Collaborative work in a musical group often begins with coincidences – sometimes accidental, but ultimately decisive. For Groovy Shirt Club, the story started around one song, someone else’s performance, and a barbecue party, and over time grew into a full-fledged band with its own sound. We decided to talk with them without unnecessary formality – about music, believing in yourself, and why a simple acoustic guitar still turns out to be stronger than any trends.

We welcome you Groovy Shirt Club! Five people, one collective, one music. That is exactly why we wanted to talk with you without unnecessary officialness. Let’s start from the very beginning: every band has its own story of coming into being. What became that moment – or person – when the five decided that together they sound better than separately?

Well, I originally got approached by a film producer who was working on a film project and became interested in my songs for the soundtrack. It started with 1 song, then evolved into 3 tracks she wanted to use. She became aware of them because a friend of mine played acoustic versions of some of my songs in his solo set and she, the producer, heard him play them at a BBQ party! I made demos of the songs and sent them to her, which she then confirmed she loved and were perfect for the film! I went on to produce full recordings but in the meantime, Covid hit and the funding for the movie got pulled. However, I just carried on writing and recording songs and drafted in musicians I knew or had worked with before, depending on their availability, and that process became the line up of the band. The songs that started it all off are on an EP called “A Story in Four Short Songs” They’re simple acoustic songs. Just me and a guitar. But that’s how it started and has since grown into a full rock and roll band with many of the recordings produced since then including 7 of us!      

Groovy Shirt Club is memorable melodies and rich harmonies. Where do they come from – in the studio, on the road, or at the most inappropriate moment?

The songs come from a variety of sources. Sometimes I sit with a guitar and things start to crystallise from a single line of lyrics, a musical phrase, or even an idea for a story or concept for a songs’ essential meaning. That sometimes produces good results. Other times it’s hours of noodling with nothing to show for it. You never can tell. I’ve had some songs come to me in dreams. The whole thing is there more or less complete already and I just effectively “download” it like it’s a cover version of something my subconscious has invented. Sometimes the inspiration can come from walking to the corner shop for bread and milk and a riff, or a tune appears. If I’m lucky, I’ll have the chorus or something spinning around my head by the time I get back home! There’s no set situation or environment that is my magic formula. These tiny little seeds appear and I have to work on them to get to a point where I’m happy with the results. And there’s never a particular time frame either. Some songs simply fall into place very quickly, which can be good fun. I feel very pleased with myself when that happens and have a piece of toast to celebrate my success. But there are plenty of songs which can be a struggle. Getting shelved because they’re not hitting that sweet spot and can resurface several years later when they merge with another incomplete idea and together they complete each other.  Ultimately, it’s about putting in the graft. working on song ideas and honing the lyrics and the melody so they flow together. Whether that’s 10 minutes or 10 years!  

Many listeners note that your lyrics sound alive and real – and, perhaps, that is exactly why they catch so strongly. At the same time today the very notion of the “real” seems to be blurred, especially when the “fake” sounds loud and often. In this context, one wants to ask: what does it now mean for you to truly “believe”?

I think it’s about staying centred, being true to yourself, trusting your instincts and trusting those close to you. That’s always been the case, really. But with everything going on in the world right now, those sentiments are even more important to hold onto. That’s essentially what “Believe” is about. It’s actually one of those songs that’s been through several iterations but didn’t quite sit comfortably within itself, if that makes sense. It wasn’t until I rewrote the chorus that things slotted into place and had a relaxed flow to it I was talking about earlier. 

The internet, social media and even mainstream news is awash with fake everything. The heavy push to promote articial intelligence has made it harder to differentiate between what’s real or not. Artificial being the key word here. The clue is in the title. But human beings can tell ultimately. AI will not replace human spirit and intelligence developed over tens of 1000’s of evolution. You just have to Believe in yourself. That’s what “Believe” is about and many of my songs, in fact. It just happens that the timing of its release coincides with the proliferation of technology and world geopolitical events that maybe make it more relevent.  

In my view, music today is in a mode of endless flow – everything appears quickly and disappears just as quickly. And against this background it is especially interesting what draws you to more classical forms and structures: is it an inner sense of support or a desire to do something that will withstand the test of time?

My honest answer to that is I’ve never been too bothered about trends anyway. I’ve always stuck to classical forms as you call it. If that’s what you mean by drums, bass and guitar etc. If something stands the test of time, that’s down to the quality of he writing. The song should be strong and solid, on its own in the simplest form. That’s why my foundation is always guitar and voice or piano and voice. If the song is great with that basic arrangement, building the sound with a full band is about enhancing it to give it the production and energy it needs to blossom. After that it’s down to the listener. Do they like it or not? I was listening to Meatloaf earlier. They are drums, bass, guitar, keys and a vocal. But so is Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra and Abba. But because of the human element, they all have their own unique sound despite the instrumentation being similar or even exactly the same. The endless flow, as you out it, seems to be down to streaming and the internet again. Millions of tracks from the earliest days of recorded music right up to the present day are available instantly. Which has probably shortened people’s attention span. Instead of chilling out at home and listening to a whole LP on vinyl, it’s skip, skip, skip and making your own albums up with playlists. Radio, particularly in the UK I find, has become too narrow. Lots of stations play the same limited catalogue on rotation. Or other stations are focussed on specific genres. So it’s extremely hard for new music to get heard as where does it fit? Independent radio and magazines are the only media now where new, original artists get a crack at some exposure. Which coming back to the original question, is why I just do what I’ve alway done, writing songs on a guitar and getting a band of real musicians to play them. Following trends, especially these days with everything being so fragmented, means you will eternally be behind the curve. I keep Sticking to doing my own thing.

