In the spotlight – Lunarca
In the spotlight – Lunarca are a 60s and ‘90s inspired indie rock band quartet hailing from Sheffield (UK), consisting of vocalist Connor Berry, guitarist Elliot Britton, bassist Jasper Elliott and drummer Kyle Sherwin. I spoke to frontman Connor about their performance at Reading & Leeds festival and their upcoming debut headline gig.
For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes your band distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?
“A lot of bands have the same answer for this question. They all say well the music is great, it’s relatable and has a unique ‘sound’. But I’ll be completely honest, we didn’t invent our sound, it’s just the pure excellence of 60s psychedelia sprinkled with a bit of swagger, which I think a lot of bands neglect nowadays. Each member of the band likes different genres, Britpop, 60s mod, math rock and lofi / indie.”
“Though, we’ve never had a band meeting and gone: “This is what we want to sound like and this is how we’ll act on stage”. Everything’s happened naturally, and thankfully for us it sounds great.”
“The audience never knows what to except at gigs, especially half way through the set when our guitarist Elliot Britton jumps off the stage. Yet again, stuff like that was never planned, we act on passion not what we think will look good.”
What would you say is your greatest strength as a band?
“Stage presence is definitely our biggest strength. I’m in the band, but sometimes when we’re playing live even I get blown away by our aura on stage. It’s like the flick of a switch, one second we’ll all be chatting backstage being a bit quiet, then next minute we’re jumping off stage. We’re definitely a very passionate live band, which makes an unforgettable performance.”
What started you off on your musical journey? Was there anything or anyone in particular that sparked your musical fire?
“I am massively inspired by The Beatles, so they’re definitely one of the reasons I’m in a band. But collectively as a band, I wouldn’t say we’ve ever tried to be anybody else, like I said earlier all of our inspirations are different. So it’s hard to pin point one. The biggest thing which we work towards is playing them sold out shows and festivals, which we’re just starting to see happen.”
Who picked the band name? Is there a story to the band name?
“I came up with it, months prior to the band starting. I never had a plan of joining a band but for some reason the name randomly came to me when I was sat down on my computer, so I wrote it down. Then when I first met Elliot Britton and we spoke about starting a band, I said well I’ve got a name ‘LUNARCA’, and it stuck. There’s no meaning, it just sounds cool.”
What song would you send to someone unfamiliar with your music?
“The song ‘Touch Of Gold’. It’s our latest release, but definitely our best so far. It’s got a real punk vibe to it with elements of psychedelia. The meaning of the song is about people trying to put you down, but you coming back and saying, I’m going to make it work because I have the Touch Of Gold.”
I always love hearing about the songwriting process. What can you tell me about yours? Do you have a songwriting process and routine that you follow?
“The majority of the time, I will come to the band with a song I wrote on my acoustic. I’d show the rest of the lads in rehearsal, then they’d play it straight back. Normally after 30 minutes we’ll have the song down, though it’s always an interesting experience as the song always ends up sounding different to how it was originally. Everyone has their own unique style of playing, and that’s what makes the band. The song suddenly comes alive and it sounds like a Lunarca song.”
“Though, all of the band members Jasper (bassist), Elliot (guitar), Kyle (drums) write songs too. For example, ‘Runaway’ is Jasper’s song, which you can listen to on Spotify!”
You played at Leeds festival on the Climate Live Bus. There probably aren’t many bands that played on a bus. 😉 How was the experience for you?
“It was an amazing experience and is definitely one ticked off the bucket list. Our goal next year is to drive the bus whilst performing, just kidding.”
“Obviously it’s a great cause, Climate Live are a great group of people who work really hard to create a better world, and we stand by the cause. So it was a privilege to be asked to play for them at Leeds Festival a second year in a row. It’s always a laugh doing festivals, you meet all sorts of people and create some really special memories.”
What festival would you like to headline one day?
“For me it has to be Tramlines. We’re a Sheffield band after all, so headlining our hometown festival would be magical. There’s your typical answers such as Glastonbury and Leeds & Reading, which of course we’d love to headline. But for our first festival headline, Tramlines would be a great start.”
What’s the best thing about performing to an audience?
“Hearing the audience sing your lyrics back always is a special kind of feeling. Looking around at the other band members and seeing them smile as the crowd sings your songs back to you is incredible. As well as that, putting on a show is always a big one for us, we like people to leave our gigs thinking ‘Wow, what a band’.”
Most memorable day as a band?
“Collectively, I’d have to say our few gigs with Kyle (our drummer). He only recently joined us in May this year. Our first gig with him we supported CVC, who are one of my favourite bands, and are now getting pretty big!”
Your debut headline gig in November sold out pretty quick. What can people expect from your show? Do you have any surprises planned?
“A lot of new music. We’ve got loads of new tunes which even people who go to everyone of our gigs haven’t heard. We don’t even know what to expect, it’s our first headline, we’re new to this. But, one thing we can guarantee is it’s going to be a special night.”
What are your other plans for the year ahead?
“To release more music, short and sweet We’ve got so much in the locker that needs to be heard. So, expect more songs! They’re very different to our current ones.”
What’s your favourite song from the Cool Top 20 and why?
“We like ‘Waiting For The Sun’ by The Mease. They’re not too far from us, only Derby. I’m a massive fan of psychedelic and Britpop esque music, so this tune really hits that spot. Love it!”
