Manchester band The Navettes have recently released their single for “SLOW” a track that’s already making some buzz on the English airwaves. Having played in some of Manchester’s most acclaimed venues such as Club Academy, Soundcontrol, Gorilla and the O2 Ritz, this band is on the rise.
We wanted to learn more about these British musicians, so we reached out to them to ask them what the Manchester music scene is like these days, how they describe their sound, and what are some of their main influences.
What is the Manchester music scene like these days?
The music scene in Manchester has always thrived ever since bands like oasis started emerging but these days I feel like it’s even better, there’s a huge amount of variety and on every corner, you can find a different sort of band performing. It’s definitely the music hub of the UK
What does music mean to you?
Music for most people is either an escape or a way of expressing themselves and their emotions, it can be completely relatable to anyone regardless of any differences; that’s exactly what it means to us and why we want to get our music out there for people to hear.
The wildest thing that’s ever happened to you at a show?
After a show in Sheffield, we had a 6-hour wait until our bus arrived. A couple of us went to try and find some food while we were waiting in the freezing cold, and were nearly arrested for trespassing through a shopping center after it had closed.
The one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
One aspect of the band that is very rarely shown is pure love for all thing meme and vine related. Not a practice goes by that we don’t rattle out the same old dad jokes.
How would you describe your sound?
Comprised of Abbey, Tom, Ben, Chris and Olive. Ben and Chris are the rhythm jugglers of the band they bring the funky bass and beat. Olive our newest addition is the soaring lead guitarist. Tom is the vibe specialist, bringing synth and rhythm guitar and last but not least we have the fierce Abbey on vocals take.
We’ve worked really hard for the last two years experimenting writing a lot and working ourselves out which has resulted in us writing our debut album. Stylistically we take influence from bands like The Cure and The 1975, not only music artists but TV and film also. Stranger Things the Netflix show really inspired us with its strong 80’s vibe.
How did we come up with the band name?
After playing around with many different names, The Navettes just seemed to stick with us. A Navette is a cut of a gem or diamond- we thought that was pretty cool.
How long have we been together and how did we meet?
We have been together for 2 years, with the lovely Olive as the newest addition on guitar. We met at university in Manchester most of our first writing seasons took place in our tiny and gloomy student halls.
Who are some of your main influences?
We first started to play together after we discovered our shared love over The 1975, Pixies and The Cure. Bands we took major influence from when we first started writing music together. Jumping forward a year, our music has taken on a new evolvement in sound. Changing into more infectious synth-pop from our old indie rock days. We’ve taken a massive mix of inspiration from current bands like DNCE and Paramore (with their After Laughter album) and many 80s artists including Madonna, Blondie, and Wham! You just can’t beat it.
What can you tell us about your new single “SLOW”?
We’re VERY excited for this one. This is the first song we have released that showcases our new electronic and dance-y sound. You’re definitely going to want to bust a couple of moves out to this one. We’ve got a music video to be released alongside it too that makes us look a lot cooler than we actually are haha!
This is also the debut single from our upcoming album so it’s all quite exciting for us!
“SLOW” talks about the feelings when everything around you is going far too quick and everything seems overwhelming. It’s good to be able to “take it slow” and enjoy everything for what it is and not rush ahead. You can also interpret this literally in the form of a relationship too, enjoy the little things and don’t get caught up in the whirlwind.
