Interview: Ivory Wave
~ Ivory Wave ~
Birmingham quintet Ivory Wave have already established themselves as local heroes and now their growing reputation is spreading far and wide. The party-starting mix of swaggering indie attitude, dancefloor-filling beats and glistening synths inspires chaotic scenes wherever they go. Their songs speak of the experiences of youth across the country, but their gigs offer pure escapism with a sea of fans singing along as smoke-bombs amplify the hedonistic vibe.
We caught up with George from Ivory Wave to talk about their new EP ‘Dream Nights’, their biggest headline show and playing with band of the moment DMA’S.
You have just dropped your new tune and video for ‘Weigh Me Down’, how has the reaction been since the debut play on Radio X?
“It’s been amazing – it’s beaten the amount of plays on YouTube for ‘Uptown’ already and that’s been out for a month or so, our fans love it which is what matters to us.“
‘Weigh Me Down’ is taken from your new EP ‘Dream Nights’, how does it feel to be playing a waiting game with the release date? (8th November)
“It’s horrible hahaha, we wake up every morning counting down the days until it’s released, we’re so excited for it.“
8th November is a big date for Birmingham, you release ‘Dream Nights’ and The Twang also release ‘If Confronted Just Go Mad’, have you heard their album yet and have they heard your EP?
“No to both questions, we haven’t stayed in contact since we toured together, that’s another story… But I like all the singles they’ve put out from the album so im looking forward to it.“
You have played with The Twang on many occasions, how much would you class them as an influence?
“Luke used to like them a lot when he was growing up, they were never really an influence to us when we were first starting the band but they’ve always been there in the background if that makes sense?“
What would you say it is about Birmingham that influences the bands to have more of a groove running through their music?
“I don’t really think alot of the bands in Birmingham have a groove element in them? There’s definitely been a solid indie scene here but I always feel like we’re the only band that combines dance music with indie in Birmingham.“
What other Birmingham bands are about at the minute that people should be taking notice of?
“There’s the obvious people The Clause, Sugarthief etc Ive always loved a band called The Lizards they’re amazing and I love all the artwork that Dan their singer makes.
“Also love Kofi Stone too.“
Which City/Town outside of B-Town would you say that you get the best reaction in?
“Leeds, 100% they go mad for us.“
You play a sold-out gig at O2 Institute2, Birmingham on the 16th November, how is the excitement bubbling along for this show and do you already have your set written out?
“Yeah, we practise the set over and over in order for shows like this, its mega important to be tight when alot of people have paid money to come and see you, it’s going to be big. We’ve got a whole lighting show and a few other surprises up our sleeves.“
Promotors This Feeling are massive fans of yours, do you remember your first gig with them?
“Yeah, we were over the moon the first time we got offered a show with them because it felt as though we were dipping our toes into the music industry for the first time.“
What is your most memorable gig through This Feeling?
“Definitely when we played at Truck Festival it was absolutely packed out for us. One of our first festival experiences and still one of our best.“
Your name gets thrown around a lot in the DMAnia Facebook group, do you keep your eye on what people are saying in there?
“Yeah we do, they’ve always supported us in everything we do and we’re mega grateful for it so we often keep an eye on it to see if people are talking about us as band, it’s a great community that shares amazing new music.“
How did you find the crowds during your DMA’S support slots?
“It was meant to be, I’ll just say that. Our fans and there’s are cut from the same cloth so we had an incredibly warm welcome on both occasions we played with them.“
You have been sitting on ‘Dream Nights’ for a while now, have you started working on tracks for your follow up EP or even started working towards an album?
“We’re constantly writing so we’ve always got new music to release. We’ve just written a new one that could be one of our best, we’re going to play it on the upcoming dates.“
Finally, you had ‘Uptown’ played on Soccer AM recently so what football teams do you all support?
“I support West Brom and the rest of the lads support Aston Villa, it can get quite heated at times hahaha.“
Cheers for talking to us and good luck with your ‘Dream Nights’ release, your Academy gig and the rest of the tour.
‘Dream Nights’ is released 8th November order here: https://ivorywaveuk.com/
(Interview by – Marc Whiffen)
Catch Ivory Wave live on the following dates
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