Bands in Lockdown: Saint Ivy

In our Bands in Lockdown interview today, Mark Glenister speaks with  Connor, Toby  and George of Saint Ivy

Firstly, how are you? How are the rest of the band as well?

Connor (front man) - Hey, were all doing as well as can be, hope you are doing alright . We’re staying positive and optimistic for the future and can’t wait to get back into writing new material and playing shows again. 

Do you have a daily routine, are you learning anything new as everyone else seems to be?

Connor - As for a daily routine that has gone out the window , I’m pretty much spend my days / nights writing new songs and lyrics for the band ! I think this lockdown will definitely effect the whole lyrics writing process with the isolation affecting how I write and head space .

Toby (drummer) - As far as daily routines go they have somewhat gone out of the window, it’s different for all of us as we live in different areas around Cheshire and obviously can’t see each other at the moment. Most days are spent trying to be as creative as possible, finding inspiration though means of films and documentary’s and trying to improve musically. Writing without the full band is hard but we have all been creating and noting ideas as-well as sharing them over video calls. Other days are spent just relaxing and enjoying the time off with the family I have around me. Motivation to be creative comes and goes and that’s just how it is. ·

Are you seeing this lockdown as a time to be creative? And has it changed the way you view the industry?

Connor - Yes 100% I’ve been recording demos of songs we’ve had for ages but haven’t I had time to fully focus on , and I’ve been writing new music most days too ! I’m finding it pretty difficult to find inspiration to Lyrics at the moment without the day to day normal life and socialising, but I do think this lockdown will have an effect on how I write I miss going to gigs and supporting the local scene around Manchester.

George (bass) - Yeah definitely, it helps to see it as a time to be creative. We’ve got this unlimited time frame to do everything you wouldn’t normally have time for if you’re going to work every day. Even though we’re inside it’s like this freedom to get new stuff and start experimenting. The main focus is music but it’s not just that. It’s reading new books, hobbies and whatever else you find yourself doing to pass the time. It has changed how I view it in a way, but it’s for more of a positive than anything else. I used to think of the music industry as this unstoppable machine then something like this comes along and put things to a halt quite easily, but everyone’s been able to adapt live performances by doing online gigs instead. People need music and this shows it, it brings people together in times like this. so I can’t wait to get back to it.

Photo by Joe Berisford

​As a band are you doing anything for the fans? A lot of online gigs and Q&As seem to be the norm for a lot of bands, how easy or difficult is that for you as a group? How has this impacted your side projects?

Connor - Fans as well as friends and any other type of support is always the most important thing and it’s what drives you and keeps you going. Obviously it’s harder to engage and entertain our fans at the moment but by keeping our socials updated with photos and videos and talking to our fan base we hope they understand and stick with us until we can all be together again

Toby (drums)- We have recently done a few acapella/multitrack videos of some of our already realised song so maybe in the future we might possibly release some new music this way. The shared band room is still being used as a studio to track demos and ideas and maybe from there some more music for our fans will be produced during lockdown. It’s quite hard for us to do live stuff because we’re all separated, and everyone’s equipment is there

With the lockdown being extended, does that effect plans for tours, singles, albums?

Connor - Yeah 100% we’re meant to be recording new music and releasing a new EP with Nile Marr in Manchester which has now been pushed back along with all gigs which have been cancelled but everyone’s in the same boat at the moment really But I feel we’re going to come out this stronger as a band.

George- It’s definitely affected our plans. We wanted to have some new music sorted and released before the end of the year. We had quite a few gigs booked up until September but they’ve been pushed back, so now we’re not sure if we’ll ever play them. It’s like a waiting game because nobody knows when the industry will be back to business as usual.

As a fan I know how much I miss going to gigs, for the music and for the social aspect, is this something that you miss as well?

George (bass) - Yeah I massively miss gigs. It’s one of the best things ever and something to look forward to all week. I miss seeing my mates and playing music with them, and the social aspect. You get to meet loads of new people and make news friends. That’s all part of it and it’s been taken away. We just keep on until it’s all back to normal.

Despite horrors of this pandemic, the lockdown seems to have a created a lot of really positive community action, and for once social media is being used mainly I a positive manner – Do you want life to return to normal once this is over, or would you like people to be using this time to evaluate their lives and start be part of communities and positive social change?

George (bass) - I want there to be a new normal. I want the industry back, but this online community spirit has to keep going. It’s brought everyone together even when we’re so distant, so it shows what good is achievable through social media platforms.

Next up: IDLES