Words and photos by Annie Barber.
Edinburgh and West Lothian based indie band The Volts, comprised of Jack Mowbray, Danny Steedman, Torin Hughes and Ross Carlyle, sat down with Discovery Music Scotland for a chat about their creative process, the music scene in Scotland, performing live, and what’s next for the group.
Sitting on a sofa in the bassist’s flat in Edinburgh, lead guitarist Danny Steedman says that the band’s songs usually start off as a few chords strung together with some lyrics to accompany them, before the rest of the band add to it. Frontman and lead singer Jack Mowbray chimes in, saying that himself and Steedman usually bring a song to the rest of the band, who then add on the bass and drums, saying “it’ll kind of just grow arms and legs from there”. He notes that the writing process for ‘A Million Different Reasons’ differed to their other tracks, as it was written in the studio two weeks prior to their scheduled recording studio session.
The group stress the importance of making connections in the music industry, with drummer Ross Carlyle saying that they started out supporting their friend’s bands. Bassist Torin Hughes mentions that once they started playing gigs, promoters took notice of them and then started offering them gigs. He also highlights that there are “plenty of venues in Scotland, especially in Glasgow, who will put on lots of smaller bands, which is good”. Mowbray adds to this, saying that Glasgow is “the place to be”, as the other band members nod in agreement.
As a partly Edinburgh-based band, they say that they would like to see more smaller venues in the city. Mowbray mentions that Sneaky Pete’s, Legends and Mash House are all good venues but Legends is a “one-genre venue” which isn’t their vibe.
A highlight of the band’s career so far was supporting The Snuts at one of their album launch shows at the Barrowlands in Glasgow on the 28th of February 2024. Mowbray says that consistent practice and “[getting] the set nailed early doors” allowed them to be prepared for the show. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing, as Steedman was in New York when they found out that they had got the opening slot, and had to fly back home for the gig. They also admit to being nervous after staying at Steedman’s house the night before and watching videos of Theo Bleak, who had the same support slot the night prior, and seeing that the venue was “full to the brim”. Despite this, they all say that the crowd was wild and they thoroughly enjoyed the show.
They all say that playing Barrowlands was a big dream of theirs, with Steedman adding that it would be brilliant to be able to headline it themselves one day. Hughes says that the O2 Brixton in London “would be cool” and they all mention playing Edinburgh’s Usher Hall as another goal of theirs.
Steedman, who wrote their latest single ‘Victoria’ in his room before bringing it to the rest of the band, thinks it’s their most complex song so far. Mowbray adds to this, saying that they’ve come a long way musically since their first single, and that their writing process is more intentional now. Carlyle says that it’s the first song they have released before playing live.
Mowbray says that they’ve started working with a new manager who they hope will help them book more support slots. He also hinted at another single coming out before Summer 2025, and a 5 song EP they hope to release before the end of the year. Hughes adds that their focus in 2025 is on writing new music and playing more gigs. They all agree that doing writing sessions to add to the music that Mowbray says is “bubbling away in the background [and] should come to fruition soon” is something that they intend to do. Mowbray jokes that in ten years time he’ll be dead, before saying that the goal is to be able to be playing as a band and releasing music for a living. Steedman adds that it’s good to set your goals “as high as possible”.
The Volts’ latest single ‘Victoria’ is out now. Make sure to connect with them on social media to keep up to date with upcoming gigs and new releases.