Let’s talk about the new album “Hi Fi Joyride” – already by the title one feels that something like a musical ride with a good soundtrack awaits us. At the same time you confidently move towards a more guitar, softer rock sound, preserving your signature melodics and harmonies. Was this rather an intuitive movement or a long-ripened turn to which you were gradually going?

Ok, so looping back to my earlier answer about how the group got started, the period when I was writing lots of material after the film project collapsed, resulted in 40 or so songs. Some were shelved, some were scrapped altogether but when I distilled them down to the best ones, I was left with about 2 albums worth of tracks. I bunched them together in groups I thought worked as a collection. So the recording and post production has been done in 2 parts of the same extended session, if you like. The First album, Electric Flowers, was the acoustic rock stuff with a softer overall feel. The tracks with a more electric guitar driven rock sound will be what makes up the album being mixed right now. The title track being Hi Fi Joyride. And with the resurgence of vinyl, that’s precisely what this album is going to be. A Hi Fi Joyride.     

“Believe” is the first single from the upcoming album, and, honestly, after listening I formed a feeling that this is a clear and whole statement. When you worked on this song, was it born as a spontaneous emotional impulse or was it initially conceived as an attempt to formulate exactly such a clear idea?

I guess both. I hadn’t thought about it before. But all my songs start with an emotional impulse I suppose. But then the craft comes in to shape the idea into something which then expresses the idea clearly. Lyrics are important in that process. They can sometimes be surreal or abstract but if the essense of the message is still clear, the words are the key to getting that message across. However, how they follow the contour of the melody is also vital. That’s the easy flow bit. If the words or tune are cluttered, the song as a whole isn’t easy on the ear. And also the tone and mood of the overall sound has to perfectly compliment the music and lyrics. That’s the end goal I go for each time. Allowing the song itself to suggest its own identity. 

In the song there is a lot about faithfulness to oneself and about the importance of connections – especially against the background of a rather unstable and overloaded world. At what moment did you understand that this very theme is now the main one, and that it is important to say it exactly like this – directly and without workarounds?

There absolutely is a place for abstract poetry, or euphemisms, plays on words, hidden meanings. I do that too. But for Believe, I thought exactly that. Just say it like it is. The moment when that clicked with myself was when I settled on the chorus. I’d tried several ideas. Stolen bits from defunkt songs. Then I just sang it one day to fill the musical space, thinking I’d come back to it. And as I was doing it, I thought, Ok. That’s it! A little fine tuning of the lyric and I was happy with it. There was a sense of relief, almost coming from the song itself, saying “See, I’ve been trying to tell you that for ages!” 

“Believe” sounds like a confident introduction and sets the general mood of the album, but further, surely, there is a point where it раскрывается deeper. Which track, in your opinion, will become its emotional center – that very moment where everything converges into one?

The title track. Hi Fi Joyride. That’s the album title but it’s also going to be the 3rd single from it. The album hopefully being a joyride. I’d like to think people will give it the time to listen to the whole thing. Preferably on vinyl or CD, so you come on a journey with us like LP’s used to be all about. Like I was saying earlier, the tone for this next album is more upbeat, more rock but without being heavy. Still melodic and harmonious. With a mixture of lyrics about life, love and one simple fun song about comparing your lover to food. Yes, you heard that right! There’s even an instrumental on its way. And Believe is kind of a pivot between the Electric Flowers album and The Hi Fi Joyride album. Believe being the only ballad on Hi Fi Joyride, it shares some sentiments in common with the songs on Electric Flowers, but what is coming next is an step into a different vibe.

Joint creative work is always a little about balance – between ideas, tastes and, sometimes, stubbornness. In this process what turns out to be the most difficult: to find the right words, to assemble the music or still to convince each other that this – is really good and can be released into the world?

There is a great deal of input from eveyrone involved in making the songs become a reality. They all start with the basics. Guitar and voice delivering the words and music. But way before any serious recording takes place, I create demos to give an overall shape to them, and from there, they’re then developed in a variety of ways with ideas and suggestions coming from everyone. I’ve always believed that inviting and encouraging contributions is the best way to get the most out of any project and allowing space for the thing to flourish. Sometimes that’s a handful of small things. But they can make a big difference. And that goes for the whole process, right through recording, mixing and mastering to a tracks’ release. 

And lastly – after all this work, efforts: will you allow yourselves to exhale and enjoy the result or is your head already somewhere in the next project?

Both! There’s still a lot of work to do to get the Hi Fi Joyride album finished and out. There are 2 more singles to come which are in progress right now and I’m beginning plans for live dates later in the year. But in the midst of all that, I’ve also been consistently writing new songs and revisiting old demos. I filtered out the ones that weren’t doing it for me and I’ve now got around 30 songs I’d be happy to start recording. So I have at least another 3 albums worth of material churning around even without writing another note. Promoting the album is going on at the moment which for me, is about stirring interest in the fun stuff. Which is getting into a room with a crowd and playing the songs live. That’s what I’m most looking forward to next.

Thanks for the interview! See you at live show!

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