GET TO KNOW: Q&A with Lauren Edwards
To celebrate three months on Substack I got my partner to ask me some music-related questions so you can get to know me and my musical journey a little better.
Wow, has it really been three months already? I’m officially into my fourth month on the platform and I just wanted to thank everyone who keeps on reading! I hope you find the newsletters entertaining, uplifting and enjoyable.
I’ll continue to share my thoughts on the latest music but also share the stories of bands I love, with exclusive interviews. The Music Lounge is for everyone, so it’s as much yours as it is mine so always feel free to leave a comment or get in touch.
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In celebration of three months, I got my partner to ask me some music-related questions so you can get to know me and my musical journey a little better.
Enjoy!
Who were the first band you listened to?
Linkin Park
“Well, they’re the first band I remember listening to. My brother had Hybrid Theory on CD and I remember actually going to bed and listening to it over and over. I might be imagining it, but I always remember ‘One Step Closer’ playing on repeat. We went to go and watch them play at the Manchester Arena as a family and it was one of the best gigs of my life. It always makes me sad about Chester Bennington, I can watch videos of him singing forever, he was just incredible.
I also listened to Slipknot, but I wasn’t a big fan of Metal music when I was like seven ha! So I just kept putting track 4 on which was ‘Wait and Bleed’.”
What was the first CD you bought/owned?
PCD - The Pussycat Dolls
“I remember getting it for Christmas one year with a few others. I never bought that many CDs unless I was near an HMV where you could get 3 for £10. When I really started coming into my own with music it was the time of Itunes and downloading music via Limewire so I used to make my own mix tapes. I remember having a small Walkman that I took on holiday one year, you could only put it on shuffle so you had no idea what was coming up. That was a bit annoying when the only song I wanted to listen to was Madina Lake - One Last Kiss.”
Who were the first band you saw live?
Enter Shikari for their ‘Take to the Skies’ Tour - Manchester Apollo
“I was 13, and 15 years later I still have the T-shirt I bought from the touts outside (yes, I know it’s bad but I was 13 and pretty skint. You can still see the Enter Shikari printed on the front but the tour dates on the back have completely disappeared.) It was one hell of a gig - probably because it was my first gig but I remember it so clearly. I went with my mum and dad and my two older brothers - it was a whole family affair. I was too afraid to go in the moshpit at the time so stayed well away but watched my brothers get flung about and they were absolutely drenched in sweat when we got in the car. The lights and energy were quintessential Shikari and I’m so glad they’ve never changed - their gigs are always so fun. They played Jonny Sniper, which I don’t remember seeing since that tour. Rob (drums) was on top of one of the large speakers on the side of the stage just jumping up and down with his drumsticks. Ah, it was awesome.”
Below: my brother crowd surfing at the latest Shikari show
What’s been your favourite gig since?
Fletcher - Kentish Forum, London
“So many come to mind: Green Day at the Olympic Hall in Munich, John Mayer at the 02, Linkin Park at the Manchester Arena, any Shikari gig, YMA6’s 10 Years of Sin at Hatfield, smaller gigs at Exeter’s Student Union. It’s pretty recent but I’ll say Fletcher at Kentish Forum last May. She has so much energy and it was fully matched by the crowd. Anyone who knows me knows how much I loved that gig. I was with four of my best friends and we were just singing (screaming) our hearts out. When ‘Bitter’ came on we fully lost it. There was quite a lot of space around us — enough to move about — and we were just in this circle screaming at each other. I’d never seen any of my friends jump so aggressively — at that moment I thought we were going to start our own moshpit. I wish someone had filmed it and shown us after but it’s something I’ll never forget.”
What was the first festival you went to?
Wakestock Festival - Pwllheli, North Wales
“It was essentially Boardmasters but for North Wales. They had wakeboarding competitions happening at Abersoch but the festival was on a farm down the road to where I went to college. It was pretty much a right of passage. My Mum and brothers had been a couple of years before - I think the year Feeder were playing. This was in 2012 and when I went it was Calvin Harris, Dizzee Rascal and Ed Sheeran. I actually didn’t know Ed Sheeran was on the line-up until I looked back at the line-up before, I went to see All American Rejects instead.”
Have you cried at a gig before? If you have, when was the first time?
