Indie risers Pastel are a powerful force to be reckoned with.
With an attitude, a swagger that recalls another highly assured Manchester band, it’s a connection. Such is the strength of Pastel’s charisma. The individuality is theirs to keep.
Talking to CLASH on Zoom on a freezing cold afternoon in January, guitarist James Yates and his cousin Jack Yates, who is the singer, both are on optimistic form. The group also comprises of bassist Liam O’Shea, guitarist Joe Anderson and Rhys Wheeler on drums.
“Honestly, it feels like a long time coming,” James begins. “But things are starting now to fall into place, and it’s starting to build up and get exciting. The tour is coming closer and the sales of the album are doing well.”
—
—
Taking bits of inspiration, shaping their songs to sound like themselves, groups like The Verve and The Stone Roses and many others are in there, somewhere. Largely untraceable, the influences exist purely in the shape of vague, diluted echoes as opposed to being copies of.
This is exactly what they do so well. ‘Souls in Motion’, the band’s debut album, just landed. Ten irresistible songs that offer what the heart desires, with hooks, melodies and lyrics that punch way above their weight.
We have a lot of influences,” the guitarist carries on. “There’s only a certain amount of chords, an amount of chords that go in one order. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel of music. The reason why we started the band is because we like music, and most of what we like is from at least twenty years ago.”
“It seems to be music from the ‘60s and the ‘70s,” Jack elaborates. “But we are just making music. We never sit there and go ‘Let’s try and sound like this band.. It’s just music that we’re listening to.”
Full of life, the project marks a magnificent beginning, packed with piercing promise and zest. As a band that got serious during the pandemic, they keep going from strength to strength, something which the record shows to perfection.
“There’s a lot in every song, a lot of hope in each song. That’s the message that we’re not intentionally trying to get across, but when I listen back to it, That’s how I feel. There’s always too much war in the world of music and art these days, whereas we try and put a positive spin on it. It’s a story thing about the underdog.”
They both maintain not having much to do for a year was the “best thing that could have happened”. As much as they hated lockdown, it came to represent a window of opportunity to make important changes and take some key decisions.
“You’ve grown up a lot then,” reflects James. “I found that many bands faded away and split up. Whereas, we locked ourselves away, we wrote and wrote, rehearsed and rehearsed. We released a couple of songs during lockdown, which helped us. It was as if the gates opened at lockdown, and we burst out.”
—
—
Authenticity and honesty are key to this release, as is the sense of appetite, both are noticeable in the conversation. Fresh off the road after touring alongside The Twang, they talk about the shows with energy, the crowd reaction and how well they got on with one another.
“Watching their presence is insane,” Jack insists. “The way they are on stage is a real eye opener for us. It was quite inspirational, we were fans of them before the tour. It wasn’t like we discovered them because of it, we were already fans. But then to meet, get along with them and watch them every night was nice.”
But naturally, it doesn’t stop there. About to embark on their own headline tour of the UK, ten dates hitting iconic venues such as Manchester Academy, Leeds Brudenell Social Club, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow and loads more.
Jack and James also play characters in the new Trailer Park Boys film ‘Standing On the Shoulders of Kitties’ by Charlie Lightening, on cinema release right now. Featured next to The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood and actor and filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton, it’s a fun, entertainment opening.
Not forgetting that they supported Liam Gallagher at Knebworth in 2022. James acknowledges the significance of that moment. “You’ve gotta be careful. You don’t want to become too cocky. But how many times are you going to get the chance to play Knebworth again? Probably never. You might as well strut on it, you might as well just enjoy it.”
“Just before we walked out on stage, I said to the lads, “Look, if anyone’s nervous, you’re in the wrong fucking job’. I get more nervous when we do a gig, and there’s no one.”
“If I’m going to walk out in front of 80,000 people, none of them know who we are, but I’ve got an opportunity now that 99 percent of people aren’t going to have, I might as well take it with two hands.”
One of their goals is to continue making great music, he says. This may sound simple, in reality the vision is complex, if anyone can handle it, they can.
“I want to keep making music and performing it. Knowing that there’s people out there that are interested, as long as there is an interest. Our goal is to get new people interested every time. We want to keep growing, one step at a time. That’s the ambition, it would be pretty heartless if we were making music and not a single person cared.”
Hungry, driven and unmistakeably true to themselves, Pastel are stars, ready for the next step, capable of stepping up to be who and where they deserve to be. Watch this space.
—
—
‘Souls In Motion’ is out now.
Words: Susan Hansen
Photo Credit: Charlie Lightening
—
Indie risers Pastel are a powerful force to be reckoned with.
