Notts ambient rockers Eyre Llew became local heroes in Notts in the late 2010s, and went on to tour their immersive sound across continents. Now, they’re back with their second album: Bloom, and a show this month at The Nest, which is set to be truly spectacular…
For bands, the UK is far from supportive – most only just break even when touring, or releasing an album. Notts band Eyre Llew – Sam Heaton, Jack Bennet, and Jack Clark – came to terms with that years ago, driving back from their first shows in Europe. While there, they’d received a 600 euro gig fee, accommodation, and food. On the way back to Notts, they checked on the money they had left, after paying for petrol and ferry tickets.
“Jack Clark said, ‘I think we’ve got forty quid’. That’s when we came to the summary that as much as it’s more time and effort to do European stuff, it’s cost effective, in that it makes as much as touring in the UK. But we get fun, memories and tourism,” remembers Heaton.
Through twelve years as a band, Eyre Llew have been pretty transparent about the challenges working musicians face, and are just as open about how they informed the making of their new, second album: Bloom. The story of that album goes back to Covid, which upended the lives of lots of DIY musicians, including Eyre Llew. “We had in effect an album ready to go,” says Heaton, adding, “then lockdown happened, and no one could meet up for a year and a bit, then no one could record properly for another six to nine months.”
Though Covid dealt them a “massive financial hit”, it wasn’t an unwelcome break from relentless international touring. They took it as a moment to refocus on their personal lives, and solidify their day jobs – Heaton for instance, leading events programming at well known Notts venues like Rough Trade, Saltbox, and later The Nest.
No band ever fails. They just stop because it becomes too hard. As long as you’re enjoying it and pushing yourself, that’s its own success
Eventually, when time and restrictions allowed, Heaton and Clark took weekend trips to play music with Bennet, where he lived in Lincolnshire. “The only thing we could do was those two hour drives to Lincoln, and keep being a band,” remembers Clark. “Even though you don’t know when the next gig’s going to be, or the next offer, or anything…”
New songs came together, often differently to songs on the first album, which often formed from on the spot rehearsal room jams. “With this album you’re doing things remotely, so we had time between rehearsals to think about parts,” says Bennet. “So there’s variety in terms of song structures – it feels like a progression of our writing and production. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’re really proud of this album because of the challenges that came with putting it together in the conditions that we had.”
While their 2017 record Atelo might have been a bit more ‘post rocky’, with songs led by sonic experimentation, Bloom varies things up, and draws out emotion from more recognisable song structures. Song titles like Minigsby and Oban are locations in Lincolnshire and Scotland that are meaningful to the guys, while the lyrics, similarly, are slightly more grounded, focusing on small scale moments or, in the case of Rainbow Bridge, drawing inspiration from a comforting 1959 poem about what happens when pets pass away.
“At the time of writing this I really fell in love with the idea of including things like place names, and smaller details to try and bring the song to life, not just to make it more personal, but more vivid,” says Heaton. “There’s a song by The National that mentions London which I thought was kind of cool. It immediately puts the song in context of a place, and what you’re doing that day.”
When the songs had mostly come together it wasn’t nearly as simple as getting the record released. Various folks in Notts might remember the fundraising shows they put on, so that it could get fully recorded, mixed, mastered (eventually at Abbey Road Studios), printed and distributed. It was while putting these shows together the guys realised these new songs’ complexity required expanding Eyre Llew to a five piece – enter Laurie Illingworth (piano and drums) and Russ Clark (bass).
“It felt very natural when we brought them on, because we didn’t have to do everything ourselves,” says Clark. “I was playing piano, stompbox, singing, and drums all at the same time, and now it’s just like I can relax and focus on drums, and for JB we can get focused on having his guitar toned and sounding as good as possible.”
Those years of work, and steps towards producing the best record possible, are coming to a head at their November headline show at The Nest, which the guys are certain is going to be their most special yet, and a celebration of everything they’ve accomplished.
“We’ve got one of Nottingham’s biggest indoor screens, and we’ve also hired in, on top of what they have there, sixteen light fixtures,” says Heaton. “Then add to that, this is probably the first time we’re playing some of these songs live from the new record and we’re playing it as a five piece. Long story short, I think production wise – sound and visually – it’s going to be such a step up from anything we’ve ever done before.”
Looking back on the story of Eyre Llew, what makes it special, for us here in Notts, is how far and wide they’ve travelled, getting music from our city in the ears of innumerable folks from Europe to Asia. And they’ve endured, too, when many bands like them have lost steam – they mostly attribute that to how Eyre Llew is more of an investment in their friendship, and growth as people, than a linear path to fame or fortune. They’d advise any young band in Nottingham, looking to endure like they have, to see music in that way.
“No band ever fails. They just stop because it becomes too hard. As long as you’re enjoying it and pushing yourself, that’s its own success,” says Bennet. “So my advice would be to focus on those things. If you do it because you love what you’re doing, and you’re doing it with people you love, you’re always going to have a good time, you’re always going to get something out of it, and it’s always going to be a life well spent.”
Eyre Llew play The Nest on Sun 15 November, with various special guests. Grab your tickets from gigantic.com. Bloom is out now.
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