NTGB are a Northern indie rock band that are fairly new to the music scene, exploding into the ether with their track, TILL I’M GONE. It’s a great expression of their sound and makes for a great listening for anyone into the genre. Find out more about them below!
By Jane Howkins
How has your year been?
The first word that springs to mind is expensive, I’m sure most people will say the same. But on a more positive note (for us), creative. Its a year since we recorded and released our first song as a band – Inertia. We’ve unleased 4 songs and a video this year, and we have a few others in various stages of recording.
You recently released a new track titled TILL I’M GONE, which we reviewed. What can you tell us about the song?
The melody of the song all came from the bass riff. I wanted to keep it simple and have the same bassline throughout, but a clear verse and chorus melody. We also kept it basic and stripped back with the instruments, in that we didn’t add too much to it. That way we were able to really push the vocals and drums in the mix (I think the drums sound great).
The lyrics came from my girlfriend – before she moved in with me I was around her old family home and she had stripped the wallpaper from her bedroom wall. Underneath the paper it had scribbled on the bare plaster “Hayley loves Patrick Swayze, and Jonathan.” That gave me the lyric “our secrets in these walls will echo over time” and the rest just came from that really.
How has the reception been so far to TILL I’M GONE been so far, and where can it be purchased?
It can be purchased as a download from our Bandcamp page. Reception wise it’s done well, all reviews so far have been very positive – for which we are very grateful.
You also recorded a video for the track in Newcastle. How was the experience?
It was a nightmare to organise. We initially intended to record in an old theatre which was built in WW2. However, despite booking in advance, when we turned up on the day they still had the set on stage for The Sound Of Music, which had been on the night before. After explaining to the theatre rep that a room onstage with a window overlooking the beautiful Austrian hills wasn’t really what we had hoped for, he started to try his best to cover it with a black sheet that was clearly insufficient. Whilst doing so, a woman walked in with about 20 kids to do a dance class that had apparently been arranged for months. Double booked. So yeah, that didn’t happen.
Then we secured the little buildings in Newcastle, which was a much better choice for us. Still, on the way I suffered a flat tyre and Mark our drummer almost couldn’t make it at incredibly short notice (thanks for making it Mark!).
Do you plan to release any more singles in the near future?
I am constantly writing and recording so we will continue to work as a band and no doubt in the next few months another single will emerge from us. We have no plans to slow down, although at the same time no plans to rush anything and make it forced – we feel it shows us at our best.
Are there any plans to release an album or EP soon?
That’s the next thing – I think maybe one more single then we will put out a full album. The few singles so far have been our first offerings and are building to something bigger, although I feel an album would be better for us than an EP.
Your music contains elements of pop, rock and indie. What/who influences you most as artists? What have you been listening to recently?
The big question. I think people try to be cool with this one and come out with some crazy unknown obscure band. I’ll play it very safe and honest, the band that got me into music was the Beatles – around the same time I was listening to (and still do) the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, Stone Roses, and early Ride etc. When I’m driving I generally stick on a current mainstream radio station and switch off, but possibly subconsciously soak up the pop like a musical sponge.
Where are you based? What is the music scene like there at the moment?
We are based between Sunderland and Newcastle, but we aren’t really part of any scene at the moment locally. Since we started we have been a recording band and have been pouring efforts into writing and recording and releasing online as opposed to live stuff – so we are probably just as well known in Honolulu as we are in our home towns. We don’t really want to be associated with any local theme or vibe or be pigeon holed as part of a specific sound or musical collective as such. It is what it is and we are what we are.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
Nothing yet. As above, up until now we have concentrated our efforts into making music as opposed to putting on a show. But I think its inevitable now and I for one am getting itchy to take it to that level. Once we have an album recorded that we are happy with we will take it from there, so stay tuned….
Any last words for the fans?
Hello. Thanks for listening. Please continue to do so as we intend to crescendo with excellence – there will be a lot more from us in 2023.