With an attitude, a swagger that recalls another highly assured Manchester band, it’s a connection. Such is the strength of Pastel’s charisma. The individuality is theirs to keep.
Talking to CLASH on Zoom on a freezing cold afternoon in January, guitarist James Yates and his cousin Jack Yates, who is the singer, both are on optimistic form. The group also comprises of bassist Liam O’Shea, guitarist Joe Anderson and Rhys Wheeler on drums.
“Honestly, it feels like a long time coming,” James begins. “But things are starting now to fall into place, and it’s starting to build up and get exciting. The tour is coming closer and the sales of the album are doing well.”
—
—
Taking bits of inspiration, shaping their songs to sound like themselves, groups like The Verve and The Stone Roses and many others are in there, somewhere. Largely untraceable, the influences exist purely in the shape of vague, diluted echoes as opposed to being copies of.
This is exactly what they do so well. ‘Souls in Motion’, the band’s debut album, just landed. Ten irresistible songs that offer what the heart desires, with hooks, melodies and lyrics that punch way above their weight.
We have a lot of influences,” the guitarist carries on. “There’s only a certain amount of chords, an amount of chords that go in one order. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel of music. The reason why we started the band is because we like music, and most of what we like is from at least twenty years ago.”
“It seems to be music from the ‘60s and the ‘70s,” Jack elaborates. “But we are just making music. We never sit there and go ‘Let’s try and sound like this band.. It’s just music that we’re listening to.”
Full of life, the project marks a magnificent beginning, packed with piercing promise and zest. As a band that got serious during the pandemic, they keep going from strength to strength, something which the record shows to perfection.
“There’s a lot in every song, a lot of hope in each song. That’s the message that we’re not intentionally trying to get across, but when I listen back to it, That’s how I feel. There’s always too much war in the world of music and art these days, whereas we try and put a positive spin on it. It’s a story thing about the underdog.”
They both maintain not having much to do for a year was the “best thing that could have happened”. As much as they hated lockdown, it came to represent a window of opportunity to make important changes and take some key decisions.
“You’ve grown up a lot then,” reflects James. “I found that many bands faded away and split up. Whereas, we locked ourselves away, we wrote and wrote, rehearsed and rehearsed. We released a couple of songs during lockdown, which helped us. It was as if the gates opened at lockdown, and we burst out.”
—
—
Authenticity and honesty are key to this release, as is the sense of appetite, both are noticeable in the conversation. Fresh off the road after touring alongside The Twang, they talk about the shows with energy, the crowd reaction and how well they got on with one another.
“Watching their presence is insane,” Jack insists. “The way they are on stage is a real eye opener for us. It was quite inspirational, we were fans of them before the tour. It wasn’t like we discovered them because of it, we were already fans. But then to meet, get along with them and watch them every night was nice.”
But naturally, it doesn’t stop there. About to embark on their own headline tour of the UK, ten dates hitting iconic venues such as Manchester Academy, Leeds Brudenell Social Club, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow and loads more.
Jack and James also play characters in the new Trailer Park Boys film ‘Standing On the Shoulders of Kitties’ by Charlie Lightening, on cinema release right now. Featured next to The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood and actor and filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton, it’s a fun, entertainment opening.
Not forgetting that they supported Liam Gallagher at Knebworth in 2022. James acknowledges the significance of that moment. “You’ve gotta be careful. You don’t want to become too cocky. But how many times are you going to get the chance to play Knebworth again? Probably never. You might as well strut on it, you might as well just enjoy it.”
“Just before we walked out on stage, I said to the lads, “Look, if anyone’s nervous, you’re in the wrong fucking job’. I get more nervous when we do a gig, and there’s no one.”
“If I’m going to walk out in front of 80,000 people, none of them know who we are, but I’ve got an opportunity now that 99 percent of people aren’t going to have, I might as well take it with two hands.”
One of their goals is to continue making great music, he says. This may sound simple, in reality the vision is complex, if anyone can handle it, they can.
“I want to keep making music and performing it. Knowing that there’s people out there that are interested, as long as there is an interest. Our goal is to get new people interested every time. We want to keep growing, one step at a time. That’s the ambition, it would be pretty heartless if we were making music and not a single person cared.”
Hungry, driven and unmistakeably true to themselves, Pastel are stars, ready for the next step, capable of stepping up to be who and where they deserve to be. Watch this space.
—
—
‘Souls In Motion’ is out now.
Words: Susan Hansen
Photo Credit: Charlie Lightening
—
Indie risers Pastel are a powerful force to be reckoned with.
