IN just over six weeks, the cream of Scotland’s music scene will gather in Glasgow’s East End for our very own TENEMENT TRAIL on Saturday 7th October. Set to take over some of the nation’s most cherished venues – including Barrowlands, Saint Lukes, BAaD and more – this year’s line-up features another fine array of emerging talent and hotly tipped prospects from across the UK, spanning a multitude of genres and styles.
One such band hoping to make a big impact on their Trail debut is Lacuna – a six-piece folk-rock band from Glasgow. With a debut EP ‘Overgrown’ released earlier this year via Crowded Flat, the band have already given us a lot to get excited about – their sound channels the likes of Big Thief and Boygenius, oscillating from the quiet and considered to rousing and raucous.
So, as anticipation heightens ahead of the festival of music discovery, we chat to the band to find out more about them, their influences and what to expect at Trail.
But first, get your TENEMENT TRAIL tickets here.
Tell us a bit about you and how did you start?
Our front woman Emily started the band at the age of 15 doing covers on YouTube, while starting to write her own songs. Then a couple years down the line Emily met Jack, her partner, who started adding his guitar parts to her songs. After a couple more years of recording and writing material together, the two met Will during a blurry night out in Slouch. After agreeing to join Will roped in Sean and the band became a four piece! For the next year Lacuna performed in various venues in Glasgow and established themselves amongst the scene. Finally, after joining ‘Crowded Flat’ the group invited Amie and Olivia, thus completing the six-piece band we have today.
Who are you influenced by?
Big Thief, Boygenius and Mazzy Star are some of the many folk-rock/ shoegaze acts that inspire us creatively. Everyone has come from their own personal music journey with their own inspirations, but we have found our home in the Glasgow music scene, rooted in the unique Lacuna sound and what it has become.
What has been your biggest moment as a band so far?
Selling out our first headline as a six-piece has been a huge achievement for us as a band. But creatively, we have enjoyed perfecting our craft together. We had a moment after writing our new song ‘Shelley’ where a lot of elements clicked very organically and we found our flow.
What are your dreams as an artist?
Many! Of course we would love to reach a point where Lacuna becomes self sufficient. However, with Lacuna being a queer band, what is important to us is being able to cultivate a safe space and create a sense of community. Not just for ourselves but for everyone involved, fans and gig goers alike!
What can we expect from your set at Tenement Trail?
Four-part harmonies, crunchy folk rock and theatrics! With the confidence boost we had after our King Tuts performance and selling out our debut headline, we’ve had the kick up the arse to be more brave, dramatic and have fun on stage.
What acts do you want to see on the day?
Bandit Country, Bottle Rockets and Youth for Sale. We of course would want to see everyone!
What is your favourite festival memory?
For some of us, this is their first festival! Those of us who are frequent festival goers have fond memories at TRNSMT 2018 and Rock for People in Prague. Our bass player Will saw Biffy Clyro and bonded with the locals having travelled from Scotland to Prague to see them. He misses the 2 Euro pints.
What else have you got coming up?
Recording new music and constantly writing material. Also a top secret Crowded Flat gig at the end of the year (shhhhh).
