Astoria stands out with big guitar sounds
Written by: Brooke Eboule
Halfway between London and Glasgow, in the West Yorkshire city that famously gave the world the Kaiser Chiefs and Mel B of the Spice Girls, the band Astoria is emerging as a standout player in a whole new field of guitar-driven rock hopefuls.
By their own admission, “Astoria in its early years was nothing more than a few square pegs in round holes desperately trying to force a creative spark, which ultimately produced nothing [more] than unrehearsed Arctic Monkeys covers.”
But a few years on, they’ve more than cracked the creative code. Even by the time Astoria released their debut single, the 2021 ballad Where the Light Lives, there was a knowing intentionality apparent in the band’s composition choices that never verged on forced or contrived. The band made the best of the pandemic lockdowns, using the time to hone their skills, build an online audience, and develop their own big rock sound. And their diligence has paid off. The guys reached a captivating new peak in July with their latest single, Don’t Forget Me Now, and it’s clear that these talented young musicians are just getting started.
Truly, they’ve found their rhythm.
In fact, the band boasts a double dose of rhythm guitar courtesy of brothers Luke and Ben Etchells, and the extra guitar certainly doesn’t go to waste. Along with Alex Mawson’s bass lines, the band has become adept at layering the strings to add even more texture, dimension, and power to their sound. Drummer George Grady holds it down at the kit, and despite previously “not having any singing ability or desire to be anything other than a lead guitarist,” Vinnie Smith has grown into a powerful vocalist with a rich tone and a delicate rasp that, while sparingly used, magnifies the sincerity of tracks like last year’s standout single, The Half of It.
Astoria is now featured on the official Leeds United ‘23/’24 soundtrack and looking forward to a big opening slot for rising alternative genre-defying Scottish band, Dictator, in Leeds on October 27. We recently had a chance to catch up with the band. Here’s what they shared with us.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
NW: How did Astoria originally come together?
A: Alex described Astoria as being “born out of a dying star” back in 2019. Four years later that quote feels stronger than ever. Astoria, in its earliest form, started off with Vinnie – who had wanted to start a band since first picking up a guitar around 2008ish, Alex – who’d occasionally picked up his dad’s old bass guitar, and Luke – who’d somehow always been able to play the drums. Three close friends who knew very little about each other's musical backgrounds decided to give it a go.
The beginning was slow and painful. It didn’t take long for us to realize that it wasn’t going to be easy and that sparks wouldn't fly without a lot of hard work and a little bit of magic. Luke never really wanted to be a drummer. Alex had doubts about whether there was any point in even trying. A shortlist of drummers was drafted, and we got our top target. Weeks of looking for the right person led us straight to George, allowing Luke to move onto 2nd guitar and giving Vinnie the space needed to switch between frontman and lead guitarist without having the two overlap. It clicked, and ultimately started a formation which believed it could achieve something.
SOUND EVOLUTION
NW: Your sound has been described as a blend of melodic sensibility and a heavier, rockier sound. How has your music evolved since your early days?
A: The Astoria sound comes from loud distorted guitars sitting on a sort of ‘edge of breakup' tone where the sound of the guitar is at its most dynamic. This sweet spot is where soft playing comes out cleaner and stronger strumming comes out distorted and powerful. Getting that right level makes the sound much more powerful. Ben coming in on the acoustic really added a new layer to the sound and gave us new sonic avenues to explore and brought a maturity to the live sound.
NW: Are there any specific tracks or artists that have had a significant impact on your musical development?
A: These artists are the ones who have inspired some of our current songs: The Cure, Stereophonics, U2, James.
We can't say much about upcoming music as of now, however there are a few albums which have definitely inspired some songs currently being written.
Achtung Baby - U2
I Don't Live Here Anymore - The War On Drugs
Rum Sodomy & The Lash - The Pogues
Starting Over - Chris Stapleton
NW: How do you see your music evolving further in the coming year? Any new genres or styles you’d like to experiment with?
A: The sound of Astoria is something we're continuing to explore in the studio and our latest single Don’t Forget Me Now is definitely the pinnacle for us so far. Seeking a new sound we took a chance and drove a couple hours to Suff Studio to record with [producer] Matt Heap. So far this is the closest we’ve been able to replicate the power of the live gig in a studio setting, a real creative journey for us.
THE LIVE EXPERIENCE
NW: How do you prepare for your live shows?
A: Preparations for our bigger gigs all seem to follow a similar plan, around a 4 week strict routine of rehearsals, setlist preparation and promotion. I guess you can liken it to a pre fight boxing camp.
NW: Do you remember the first time you played live? What’s it like to perform in front of an audience?
A: Our first gig was unplanned originally. We began during covid and had months during lockdown to promote using rehearsal footage and demos. Voyager Events also formed as a promotion company, inviting us to play on their first-ever event. A couple weeks later it was announced, us and three other bands at Santiago, Leeds. We had no expectations on ticket sales for the event, until the day of the gig’s announcement where we ended up selling out the venue on our own.
