Manchester rock band Gathering of Strangers have started to make waves in the UK, playing at a number of revered venues and receiving praise from outlets like Clash Magazine (and now from us). And with their latest, vivacious new single “Red and Gold”, it’s certain the group will only reach new heights as the song finds new listeners.
Conor from the band was kind of enough to answers some of our questions about how the band got started and their latest single:
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Indy Review: For those out there who aren’t familiar with you yet, what brought you guys together as a band?
Gathering of Strangers: The city of Manchester. We all grew up as aspiring musicians, but we lived in small towns without any music scenes. The bright city lights of Manchesters music history and culture, created this desire to be a part of it for all of us. Luckily for us we all moved to the city at the same time and not long after that we met and the band was formed.
IR: Who are some of your shared influences?
GoS: We have a strong shared influence of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Although our music doesn’t particularly sound like them now, we each individually grew up listening to them and they shaped us all as musicians. This created a strong bond for us from the start and still has the same grasp on us now. All 5 of us were front row at their latest tour! Haha
IR: I really enjoy your new single “Red and Gold”. Great energy and sonics. What first ignited the writing of the song? Was it a desire to write an upbeat, party tune, or a melody that set things off?
GoS: Thank you so much. Every single person shared a real low and sad couple of years. When seeing and experiencing the excitement and energy pulsing from people once the lock downs were over, it was impossible for us to not capture and put it in a song. The song holds the overwhelming emotion of the first summer people were back properly with their loved ones. The energy just came naturally to us from our own experiences and from the response this song has got it seems everyone shared these feelings.
IR: How long did it take to get the song finished and recorded?
GoS: Very quickly. We wrote it pretty much in one session and we all looked at each other knowing we needed to get it recorded and released as soon as we could. It was done within a couple of months. The whole process was very exciting for us as we’d never just released a song that we’d never played live before. Although it was a shot in the dark, it was obvious to us that it needed to be done and we’re so glad we stuck to our instincts.
IR: Was there anything new to the writing or production process of this track that you hadn’t tried before?
GoS: We split up the recording process. We split bass and drums and guitars and vocals into 2 sessions in different places. We spoke about where we all felt most comfortable recording and trusted that. Although we wanted to complete it as soon as we could, it was important to us not to unnecessarily rush the recording and make sure we got the best out of those sessions. It was a great success and something we’re considering to continue to do going forward.
IR: What is it about the “red and gold” colors of sunset that inspired the energy and lyrics of the song?
GoS: For me (Conor) those colours create such an overwhelming sense of happiness that I knew I shared with a lot of people. There’s a brief moment after the sun has set when the sky ignites into a red and gold glow. It doesn’t last long but within it you feel the heights of that summer happiness and it’s hard not to get lost in that experience. You could probably listen to “RED & GOLD” and the glow would disappear as the song ends. Thats why we feel this song is so perfect for this moment.
IR: Was this the first song written for your next EP? How does it set the tone for your next collection of music?
GoS: The energy is contagious for us as well as our listeners so we’re definitely going to keep this a theme for a while. Not only does make you feel good listening to it, it creates a new experience live. It sets the tone for a show of chaotic beauty. We’ll leave the slow sad love songs for a little while haha come and experience it live!
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Start listening to the new song in our A Single Sit-Down Playlist on Spotify!
The Indy Review 