Prior to the release of their debut EP, Filth, I caught up with (and by âcaught up withâ I mean âsent questions via emailâ because Covid đ) HUNYBEES.
I chatted to Charlie Preston and Louis Bailey about how the band came to be, how they felt about releasing music during the pandemic and whatâs next for the indie rock duo.
Letâs start at the beginning, shall we? How did the band start? Were you both making music before you came together?
We met at an acting group when we were around 8/9, and despised each other. We âre-metâ a few years later at another acting group in the same theatre and actually got on that time, where I (Charlie) asked Lou to play drums for a musical Iâd written. I asked if heâd want to start a band, with another mate, who we taught to play bass.
Beforehand Lou had been playing drums but was mainly focused on rugby (lads lads lads) and Iâd been making covers to put on Soundcloud but you definitely couldnât call it music.
Who would you say are your main musical influences?
We call upon both, vastly different influences and very similar ones. In terms of indie bands early on it was Magic Gang, who we started listening to together. For the first 6 months we were practically a Magic Gang tribute band. But I guess the cliches of The Strokes and The Beatles, with artists like Richard Hell, Television, Maccabees. We would also definitely say Musical Theatre if that wasnât a red flag to every cool, indie reader.
What has been your career highlight so far?
Besides playing a gig at a pub, largely funded by a meat raffle that took place during our set, it would be the music video we made during lockdown for âSame Old Dreamsâ. We wrote, recorded and released the song through lockdown and made a video of our friends and family holding up lyrics on their doorsteps. It was such a genuinely heart-warming experience.
How has releasing music in lockdown been?
Itâs been good, and helpful in some areas yet not so much in others. I think weâve become a lot more self-aware, and itâs given us time to improve and find direction in how we want to grow. However, especially, in the earlier part of lockdown it made us quite doubtful and self-critical when things werenât going too well, mainly with streams and anything to do with social media because thatâs all the focus was on.
Tell us about your latest single, âI Keep Falling In Loveâ, what was the inspiration behind it?
Unfortunately it does what it says on the tin. Itâs about our pitiful luck in love and our ability to pick ourselves back up again. Itâs campy and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Itâs a good representation of who we are as people.
Your debut EP âFilthâ will be released this month, how are you feeling about getting your music out there? Whatâs your favourite track on the EP/favourite to record?
We cannot wait for people to hear this collection of songs. Weâve been working on these for so long and are so proud of how itâs turned out. Bad Bitch is collectively our favourite both to record and our favourite track on the EP. Itâs fun, campy and true to us but with some actually quite good music bits – which is rare for us.
Lockdown has given music fans and artists alike plenty of time to perfect their playlists, what bands/artists are on yours?
Louis: Death Goals, Bobbie Womack & Tiny Moving parts
Charlie: Orville Peck, Shame and Shania Twain
Youâll be heading on tour soon (with Katy J Pearson and Gerry Cinnamon in June), how excited are you to perform to actual crowds?
Ridiculously. Whether an audience is happy or not for us to be performing the experience will be enjoyed.
What song are you most excited for people to hear?
Bad Bitch
If you could have any band/artist supporting you on tour, who would you pick?
Black Lace, Agadoo is a timeless hit.
Whatâs next for the band?
Our London headline is 30th July which will be huge. And further down the line weâll be looking to release new music, and gigs as often as possible.
You can listen to âI Keep Falling In Loveâ here and their debut EP âFilthâ here.
You can find HUNYBEES on YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
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