NEWS
EVENTS
A Honey Moon to remember
It was a pleasure to be able to sit down with Jack and Zach from Honey Moon at The Owl & Pussycat in Shoreditch after seeing their incredible live set the week before. When I met the 4 piece band (Jack, Zach, Sam, Peter) after their hypnotising set I was greeted with such warmth and excitement. It was clear to see how much fun the boys have when on stage and warming to see them take an active and genuinely caring approach towards their audience and fans. Their set at the Lock Tavern in Camden was entrancing, with striking similarities to Tame Impala. It was difficult to not be drawn into their love struck lyrics and memorable melodies. With the boys leaving such an impression after their performance the week before, I was excited to be able to ask them more about their past, present and future.
How did the formation of the band come about?
Jack: It was the end of 2014. Me and Sam met at university and decided to jam a bit. I was doing solo projects at the time and I needed a bass player. I was thinking in tunnel vision at the time. I later realised Zach could play bass which led to us making music together. It was myself and Zach writing at the beginning before Sam came into the picture to play drums. I eventually gave up on the idea of a solo career because it was kinda rubbish. We had great common ground and a lot of chemistry. (Laughs) It was hard to keep our hands off each other. We started making music together and then realised the songs sounded similar. I guess they sounded dream poppy at the beginning. It’s hard to know yourself what you sound like. And then we decided to form a band. We later met Pete at a party. It had gotten to about 4am, which is always around the time things start to not make sense. Suddenly Pete walked into the room and he was so energetic. That moment led to him learning bass for Honey Moon. We all then started to write and things just fell into place.
How did your self titled EP arise?
Jack: We had zero expectations! We literally made it for fun. We never thought of the EP as a concept, it just worked out. Our thoughts were along the lines of ‘we have a few songs and it’s easier to just release all at once’. We ended up picking our favourites. It was never dreamt up or thought of as we will have a set number of songs and release it. It started with Tripping, which was written quite early on before the rest pieced together.
How do you tend to end up composing your music?
Zach: It’s a bit different now to when we started. Orginally it was just us two. Jack would come with an idea then we would work it out. However now we tend to do it all together, all four of us writing as a team.
Jack: It can still follow that path sometimes. If before it was 90% me and Zach but it’s slightly different now. If there’s an idea, it doesn’t always go as far because there is a group of us now and they make up the other half of the team. The writing is done as a core but the sound of the songs changes. I hear songs now where other parts stand out in comparison to how we used to originally write.
Last year you went on a mini tour and visited a range of places, I bet that was an exciting experience?
Jack: Yeah there were a few dates to support the EP. We wanted to go and play our new songs to people. Ultimately, we were just friends who wanted to put on some shows. It was a good way of spreading out of the London bubble. At the time we had played a few times in Birmingham but we hadn’t gone out of London. London can be quite drenched so it’s nice to go out into other areas.
Was there anything specific that you expected from the tour?
Jack: Once again we only had expectations of hopefully having fun. It was exciting just getting in the van and going. It was nice not worrying about day-to-day life , getting by on burgers and chip, seeing new places, especially service stations. It’s amazing how quickly you can tally up the service stations and end up being able to compare them all. There weren’t really many antics on tour, just a lot of Rap battles. Myself or Zach tend to DJ in the van. I like playing 50’s or 60’s love songs and Zach goes for a lot of Hip Hop. That leads to the rap battles. Pete probably wins the rap battles. All nonsense.
Have you noticed any differences in your fan base since supporting bands like Ten Fé?
Jack: I wouldn’t say I’ve actively noticed a difference in audience but I would say I have notice a difference in the size of the crowds we draw now. Way more people are watching and approaching us to say nice things...It’s great making new friends.
What has influenced your music?
Jack: I think once we decided that we really liked making cheesy music, our music then moved from that. A lot of love songs. Our influences early on I would say were the Beetles, The Beach Boys. Guitar wise I’m influenced by The smiths and then for me a lot of doo-Wop. I love that kind of music. Zach brings a slightly more musically complex vibe to the group. Sam’s into more old school pscychadelia and blues-rock and Pete’s into modern electronic and psychedelic music.
What guilty pleasures do you like to listen to?
Jack: I don’t now how guilty they are but Spice Girls, Queen. But they aren’t really guilty. I guess I can feel guilty about some of the love songs I like. Puppy love, which is pretty cheesy.
If you could perform with anyone would it be?
Jack: To collaborate with it would have to be Brian Wilson for me because that would be mental or The Beetles. Being able to share the same stage would be Tame Impala or Elvis. I would have just liked to experience the crowd then. I also like to imagine getting involed in a Bach concert or with an orchestra. That would be so interesting! (Laughing) Perhaps us, an orchestra and then Shirley Bassey. I’d be down for that!
What are you aims for the future?
Jack: We aim to have loads of fun. At the end of November we go on tour. Last year it was a mini tour and this year we are touring with Laurel as support for her on multiple dates. We have a release on the 7th of October for cassette before other forms like vinyl. We just want to take it step by step then. We would be thrilled if people want to and enjoy listening to it as we’ve made something we really like and we can’t wait to play it to people all over the UK.
It’s clear that Honey Moon are on the road to bigger things with their stage performances already being impeccable. Their attitudes are also a tribute to the industry. With their imminent release its safe to say that we are only just seeing the beginning of what they are capable of. It’s looking to be a bright future for the band and I can’t wait to see what more they have in store.
Follow Honey Moon on Twitter and Facebook.
You can listen to their music on Soundcloud.