With an attitude, a swagger that recalls another highly assured Manchester band, it’s a connection. Such is the strength of Pastel’s charisma. The individuality is theirs to keep.
Talking to CLASH on Zoom on a freezing cold afternoon in January, guitarist James Yates and his cousin Jack Yates, who is the singer, both are on optimistic form. The group also comprises of bassist Liam O’Shea, guitarist Joe Anderson and Rhys Wheeler on drums.
“Honestly, it feels like a long time coming,” James begins. “But things are starting now to fall into place, and it’s starting to build up and get exciting. The tour is coming closer and the sales of the album are doing well.”
—
—
Taking bits of inspiration, shaping their songs to sound like themselves, groups like The Verve and The Stone Roses and many others are in there, somewhere. Largely untraceable, the influences exist purely in the shape of vague, diluted echoes as opposed to being copies of.
This is exactly what they do so well. ‘Souls in Motion’, the band’s debut album, just landed. Ten irresistible songs that offer what the heart desires, with hooks, melodies and lyrics that punch way above their weight.
We have a lot of influences,” the guitarist carries on. “There’s only a certain amount of chords, an amount of chords that go in one order. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel of music. The reason why we started the band is because we like music, and most of what we like is from at least twenty years ago.”
“It seems to be music from the ‘60s and the ‘70s,” Jack elaborates. “But we are just making music. We never sit there and go ‘Let’s try and sound like this band.. It’s just music that we’re listening to.”
Full of life, the project marks a magnificent beginning, packed with piercing promise and zest. As a band that got serious during the pandemic, they keep going from strength to strength, something which the record shows to perfection.
“There’s a lot in every song, a lot of hope in each song. That’s the message that we’re not intentionally trying to get across, but when I listen back to it, That’s how I feel. There’s always too much war in the world of music and art these days, whereas we try and put a positive spin on it. It’s a story thing about the underdog.”
They both maintain not having much to do for a year was the “best thing that could have happened”. As much as they hated lockdown, it came to represent a window of opportunity to make important changes and take some key decisions.
“You’ve grown up a lot then,” reflects James. “I found that many bands faded away and split up. Whereas, we locked ourselves away, we wrote and wrote, rehearsed and rehearsed. We released a couple of songs during lockdown, which helped us. It was as if the gates opened at lockdown, and we burst out.”
—
—
Authenticity and honesty are key to this release, as is the sense of appetite, both are noticeable in the conversation. Fresh off the road after touring alongside The Twang, they talk about the shows with energy, the crowd reaction and how well they got on with one another.
“Watching their presence is insane,” Jack insists. “The way they are on stage is a real eye opener for us. It was quite inspirational, we were fans of them before the tour. It wasn’t like we discovered them because of it, we were already fans. But then to meet, get along with them and watch them every night was nice.”
But naturally, it doesn’t stop there. About to embark on their own headline tour of the UK, ten dates hitting iconic venues such as Manchester Academy, Leeds Brudenell Social Club, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow and loads more.
Jack and James also play characters in the new Trailer Park Boys film ‘Standing On the Shoulders of Kitties’ by Charlie Lightening, on cinema release right now. Featured next to The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood and actor and filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton, it’s a fun, entertainment opening.
Not forgetting that they supported Liam Gallagher at Knebworth in 2022. James acknowledges the significance of that moment. “You’ve gotta be careful. You don’t want to become too cocky. But how many times are you going to get the chance to play Knebworth again? Probably never. You might as well strut on it, you might as well just enjoy it.”
“Just before we walked out on stage, I said to the lads, “Look, if anyone’s nervous, you’re in the wrong fucking job’. I get more nervous when we do a gig, and there’s no one.”
“If I’m going to walk out in front of 80,000 people, none of them know who we are, but I’ve got an opportunity now that 99 percent of people aren’t going to have, I might as well take it with two hands.”
One of their goals is to continue making great music, he says. This may sound simple, in reality the vision is complex, if anyone can handle it, they can.
“I want to keep making music and performing it. Knowing that there’s people out there that are interested, as long as there is an interest. Our goal is to get new people interested every time. We want to keep growing, one step at a time. That’s the ambition, it would be pretty heartless if we were making music and not a single person cared.”
Hungry, driven and unmistakeably true to themselves, Pastel are stars, ready for the next step, capable of stepping up to be who and where they deserve to be. Watch this space.
—
—
‘Souls In Motion’ is out now.
Words: Susan Hansen
Photo Credit: Charlie Lightening
—
Indie risers Pastel are a powerful force to be reckoned with.
