Sonic Futures Insight: An interview with Young Rebel Set

Sonic Futures Marketing Coordinator, Olivia Carter, attended Stockton Calling, the much-loved multi-venue festival that has been championing live music in Teesside for 16 years. Across the day, Olivia caught up with a number of Sonic Futures-supported artists performing at the festival, shining a spotlight on the talent shaping the region's music scene.

One of those artists was Stockton favourites and festival headliners Young Rebel Set. Having recently reformed and returned to the stage, the band spoke about coming full circle at Stockton Calling, the evolution of the North East music scene, their advice for emerging artists, and what's next as they begin work on new material.

OC: Can you just give an introduction to who Young Rebel Set are?

LUKE: Hi there, it's Luke here and Andy from the band Young Rebel Set. We're a band that have been going many, many years now. I think we formed in 2007 and just reformed about 18 months ago. We're from Stockton and we're at Stockton Calling today, and we're looking forward to headlining this evening!

OC: You've played Stockton Calling a few times now, how does it feel to playing again?

ANDY: I think we played the first time in 2012, and then we headlined one of the stages in 2014. So it's a really nice full circle to come back round, especially after being away for so long. And, it's a different scene now, but it's still obviously thriving, so it's really, really good.

OC: What can people expect from your set today?

LUKE: So I think people that are coming to see us today should expect all the songs from way back when. But also, we haven't just come back to do the old songs. We've brought some new ones as well, we did an EP last year, which was recorded back in June last year and we’ve got a few songs off that. Also some of the songs as well, which people have lived with for so many years they've been reworked a little bit. Obviously, some of the musicians have changed in the band, and the songs sound fresh again, so it's good.

OC: Being a local band, what does Stockton Calling mean to you as an artist?

ANDY: A festival like this really means to us as an artist, it means that you get to see all of the kind of national touring bands, coupled with the local bands as well, the emerging ones you might stumble across, you know, your next new favourite artist. There's so many amazing young artists out there, especially local as well. So, I think the main thing that you can expect is something brand new.

OC: And what does it mean being part of the Teesside/ North East music scene? You mentioned it's changed over the years. What does it look like now compared to when you started out?

ANDY: Although we're obviously from Teesside and we love our hometown very much. We never saw ourselves as being a bastion of the local music scene. I think, when we first started out, it was kind of 2009 ish. There were a lot of bands, that not just nationally but locally, that were doing a certain thing and then we got kind of badged in with that. But being part of a local scene is brilliant. Every band should be supporting each other. You’ll see today, you'll see that a lot of the upcoming bands that we've been listening to, that we'll go and see today, they'll go to other shows as well and they'll all go to see their mates. It's a good, good thriving music scene. From what I can gather, it’s the same in other places as well. It's good that everyone supports each other.

OC: What do you think has helped you get to this stage in your career and what's one piece of advice you would give to someone starting out?

LUKE: I think for us, what's helped us is, we put a lot of work in at the start, when we first started, when we were young, with our mates and we were creative. We did a lot of work at the start, which meant that we had a body of work now, which means that we can go and play that again and I think that's always been a big thing for us. Just be creative as much as you can to start, because sometimes life can get in the way. But, always having that body of work to go back to, and songs that were good back then are still good now. I would just continue to be creative and lay everything down that you can, because you put it online now and it's there forever. So, be creative with your mates, get it out there as fast as you can, don’t hold on to things. I think that would be a good bit of advice.

OC: Is there one thing you wish you knew when you started that know now?

ANDY: Oh, that's a really really, really good question.

LUKE: No, because I think that, I think that everything's changed, like even holding these little microphones has changed from the last time we were doing interviews. So there's nothing that we didn't know then, that we could know now because it's all changed. It's all online and you are your own branding now, which is really good cause you're in control of it. Whereas before, there was people telling you how you should be. You can be who you want to be, and if people like it, then that's great.

ANDY: Yeah and to reiterate what Luke said there, it’s about just being authentic. I think just making sure that you're doing something that you, really, really, really believe in and care about because ultimately that's what matters.

OC: What’s next?

ANDY: So, we are gonna be, we're writing a demo at the minute. We're looking at album three.

We obviously released our EP ’Sun’ in September of last year and we're gonna follow that up at some point, we're not sure when, with some new music. We've got a tour of Germany in May, and then we'll hopefully get into a studio, into a rehearsal room and start to lay down some demos and some tracks.

Then we’re back out in Germany in August and then I'd like to think that we'll probably get do some sort of mini tour towards the back end of the year in the UK, but the main thing for us, priority, is just writing.

OC: Who’s an artist playing Stockton Calling, that everyone should be listening to right now?

LUKE: There's two for me. I really like Champ, because that's the type of music I love and I've just been to see them there, but also I don't think that anybody sounds like Robyn Errico. I think what she's doing and the sound that she gets of just herself and the piano is, is really good. So there are two, I would, I would massively check out.

ANDY: I'm gonna have to say Sam Scherdel. I've listened to a couple of his songs and I think they're good, and the Kids of Solid Gold stage usually has some absolute gems in there. So if you stumble across any of those bands, I'm sure you'll find a winner.

OC: One word to describe YRS?

ANDY: One word to describe YRS I’d have to say ‘Legacy’.

OC: If someone discovers you today, what should they listen to first?

LUKE: Well, if they discover us today, I mean, where are you gonna go? You’re gonna go to Spotify and Apple Music, so they'll probably tell you the songs to listen to. But my favourite song, is a song that Andy wrote called ‘Waiting’. So that's my favourite song, although it’s not necessarily what people would stumble across but go listen to ‘Waiting’ because I like the way it was recorded.

ANDY: I think if you're gonna stumble across us or any band, I think you go to the latest release. I know I've just contradicted myself by saying that we've got a legacy and the implication being that you need to look back and have a look. But you should only be judged by the last things you write and release.