but a cool place to check out and theres always something happening.
LH: Ahh King Tuts has a great reputation, as does Glasgow in general and the audiences there. Well... Midnight is here, I shall raise a glass to your new release, and hopefully have a cold one in person with you at some point very soon! Great chatting.
LD: Thanks very much Lee, great speaking to you and I look forward to that beer some time. All the best!
Liam Doyle - 'Same Mistakes' single is out now.
Prime UK Band - 'Art / Facts' compilation is out now.
Links:
Liam Doyle is online at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/liamdoyle22 + Twitter / Instagram / Youtube: @liamdoyle1994
Spotify ‘Same Mistakes’ link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/4nefJnQMsjNvircO35Ul7c?si=bZrI72kJTKKmnPmNNADdaQ
Lee Heir of Prime UK Band is online at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukprime + Twitter / Instagram: @primeukband + Youtube: @badfridaypictures
Spotify 'Art Facts' Link:
https://open.spotify.com/album/2GocqlOhEgW5hoL4exwxrJ
Lee Heir: Hi Liam, very nice to meet your acquaintance. You're going to be my guinea pig for this first discussion so I hope you're ready fella!
Liam Doyle: Haha i’m happy to be the guinea pig, much appreciated for having me on!
LH: And thanks to your manager Caroline Easton for hooking us up for a chat. So, your new single 'Making Mistakes' is out at midnight tonight... how much of you is excited, how much of you is apprehensive, and how much of you is shitting yourself?
LD: Caroline is a legend! Don’t know how i’d navigate through this without her. I’m really excited to put ('Same Mistakes') out. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t a bit apprehensive.. we put our heart and soul into the stuff we create and we can only hope that people like it... but the main thing for me with this song is that I love it, so regardless of how it goes down, i’ve created something that I love.
LH: It sounds like you've got a great team behind you, which always helps. You've released the single on Mental Health Week; the lyrics of the song are of course very relevant to this subject, and you've expressed in your press release the background behind the song and the struggles you personally have overcome. When was the song composed and what would you say was the main down point for you around this time in your life?
LD: One hundred percent. I’m really lucky. I actually didn’t realise when I released the song that it was Mental Health week but it fits in perfectly with the way I was feeling at the time. I wrote the song in September time last year and I had been going through a really depressed period. I felt like there was just no light in my life and totally hopeless. I had felt down in the past but never quite that lost. I think just with choosing to do this crazy thing as a career, we are always chasing that high and chasing the next thing and I was just fed up. Fed up of reaching out to people and hearing nothing back, fed up of putting my all into something and feeling financially insecure. Looking at my friends and seeing a stability that I was longing for in a way. Just completely questioning my whole life really! I’ve always been a guy who carries a lot of stress and everyone's problems on my shoulders but keeping a face on and looking at the positives. This time I just wasn’t able to do that. I sat at the piano and this song literally poured out of me. It was therapeutic to say exactly what I was thinking and get that off my chest.
LH: I can one hundred percent relate to that. I also think that creative people have that darkness in them, and if they didn't they'd be writing pretty boring songs most of the time. And worse case scenario, being in music in any capacity is better than working in an office or call centre any day of the week. I think it's a very brave thing to do. I had gone through a bad spell after splitting up with an ex-girlfriend and we had briefly got things back on track conversation wise, and she said how brave it was to follow a creative path in life. Although I got the impression that even though I'd looked after my money and was on a secure footing in life, it still wasn't enough. She was looking for a certain level of security and I think it's more exciting to dip in and out of what to most people is the norm. That's where we differed in life, she was a realist and I was the dreamer.
LD: I agree.. i think we kind of have that built into our brains.. some great songs from it though so thats a positive haha! Ah sorry to hear about the ex. I think it comes down to the point that although people on surface are supportive.. theres still that nagging question ‘When are you going to get a real job’ .. ‘Whats your back up’ and it's infuriating! It takes a lot of guts to do what we’re doing and I have to remind myself of that every day... keeps life exciting too!
LH: The lifestyle of a musician or filmmaker is what inspired me to forming a band, not really monetary gain, which is good, because I haven't made loads of money from it! Who or what inspired you to play?
LD: I’m the same to a degree.. it’s never been about the monetary gain for me but as I get older, it factors into things a lot more. I get by though which is all I can ask for! I think initially, my brother played piano and sang and he was great. I had started secretly filming him and uploading to youtube which began to take off quite quickly in 2010/11. I’d always sang but hadn’t ever even contemplated playing in front of people or putting my music out until I saw the attention and feedback he was getting from it haha! I taught myself guitar and just started posting dodgy videos and playing open mic nights and the rest is history really.
