WHEN emanating straight from such a bustling hub of creativity and culture, it can often be hard for bands to depart from their local scene in order to find acclaim further afield. While it is undoubtedly true that the wealth of venues and possible opportunities that are made available in cities such as Glasgow or London can allow your music plenty of avenues to be discovered, it can also be stifling due to the sheer amount of acts that are attempting to garner exposure in a cutthroat industry.
Hailing from the latter of the two cities, one band that seem to have circumnavigated such issues during their time together is Nimmo; an incredibly arresting five piece who wield both a mastery of synth pop and a knack for emotive and deeply affecting songwriting.
Set to take to the stage at Glasgow’s legendary King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut during Tenement Trail, we spoke to band figureheads Sarah and Reva mere hours before a gig in Brighton about their upcoming visit to the city amid various other topics.
Speaking in reference to the past year and a half and the process of writing new material and touring, Sara is adamant that it had been far from the easiest journey to undertake:
“I think it’s been quite up and down, a bit of a rollercoaster really. I think that’s just because it’s our first album and we’ve came at it from a different perspective. We knew exactly how we wanted it to sound live and then we’ve had to face the battle of making it just as energetic on record without making if feel as though you’re being attacked when you listen to it on your headphones. It took us about a year and a half to get there but we’ve found our feet in the end.”
Currently in the midst of a tour around the UK, Reva suggests that this is most certainly the realm in which they feel most comfortable and are entirely enthused by the response of the public:
“We love it. It’s essentially been a long time coming as we’ve been doing so much writing but this is where we feel most comfortable. It’s always a surprise when we see how people react to it as we’ve been very London based for a long time so it’s amazing when people from different corners of the UK ask us to come back.””It feels as though we achieve more when we get out of London as you’re reaching people that you perhaps haven’t before. We played a sold-out show in London two nights ago which was amazing as it’s your own turf and it’s good for morale but it’s always nice to perform in other places.”
“Even if there are only eight people there, it’s nice to finally reach out for the people that have been interested. I much prefer the challenge of playing to new crowds.”
Speaking in reference to the upcoming show at King Tut’s, the pair seem to fully comprehend the magnitude of what the gig may mean for them given the illustrious lineage of the venue and the positive effect it has had in the careers of many burgeoning acts:
“It’s really nice to know there’s a good history behind a venue that you’re going to play. You have a little checklist of these venues that you hear touring band talking about so it’s great to be heading up to King Tut’s as we’ve been hearing about gigs there for years.
Despite the fact that this isn’t their first official venture to Scotland in order to perform, Sara sees it as their real chance to debut in front of the nation’s passionate music loving public:
“We’ve been up (to Scotland) once but it was a really long time ago and we haven’t had a chance to do it properly. Apparently the Glaswegians really know how to party so we’re excited for that.”
Receiving plaudits from all corners for recent single ‘Dilute This’, the longstanding songwriting duo seem positively exhilarated by the response that it has garnered thus far:
“It’s our first proper release so it was cool at the London show the other day reacting to it after hearing it online or on the radio. Seeing people singing it back at you is great.”
With such an innovative and original sound, it’s hard to imagine what kind of influences could have conjured up what they create. Suggesting that there’s a dichotomy in place between the songwriting and the production, Sara elaborates on some of her biggest influences:
“I grew up listening to a lot of artists such as Carole King and Motown music, just becoming obsessed with songwriting off the back of that. The Smiths were a really important band for me and got me into the idea of writing my own material, as did Fleetwood Mac. We’re all obviously into a lot of dance music and tech house is a collective genre between all of us but we all love bands like LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip too. It’s hard to know what informs which part of the band as it’s just so ramshackle.”
Set to hit the road with the immensely popular Years & Years later in the year, the band are excited to bring their material to a receptive audience that may not be familiar with their material.
“We did a show with them at Shepherd’s Bush Empire before and they’ve got really die-hard fans, wanting a photo with the roadies and everything. They’re a receptive crowd so if you’ve got a room packed full of Years & Years fans then it’s pretty much sure to be a good show.”
Looking forward into the future, Sara and Reva seem entirely optimistic about what lies ahead of them:
“We’re hoping that the album is going to reach far enough that we can be touring a lot and getting as much out of it as possible. We’ve already written enough material for two albums and we have no plans to stop. Hopefully we’ll be reaching as many places on planet Earth as possible.
With a sound as ambitious and ultimately enthralling as the one they possess, the idea for world domination may not be so far-fetched after all.
Nimmo play our multi-venue festival Tenement Trail on the 3rd October in Glasgow before heading to Edinburgh’s Electric Circus the following evening. Tickets for the all day event are available now.
Listen to Nimmo’s wondrous new track ‘Dilute This’ below:
