Photo Credit Samuel George Photography / Audiotrope

MARLOW are a five-piece band based in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Comprised of Freddie (Vocals), Joe (Guitar), Seb (Bass), Archie (Synth) and Liam (Drums) the band suck listeners into their world through a dynamic surge and zesty, modern approach. Their music is purely about a feeling, told from the depths of their hearts and delivered with a hint of mystique. 

Their latest single “Blame It” narrates the lack of communication in relationships and how people try to avoid responsibility for their issues by shifting the blame onto others and coming up with excuses. This reckless behaviour can quickly become a hard habit to break, especially when you’re too busy having fun and brushing things under the carpet. 

Through jangly inspired guitars that lace perfectly around the twinkling synth lines and gravelly, raw vocals which provide a real and honest look into the lives of the band, “Blame It” emits a familiar, warming feel that encompasses you head to toe. Joe reveals, “I guess you could say the track has a sort of feel-good melancholy and embraces a juxtaposition of emotions and feelings… We really enjoy instilling a sensation of nostalgia.”

Originally under a different project name, MARLOW received frequent support from BBC Introducing, performing for their Live Lounge sessions in Sussex, Surrey and Kent. They’ve also garnered airplay from BBC Radio 6 and had the pleasure of supporting Mallory Knox and Scouting for Girls.

Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?

Around 2015-16 we started playing music together. Members joined bit-by-bit – first, it was Freddie playing solo stuff, then Joe joined on guitar, then Liam on drums, then Archie on synth, and finally Seb on bass.

We released our first EP, ‘California FM’, under the name ‘Elephant Radio’. We had a good couple of years performing around the South under this name, and in 2020, we decided it was time for a rebrand, and at long last we settled on the name Marlow (being Freddie and Seb’s surname). We released ‘Different Lives’ in November 2020, and we’ve gone from there. ‘Blame It’ kickstarts our debut EP under the name Marlow and we can’t wait! 

How would you describe the highs and lows of being an artist? 

The highs are what you’re in the game to achieve. Nothing better than having an audience sing back the words to one of your songs. Nothing better than hearing your track on the radio. That excitement keeps you up at night. 

We used to see the lows as actual setbacks. I think after this whole year, we just see them as part of the job, another obstacle that will be overcome one way or another.

There’s been no better year-and-a-half to explore the highs and lows of the music world. If you’d asked us in 2019, we’d probably say “the pack-down after a gig” is the lowest point. Now everything’s been put into perspective a bit more. We can safely say that it’s made us really miss playing music together and with an audience.

What’s a musical guilty pleasure of yours?

Joe admits to rocking out over Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ in his bedroom. Archie occasionally strays from his strict ‘Abbey Road / Rubber Soul’ diet, with a naughty spin of ‘Beatles For Sale’ or ‘Meet The Beatles’. Freddie and Seb would argue that their head-over-heels obsession with Harry Styles and One Direction isn’t even a guilty one. 

What are some sources of inspiration for you?

Musically we’ve looked to a huge variety of artists for inspiration. Growing up, Freddie and Seb listened to a lot of Britrock (Oasis, Manic Street Preachers, Radiohead, Coldplay). Moving ahead, we took on a lot from Tame Impala’s production style and synth playing. More recently, we’ve tried to get that festival-main-stage energy that US bands like The Killers and Kings of Leon have always had, both in their production and in their stage presence.

Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?

We’re always quick to admire artists who seem to be doing something right, whether it’s obvious or not. We look to artists like Sam Fender and Nothing But Thieves, who seem to be carrying the rock’n’roll vibe forward into the 2020s. 

Favorite activity to blow off some steam?

Since lockdown’s been upon us, it’s been a real joy to just get into a rehearsal room and just jam. Seems silly to say that “doing-the-thing-that-bands-do” is actually what we like to do in our spare time, but chances to make music together have been so few and far between, so there really is nothing like jamming to shake off those isolation blues.

Tell us about your latest release and how it came about

‘Blame It’ was written by Freddie, back in 2019. It all came off the back of an argument with his girlfriend, over something very small, and yet which had the power to threaten their relationship.

We were planning on incorporating it into our set around 2020, when everything closed down. We were lucky enough to get in and record in July 2020, in Echo Zoo Studios, right when things had started to ease off. It was a quick enough recording process initially, and we were preparing for a summer release, when everything closed down again and we decided to postpone. We used the extra time well, adding some final touches, and it was mixed by Joe (our guitarist). 

It’s a song that almost emerged fully-formed. It didn’t need a flashy middle-8 or a hooky instrumental section. It steps up, whacks you over the head with some hard truths, and then disappears.

What are some things you do to deal with anxiety and creative blocks?

We can’t necessarily answer for each member of the band individually and how we each cope with anxiety. That being said, every band has disagreements from time to time, and more often than not, that comes from miscommunication. There really is nothing quite like a band coffee date to smooth things out face-to-face. Proper in-person meet-ups have been a rare luxury recently, so it’s been more important than ever to take those chances when they come.

When it comes to creative blocks, quite often it helps to step away from the project or song that’s causing trouble, and return later. Plenty of times, we feel like we’ve approached a song from every possible angle, before being forced to put it to bed for a time. Then, a few months down the line, you might stumble across a solution without meaning to, and just like that, the song is back in the setlist.

What’s the future looking like for you?

This release is the first part of a much larger project for us, and you’ll be hearing releases from us right the way through till Christmas.

We have got some exciting live news to come, in the form of a major festival slot. We are looking to gig more towards the end of the year and into 2022! Keep your eyes and ears peeled…

What inspires your visuals, videos, looks etc?

Artwork has always been self-made (or at least self-produced). In the past, we’ve used images that we think are visually pleasing, and go from there. We’ve worked a fair bit with negative space, especially the first two artworks. This time, we decided to go with more of a “Hello world, we are Marlow” kind of approach.

Our first two videos were also self-made projects, but ‘Blame It’ was produced and directed by Jake Hargreaves. We aimed for a more story-telling vibe like those of The Killers and The Strokes. ‘Blame It’ has a firm, concrete story to tell, and it made sense to tell it clearly.

Our styling has been through a few phases in recent years, but what we’ve found works best is for each of us to be comfortable, and to relate to our own outfits in a way that showcases our personality.

Except for Seb. Seb has to be told what to wear.

What is the most embarrassing memory and most proud moment of your career so far?

One very proud moment was probably hearing about that first major festival slot – again, wish we could talk more about it but stay tuned for more.

Our most embarrassing memory? Probably Freddie being a hung-over wreck in Amsterdam airport (after a gig there), and having to be literally dragged through security by the rest of the band. I guess we’re simultaneously very proud to have been invited to perform in Amsterdam, so that’s a double-header.

What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

A phrase we use a lot isn’t necessarily advice, but a great way to sum up the music industry from the artists’ perspective: “hurry up and wait”. If you can deal with that kind of life, you’ll do OK.

Where do you think the music and entertainment industry is headed after this past year?

This past year has really shone a spotlight on a few areas of the industry that probably weren’t being talked about before. It’s now clearer than ever how fragile the gig economy really is, and how much support it needs at times like these. We’ve been lucky enough to keep working at our day-jobs throughout, but we know plenty of people who haven’t been so lucky. 

Also, the way we’re consuming music is so different now. We’ve now released 3 tracks under the name Marlow, and yet haven’t had a chance to perform any of them in front of an audience. We as a band have existed purely on Spotify and social media. It will be interesting to see how much of this sticks and how much wears off, even when we are able to perform live again.