Interview: Arliston

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

Good question! I think people like Damien Rice and Joni Mitchell were the first people who hooked me into music. Later I got into Bon iver, and that really felt like a “wow, music can be this!?” moment (plus a friend showed me ‘RHCP Live at Slane Castle’, and that was pretty transformative too). If I wasn’t doing music, I’d probably be trying to write awful books. It’s definitely a good thing that fate has stopped me!

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

I’ve been trying to get into reading more (a good lockdown-approved activity), also thanks to the Winter Olympics, I’m now hoping to get some Curling in at some point- it looks so much fun. I’m not entirely sure how that would influence my creativity, but perhaps it’s the missing key to Arliston’s world domination?

How long has your band been around?

We released out first track in 2018, so 3 and a bit years!

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

We come from all different corners of the world- Spain, Italy and the UK. I’m from a tiny village called Ripe near the South Downs. That part of the world actually gave us our name. We searched for a LONG time to find the right name, and couldn’t find anything that wasn’t already taken. In the end, I went for a walk around a local reservoir (Arlington Reservoir) and thought it was so beautiful that it should somehow be connected to the band name. A few tweaks later, and Arliston was born!

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

Our most memorable shows to date were during our Canadian tour. It was such a buzz to be able to play to different crowds night after night. The energy was incredible! We capped it all off with a Sofar Sounds show in a huge warehouse in London, Ontario.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

To be honest if we could go back to that Warehouse in Ontario, I think we probably would! There are some amazing venues in London though, we’ve had incredible gigs at the Camden Assembly and Birthdays particularly.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

I think I’d expire with happiness if we could be allowed anywhere near Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten, Victor Taiwò and Alt-J.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Keep going! I think failure is such an endemic part of any creative endeavor (particularly in music), don’t allow a failure to get industry accolades lead you to stop doing what you love.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Mountaineer, from our latest EP ‘The Ground Might Disappear’. It means a lot to all of us, both in terms of the lyrics and the streaming success it’s had. This was the song that got onto editorial Spotify playlists like ‘The Most Beautiful Songs in the World’, and made us think that actually we might be onto something here- other people see what we are trying to do, and they actually like it!

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

Usually we begin with a guitar/piano/synth part and go from there, layering drums and vocals on top. Occasionally the lyrics, melody and chords all spill out together, in one big heap. But those moments are rare.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

I really like songs that are super specific and/or write about a delicate little moment. The temptation is to pull out to a wide-angle lens, and try to tackle a very broad subject- it’s much harder to be specific! So if I can focus in on something and describe or explore it in great detail then I’m happy.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

All the time! We have tiny little creative disagreements constantly, but the compromise is usually better than either one of the original ideas. Really, we’ve been working together for long enough that we (generally!) know how to disagree without actually falling out with each other.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

We’ve just released our latest EP ‘The Ground Might Disappear’, go and check it out!