The Earnest Spears are a Punk band from Worcester. Despite the fact they have been around for just under two years, they quickly proved themselves to be noteworthy on 2019's Sincere and Intense Conviction and have just released the best song of their career so far, Liar.
Are you currently working on anything new?
Owen Davies (Frontman and Founding member): “The short answer to that one is yes. We are extremely lucky to rent our own space to practise. As soon as it was safe to do so, we started practising again. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve got about three quarters of an hour finished.”
You recently released your single Liar. What’s the story behind the song?
Owen: “When we were renting our old practise space, me and Faolan used to just jam together… it would be me, him on a guitar and a mic. We were just playing around one day with this heavy-ass riff… and it just came from there. It is a very politically charged song and you could say we get that inspiration from the majority of the bands we listen to. It’s not just a song that’s moaning about politics though… its how we feel.”
What are your thoughts on modern Punk bands and the state of Punk as a genre?
Faolan Richards (Guitarist): “There’s this saying; Punk is dead. The truth is Punk will never die out. There is always something to be angry about. Actually, I don’t mean angry. I mean frustrated. And of course, with the current government, there is some fucked up shit going on and there will always be a band or artist that is going to rebel against it. At the moment, Punk is great for getting your views across.”
Owen: “I think Punk is alive and living… more than it ever has been. Back in the 90’s, Punk was a very defined genre. When we first started, we didn’t know what to call ourselves. Are we Punk? Heavy-Indie? Alt Rock? And that’s the best thing about it.”
How did the band meet?
Owen: “Me and the bass boy, Kieran Bridges, were introduced to each other and decided to start a band. He came over to my house with an acoustic guitar and they idea was to be a 1975 boy-band type thing (laughs). Obviously that never happened although we did some open mic nights playing some acoustic covers. One day, I came across Faolan’s Instagram and I just sent him a message. It was along the lines of ‘Are you in a band’. ‘No.’ ‘Well, why not?’
Faolan: “It was more about how I met Owen. I went to see Slaves in Birmingham and I was too drunk to remember this.”
Owen: “Hahaha yeah on the train home. I was trying to pull this girl and this fucker decided to sit on the seats across from us. And he just started talking to her, just chatting absolute shit haha.”
Faolan: “Yeah, apparently that’s the first time I ever met Owen.”
Owen: “Yeah, I’d completely forgotten about that because you looked so different back then. So when I’m messaging him on Instagram, I don’t even realise it’s the same guy. That same day, we met for a coffee and I’m looking at him and all of sudden by brain goes ‘You’re fucking joking, it’s the same geezer that’s tried to rob my bird!’ But yeah, I messaged him and James (Drums) on the same day. And then after a week, we did a practise and it all just came together.”
Why did you choose Punk?
Faolan: “A lot of the bands we saw live were very Punky. The bands that I look up to are punk bands and my guitar style is always quite aggressive.”
Owen: “At our first practise, we all chose two songs to cover each and it was varied mix. Faolan chose Well Done by Idles and Doorman by Slowthai which is this really heavy grime track. But we just loved that sound and continued with it.”
What’s the best gig you have ever played?
Faolan: “It was our headline at Marrs Bar, literally a week before the first national lockdown. We sold it out.”
Owen: “Yeah that was very special as it’s where we all used to go as it was our local venue. But it’s great because it wasn’t the promoters who sold it out… we did it ourselves and it was a big milestone for us really.”
What is your opinion on the government’s recent posters encouraging those in the arts to retrain?
Faolan: “It’s fucking bullshit man. There are people out there who rely on the art they create… and then when someone born with a silver spoon in their mouth says that art isn’t the priority, I just think ‘Fuck you!’ You don’t know anything about that person or their creativity. Like who the fuck do they think they are?”
Owen: “If you take the actual poster, Fatima is a ballerina. How many years has she trained to do that? It’s disrespectful more than anything. Music is one of the only things that is good about this country and we should be doing more to help the industry.”
Where does the name The Earnest Spears come from?
Faolan: “My family are from Donegal in Ireland and there’s a town there called Letterkenny. There’s a shop which has been there for many years. It’s an odds and sods store really… It will sell you a jumper and also stuff for your kitchen. I was there one year with my mum and the shop is called Ernest Spear. We were sat outside a café and she just said ‘That’s a great name for a band, The Earnest Spears.’
Owen: “Yeah we really like it. Earnest meaning sincere and obviously Spear as in the weapon. I think it means ‘yeah, we don’t fuck about.’
Who’s the greatest punk band of all time?
Owen: “No offence to you mate but that is a shit question. There shouldn’t be a best punk band because punk’s not about being the best. However, if I had to choose one, it’s always gonna be Sex Pistols for me.
Faolan: “Er... I’m going to have to go with Gang of Four.”
How do you record your songs?
Owen: “We changed everything up on Liar. We went to a studio in Nottingham and rather than recording each track separately, we decided to play together. Even if we were only recording the guitar, we would be playing together on every single take. Even if we weren’t recording vocals, I would still be there singing and giving it my all. That’s what makes it our best single yet… you can feel our energy.”
Faolan: “Yeah if you listen to our EP and then Liar, you can hear that it is a massive step up. It was like we were playing our own intimate gig.”
Owen: “It was genuinely one of the best days I have ever had. It was like mid-winter and James is taking his shirt off. We really were just going mental for 8 hours non-stop. It’s definitely the route we are going to take in future.”
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be and why?
Faolan: “I feel like female artists don’t get enough attention. Definitely not as much attention as an all-male band would. There is a massive divide with female bands.”
Owen: “Yeah, if you look at festival headliner, more often than not they are all men. Another issue is ticket touts. People who buy tickets at face value and the sell them on for double the price. Absolutely disgusting. There are so many gigs I have missed out on because of ticket touts. For example, Black Sabbath when they did the final tour, they ended it in Birmingham. I missed the tickets and the touts were selling them on for £180.”
Where do you aim to be in five years?
Owen: “Just want to make a living off music.”
Faolan: “Yeah. I really want to go on tour, travel the world and meet other bands.”
When can we expect to hear new music from you?
Owen: “As soon as possible really. We were planning on recording before 2021 but I’m not entirely sure whether that’s going to possible. Probably safe to say the next release will be 2021.”
If you could give one message to your fans what would it be?
Owen: “FUCK THE TORIES! No, I’m kidding. I delayed starting this band. If there is anybody that wants to be in a band, don’t let anything stop you. I quit my job and started fresh and it’s honestly the best thing that I’ve ever done. If you want to do it just do it. I’ve never been happier.
Interview by Aidan McGuire
The Earnest Spears Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theearnestspears/
The Earnest Spears Spotify -https://open.spotify.com/artist/1lPuAguSYl13EUcU72RlfM?si=n0infmZKSMSCtuXVbEPShg
Aidan McGuire Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/1atUaV3lMEAUaKxCyHCsql?si=4FAPwJ6DRH21ARodCRtJeQ
Aidan McGuire Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aidan._mcg/
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