In the spotlight – The Height
The Height are a teenage indie trio from Salford/Manchester who released their debut single ‘Nowhere’ in December 2022. The band consists of John Denton (12) on lead vocals and guitar, Brandon Greenalgh (13) on bass and finally Ted Ellis (16) on drums. John and Ted were put out in touch by Rick Bazza. John met Brandon at a charity event where they were both doing a set. I caught up with John to ask him why they choose ‘Nowhere’ as their debut single. We also spoke about their first gig and their biggest fan.
What started you off on your musical journey? Was there anything in particular that sparked your interest in music?
“I got into music funnily enough at my dads mate’s birthday party. There was a karaoke machine and Chris, the guy who’s birthday it was, sang ‘Highway to hell’ by AC/DC. So when we got home, I got my dad’s phone off him and went on Spotify and listened to it on loop. Then I got into more and more AC/DC songs and into more hard rock bands like Guns ‘n Roses and Metallica. Indie came about a year later and then I was onto that!”
Who picked the band name? Is there a story to the band name?
“We had a few band names that we thought we’d pick but we picked The Height because it’s a pretty well known estate in Salford and it was kind of a tribute if you like.”
When you aren’t working on music, do you guys hang out for fun?
“We tend to hang out a lot actually. We’ve not been seeing each other that much recently due to everyone being so busy because of Christmas, but we’re going to go back to practising at the start of January as we’ve got our first proper venue gig on the 27th supporting Redeemers! We tend to hang out a lot in my cellar as we had it made into a bit of a music room last year, so we’ll always sit down and listen to my record collection.”
Influences
What and who would you say are your main musical influences?
“Personally I’d say my top three influences are The Smiths, Sex Pistols and The Seahorses. Also Supergrass more recently.”
What is your favourite song at the moment?
“I mean this is always swapping and changing for me, but at the moment mine would be ‘Love is the law’ by The Seahorses. Just what a tune!”
You released your debut single last month. How are you feeling about it being out in the world? Did you celebrate the release in any way?
“Yes, it’s been absolutely amazing! We never thought we’d get the public reception we’ve had over it. Most of the really good gigs we’ve got now, we wouldn’t have had if it didn’t do as well as it’s done. Me and our drummer Ted celebrated it by going to see The Lottery Winners at Manchester’s Albert Hall. It was great and loads of people who went had also listened to ‘Nowhere’ so it was brilliant!”
With ‘Nowhere’ being your debut single, what was the process like deciding what would be your musical introduction?
“Pretty easy to be honest, we all know that that’s one of our best songs.”
What’s next?
What should we expect from your next release?
“A kind of Lathums meets The Smiths style and then the single after that is gonna be a bit Libertines sounding but obviously a Height song.”
You are a very young band. Are there any other young bands that are impressing you at the moment?
“Marseille and Revialvry are two great teen bands who we would love to play with in the future!”
What is your favourite thing about making music?
“Every little bit of it!”
Describe your first gig.
“Pretty good actually, it was at a local rugby club and we were playing under a little tent outside. It was a great reception!”
Who is your biggest fan right now?
“Probably Mark Campell (@Amaltwhiskeyfan), We are his Twitter background, his pinned Tweet and in his bio!”
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time, besides playing music?
“For me, nothing.”
What are your plans for the year ahead?
“Bigger gigs, two more singles, studio time, and a CD!”
What’s your favourite song from the Cool Top 20 and why?
“‘Corona’ by Nice guy. Great tune.”
What song would you like to add as a bonus track and why?
“There’s a really good band I’ve been listening to recently called The Chase and they have a song called ‘Black Cloud’. It’s an absolute banger!”