LH: Interesting that your brother is what inspired you, and that competitive spirit that all brothers have in some way I'm sure. I never had that family push to get into music at all, which is probably why I was a late-comer to it. What was your brother's musical background and is he older than you?
LD: I’m competitive by nature haha. I never had a family push or anything... just something we discovered ourselves. He’s my twin brother but he played piano from an early age and it was something I wasn’t interested in until a bit later. He is a fantastic writer and singer but not so into it anymore although he does play keys for me when I need something a bit more advanced done!
LH: Why did he stop playing as much? Joining the 'real world'?
LD: He was more interested in academics than I was I suppose, and was more introverted I would say.
LH: Have you always been an extrovert, and if you weren't into music at a young age what were you into instead?
LD: I wouldn’t say so. I’m a talker, i enjoy talking to people and having real conversations. I’m an extrovert but not completely in your face about it (laughs). I was always into music but I never seen it as a viable thing really.. i had no idea how to get into it. I was in talent squads for badminton and was playing at a really competitive level and training a lot.. I still love playing and it’s a great way to ease stress but I found music and began taking that more seriously at around 16/17.
LH: My brother and I have had some of our best bonding sessions and conversations over a good game of badminton. If I ever finally get to Glasgow you will have to give me a good thrashing!
LD: Cant beat it! We played tournaments throughout the UK and Denmark and played doubles together so we spent a lot of that time either being friends or hating each other for playing badly depending on the result hahaha! Haha i’m 100% certain you will and we will definitely arrange that when you come up!
LH: But your good hand will be tied behind your back or otherwise I've got no chance. Anyway, completely back to your music, would you say 'Same Mistakes' is your favourite of all your releases? And what tracks would you say were cornerstones of your influences for the people reading this to check out?
LD: Hahaha I will play left handed! I would say ‘Same Mistakes’ is my favourite song i’ve released because I never held back at all with it. All my songs are deep but I was so lost in my head at the point that I wrote this that it really helped me see things clearly. I was listening to Active Child.. love a lot of Gabrielle Aplins stuff.. Brandi Carlile. Just real honest songwriters which is massively important for me. I didn’t particularly take any inspiration from any tracks melodically or lyrically as such. It kind of just felt like it came to me on autopilot.
LH: The best songs often do. Mark Bolan once said, "I just pluck them out the sky" about how quick he wrote his hit songs. I find that my favourite songs I write often mean the most to me lyrically, or have most of my spirit in them. How's the the vibe on the streets of Glasgow these days in the music bars and clubs?
LD: Thats a really good way to put it actually. I agree with him on that for sure and the thing is.. Even if everyone else hated the song... I like it which is what matters! (laughs) The Glasgow music scene is great... I do think that there is a lot of cut throat and back stabbing though in general... and it’s a side that i don’t get involved in. Most of my close pals aren’t in music at all, they work in factories and shops and ‘normal’ jobs and I like that because it means I can switch off from the whole music thing at times.
LH: Ahh I think we have loads in common on that front, I was talking to a really good radio host called Will Kent recently, and I told him that my friends are mainly normal and that I can't be doing with most musicians. I could tell you some ridiculous stories about some Nottingham musicians and promoters ... the truth is often stranger than fiction! What would you say the top three bars are in Glasgow that I should check out when Prime finally get there?
LD: I’m in the exact same boat! People are really out for themselves and I can’t be doing that.. I’ve had some crazy crazy experiences too. Will need to chat about them off record at some point ha ha! I would say Box is a great bar: Live music every night of the week and it’s just a really cool atmosphere. Also King Tuts is probably my favourite venue to play and even to go and see a gig. Great atmosphere and the history in those walls! The Hug and Pint is a really intimate venue but a cool place to check out and theres always something happening.
LH: Ahh King Tuts has a great reputation, as does Glasgow in general and the audiences there. Well... Midnight is here, I shall raise a glass to your new release, and hopefully have a cold one in person with you at some point very soon! Great chatting.
LD: Thanks very much Lee, great speaking to you and I look forward to that beer some time. All the best!
Liam Doyle - 'Same Mistakes' single is out now.
Prime UK Band - 'Art / Facts' compilation is out now.
Links:
Liam Doyle is online at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/liamdoyle22 + Twitter / Instagram / Youtube: @liamdoyle1994
Spotify ‘Same Mistakes’ link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/4nefJnQMsjNvircO35Ul7c?si=bZrI72kJTKKmnPmNNADdaQ
Lee Heir of Prime UK Band is online at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukprime + Twitter / Instagram: @primeukband + Youtube: @badfridaypictures
Spotify 'Art Facts' Link:
https://open.spotify.com/album/2GocqlOhEgW5hoL4exwxrJ
Primeband.co.uk
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