Playing in front of 100 people in a packed room in Leeds when never playing in front of anybody before was terrifying. The room was boiling. We were dripping with sweat. Vinnie broke 2 strings on the first song, and after swapping guitars mid-set with Luke to be able to play the solos, another string broke. Where The Light Lives finished off a near nightmare debut with a sold-out crowd belting out the words to our debut single. We had to do it again, and this time we had no excuses.
We went on to organize our first-ever headliner for our second-ever gig with Voyager Events once again. The Lending Rooms [Leeds venue with a 250-person capacity], a hefty task for only your second-ever gig. Anyway, it sold out once again. 2 gigs, 2 sell-outs. Once again, a terrifying thought backstage but seeing a 250-person moshpit to The Snow was another moment that stuck with us. Gigs became an addiction, and with every hit, those nerves began to fade.
NW: You’ve mentioned some memorable live performances online. What makes a gig memorable for you?
A: One thing we never forget is the last song played by the support band while we're backstage getting ready for our headline set. It always creates a memorable moment hearing the music and the crowd. It gets the blood flowing and really puts you into the right headspace. Some of our favorites from The Wardrobe and Lending Rooms were My Kind Of People by Graffiti and Night Sounds by Indigo House. These are songs I'll remember forever because of this.
Some of our favorite gig moments have been the bands we’ve played with and the quality of the shows they’ve helped create. Shayler Franklin as a country opener has always been the perfect wildcard for us and has always gone down a treat, nobody ever expects it at a rock show but everyone always leaves remembering him. Really one of our favorites.
Graffiti unfortunately doesn't exist anymore, but we had the pleasure of having them on our Wardrobe [well-known venue in Leeds] show. I'll never forget some of their songs, and that's some achievement when they were never released. The Kites were incredible at our Wardrobe show and have really started to blow up since then – their Key Club [another Leeds venue] headline, something that really hasn't come as a surprise to me. We’re forever grateful for their recommendation of working with Matt Heap.
JUST FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES
NW: Are there any quirky or interesting traditions that you have as a band?
A: Our business meetings; you can talk about anything over a game of Snooker, as it happens we've got fairly decent at it too.
NW: We all have those guilty pleasure songs we secretly love that may be surprising given our usual taste. What’s one of yours?
Luke: Stromae. [I’m] also into heavy metal and Knocked Loose are a standout for me in the modern scene of hardcore. Mostly like how they have grown as a band but stuck to their roots.
Ben: Stromae
Vinnie: Keith Urban
Alex: Nickelback
George: James Brown
NW: If you could travel to any musical era or concert in history, where and when would you go? Why?
Luke: 90’s for sure. Absolutely everything from the birth of britpop and the origins of indie music that inspire me to this day as well as a wide variety of rock bands such as Pearl Jam and Metallica that inspire my style of guitar playing. Close battle with the 80’s but as the era I was brought up on, the 90’s remains important to me.
Ben: For me it would be Oasis at Knebworth or the Beatles’ rooftop concert back in 1969. Both bands I adore and to be there in the moment would be as surreal as talking about being there!
Alex: This question has hit me with a bit of a dilemma of choice. Oasis at Maine road comes to mind and Nirvana played in Bradford [near Leeds, UK] of all places in 1991. Finally, I would have loved to see Jaco Pastorius, a famous jazz fusion bassist
George: For me, it would have to be Led Zeppelin’s MSG show (‘73) paired with an iconic venue and seeing the greatest drummer of all time alongside one of the most influential bands of all time.
Vinnie: U2 Zooropa ‘93 or Slane Castle 2001
NW: If you weren’t musicians, what alternate career path might you have pursued?
Luke: Probably a chef. I’ve always had an interest in food so I’ve had to learn how to make it. And there’s no joy in shit food, so I’ve had to learn properly and it’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing.
Ben: I’m a bit of a bore and already have half of a career, but a dream career for me would be in the RAF [Royal Air Force], more specifically a pilot. I’ve been going to air shows across the country for as long as I can remember and I’m a bit of a plane nerd.
Alex: As a child, I always wanted to be a nuclear engineer because I thought it meant I could make things go boom! As I got older, I began to realize the moral repercussions and decided on a much light-hearted career.
George: Event organizer/promoter (still in the music space).
Vinnie: Pilot, 100%. Whether it be commercial or RAF.
NW: Do any of you have any hidden talents or hobbies?
Luke: Extremely laid back, which I see as a talent. While the other members stress before gigs and run about like headless chickens, I have the talent of sitting back with a beer and laughing at them. (Editor's note from his fellow band members: He’s lying).
Ben: I play rugby for my local rugby team, and I”m a bit of a sucker for playing games, too (except chess, Vinnie can tell you about that).
Alex: I love to cook but hate washing up.
George: Splitting the G on a Guinness.
Vinnie: Slightly addicted to chess.