City and Colour - Cardiff’s University Great Hall
“I reckon it was probably a You Me At Six gig from sheer joy but the one I can remember is City and Colour. They don’t tour much in the UK so it was a pretty special occasion and I was writing about it for the University Newspaper. The songs are notoriously sad and Dallas Green (vocals) was quite clear he wanted it to be an intimate event so asked that everyone kept quiet and people didn’t film continuously. So it was quite an intense atmosphere, I was there with my ex and my Grandad had not long passed away, so it was like a whole rollercoaster of emotions. Hopefully no crying this November ha!”
What song evokes strong emotions for you that people wouldn’t expect?
A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega - Ashley McBryde
“So, I could have gone for ‘Another Sad Song’ by Lower Than Atlantis because as you can tell by the title - it’s very very sad. But, Ashley McBryde’s ‘A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega’ is just everything. It unexpectedly makes me really really happy. It has those cheesy country lyrics like, “And a slow dance left in these boots, And a chance at puttin' down new roots” but the whole concept of just ending up at a little dive bar (like they do in the movies) and a band is playing and you just forget how you got there in the first place. It just reminds me of that feeling of going to any gig — no matter how I feel before I arrive —everything just washes away: ‘Makin' the best of the worst day kinda night’.”
Below: Live version
If you had to listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it - The 1975
“I was originally going to say Sinners Never Sleep by You Me At Six but I think it has to be The 1975. I just have so many great memories associated with that album, and it’s diverse enough that it plays to whatever mood I’m in; whether I’m happy, sad or angry. I also don’t think I could go through my life without screaming the lyrics to ‘Ballad of my brain’. I’m sure Matt Healy would revel in the fact that I’d willing to listen to his voice for the rest of my life, which slightly puts me off the idea ha!”
Who was the first person you interviewed?
Rob Damiani - Don Broco
“When I was in University I wrote for the Music Section of the Newspaper and apart from one other guy, there weren’t many people who enjoyed Alternative Rock so there were always interviews and album reviews up for grabs. Many of them were my favourite bands ( Enter Shikari, The 1975, Don Broco). The one with Rob was my first one and I was incredibly nervous - for many reasons. Firstly, I was doing it over the phone but I was at a friend’s house so I had to use their phone to record the call so I could transcribe it later but I was super paranoid it wasn’t going to work. Secondly, I have a major crush on Rob so I was like oh jeeezzz, the first interview and it’s basically someone I’m obsessed with. He was very polite and super lovely to chat with. They’d just come back from LA and were releasing their second Studio album ‘Automatic’ I remember he asked what my favourite song of it was and I responded with ‘What You Do To Me’. I cringed so badly after at how it must have sounded. But all in all, it went really well.”
Who would be your dream interview?
Dolly Parton
“Who doesn’t love Dolly? She’s just been around for so long and seems like the nicest person ever. She definitely has some stories to tell and I feel like I’d probably end up walking away reevaluating my entire life. From a female perspective, she’s incredibly inspirational for just being herself. Also, that might be my gateway to Miley then too….”
What was Number 1 on your Spotify Top Songs in 2022?
More Than Life - Machine Gun Kelly (ft. Glaive)
“Yep. I’m a big MGK fan. I don’t know why but that song just stuck last year and I think I probably listened to it every single day. I was obsessed with it.”
What do you think it’ll be for 2023?
A song by Ashnikko
“It’ll probably end up being ‘No Brainer’. It’s the ultimate hype song and I'd definitely have it as my entrance song if I was a boxer ‘Tell me what you need, Tell it to my manager, he'll tell you, "pay a fee"‘. If I’m having a bad day I just put her on to feel sassy and it’s the perfect motivation when I’m running. We’re also going to see her in November so I imagine I’ll be hammering the new album when it’s released in the Summer.”
For a dinner party, you can invite one artist one person from behind the scenes, and one friend. Who would you invite?
“This feels like a cop-out but I’m going to go: Niall Horan of One Direction, my Best Friend and Bob Harris (or Whispering Bob as many know him), best known for his Country Music show on Radio 2.
Bob’s been presenting since the 70’s and seems like a very warm and likeable character - people just seem to gravitate towards him and he’s very well respected. I think I’d learn a lot from him on how to be a good interviewer and how to navigate the music industry.
Then Niall and my best friend….mainly because I always thought they’d be perfect for each other…plus my friend can talk to anyone and Niall can spill the tea on any One Direction rumours.”