With an attitude, a swagger that recalls another highly assured Manchester band, it’s a connection. Such is the strength of Pastel’s charisma. The individuality is theirs to keep.
Talking to CLASH on Zoom on a freezing cold afternoon in January, guitarist James Yates and his cousin Jack Yates, who is the singer, both are on optimistic form. The group also comprises of bassist Liam O’Shea, guitarist Joe Anderson and Rhys Wheeler on drums.
“Honestly, it feels like a long time coming,” James begins. “But things are starting now to fall into place, and it’s starting to build up and get exciting. The tour is coming closer and the sales of the album are doing well.”
—
—
Taking bits of inspiration, shaping their songs to sound like themselves, groups like The Verve and The Stone Roses and many others are in there, somewhere. Largely untraceable, the influences exist purely in the shape of vague, diluted echoes as opposed to being copies of.
This is exactly what they do so well. ‘Souls in Motion’, the band’s debut album, just landed. Ten irresistible songs that offer what the heart desires, with hooks, melodies and lyrics that punch way above their weight.
We have a lot of influences,” the guitarist carries on. “There’s only a certain amount of chords, an amount of chords that go in one order. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel of music. The reason why we started the band is because we like music, and most of what we like is from at least twenty years ago.”
“It seems to be music from the ‘60s and the ‘70s,” Jack elaborates. “But we are just making music. We never sit there and go ‘Let’s try and sound like this band.. It’s just music that we’re listening to.”
Full of life, the project marks a magnificent beginning, packed with piercing promise and zest. As a band that got serious during the pandemic, they keep going from strength to strength, something which the record shows to perfection.
“There’s a lot in every song, a lot of hope in each song. That’s the message that we’re not intentionally trying to get across, but when I listen back to it, That’s how I feel. There’s always too much war in the world of music and art these days, whereas we try and put a positive spin on it. It’s a story thing about the underdog.”
They both maintain not having much to do for a year was the “best thing that could have happened”. As much as they hated lockdown, it came to represent a window of opportunity to make important changes and take some key decisions.
“You’ve grown up a lot then,” reflects James. “I found that many bands faded away and split up. Whereas, we locked ourselves away, we wrote and wrote, rehearsed and rehearsed. We released a couple of songs during lockdown, which helped us. It was as if the gates opened at lockdown, and we burst out.”
—
—
Authenticity and honesty are key to this release, as is the sense of appetite, both are noticeable in the conversation. Fresh off the road after touring alongside The Twang, they talk about the shows with energy, the crowd reaction and how well they got on with one another.
“Watching their presence is insane,” Jack insists. “The way they are on stage is a real eye opener for us. It was quite inspirational, we were fans of them before the tour. It wasn’t like we discovered them because of it, we were already fans. But then to meet, get along with them and watch them every night was nice.”
But naturally, it doesn’t stop there. About to embark on their own headline tour of the UK, ten dates hitting iconic venues such as Manchester Academy, Leeds Brudenell Social Club, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow and loads more.
Jack and James also play characters in the new Trailer Park Boys film ‘Standing On the Shoulders of Kitties’ by Charlie Lightening, on cinema release right now. Featured next to The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood and actor and filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton, it’s a fun, entertainment opening.
Not forgetting that they supported Liam Gallagher at Knebworth in 2022. James acknowledges the significance of that moment. “You’ve gotta be careful. You don’t want to become too cocky. But how many times are you going to get the chance to play Knebworth again? Probably never. You might as well strut on it, you might as well just enjoy it.”
“Just before we walked out on stage, I said to the lads, “Look, if anyone’s nervous, you’re in the wrong fucking job’. I get more nervous when we do a gig, and there’s no one.”
“If I’m going to walk out in front of 80,000 people, none of them know who we are, but I’ve got an opportunity now that 99 percent of people aren’t going to have, I might as well take it with two hands.”
One of their goals is to continue making great music, he says. This may sound simple, in reality the vision is complex, if anyone can handle it, they can.
“I want to keep making music and performing it. Knowing that there’s people out there that are interested, as long as there is an interest. Our goal is to get new people interested every time. We want to keep growing, one step at a time. That’s the ambition, it would be pretty heartless if we were making music and not a single person cared.”
Hungry, driven and unmistakeably true to themselves, Pastel are stars, ready for the next step, capable of stepping up to be who and where they deserve to be. Watch this space.
—
—
‘Souls In Motion’ is out now.
Words: Susan Hansen
Photo Credit: Charlie Lightening
—
