Steve Fowell (lead vocals and songwriter), Geraint Evans (lead guitar), and Joe Malik (manager) from Evanfly popped into BBC Somerset Sound on Friday 17 June, 2005 to chat to Jo Phillips. You can listen to the interview, which includes acoustic performances of Evanfly's tracks, by clicking on the audio link at the top of this page. Watch out for the band playing in the Interactive Tent at Glastonbury 2005 too! How did the band get together?  | | Evanfly used to be called Slider |
Steve: We got together in October 2002. Me and Geraint started off as a duo, just playing around Weston-super-Mare. But we missed the feeling of the full band, so we decided to advertise in the local press for more band members. We got a bass player (Andy Nancollis), who brought along a drummer with him (Jon Hutchins). We gigged as a four-piece for about a year, but we still felt as though we were missing someone. So we then got a rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist (Dan Murphy). How would you describe your music? Steve: I can't is the short answer. It's a melting pot really. I was brought up with music from before my time, such as The Kinks and The Who – mod music basically. As I grew up, I got into The Jam and Secret Affair – the mod revival. So that's my background, but then the drummer, Jon, is into Slayer and Metallica, and really heavy metal bands. Geraint: I'm into Led Zeppelin and 70s' blues-rock, but not really heavy music. I'm especially into The Beatles – they're the biggest influence for me. Steve: We've been likened to The Kinks, not for the musical sound, but because someone said their music was indescribable once, and likewise, you can't put a finger on the style of music we play. How does the dynamic of the band work? | "The next six to 12 months are going to be a turning point for us. We're hoping to release a single and possibly an album within a year." | | Joe Malik - Evanfly manager |
Steve: I normally write a song in my studio at home, and I'll decide whether it's good enough to show the lads or not. Usually I'll take everything to the band, and it's like a jigsaw really. I'll draw the sketch on the canvas if you like and they'll all put their colours to it. Every song starts off as an acoustic song and then we build it up in practice. What's the secret to writing good music? Steve: It's about making music that people can relate to. The most successful records throughout the history of music are about love or loss of love, or sadness – they're about situations where someone's been hurt, or they're really happy. Most people have those feelings, but a lot of people can't sit down with a guitar and write a song about it. Musicians are gifted with that ability and I think that's what makes a good song – it's explaining what other people want to say. Why did you choose Evanfly as your name? Steve: We used to be called Slider when we first started out. Then someone gave us a bit of advice about the band name and suggested we check it with the band registry. So we checked it, and there were about 10 bands with that name around the world. Then it was a panic to find a new name for the band before we got a reputation as Slider. Andy, the bass player, came back one day and said: "Well, Geraint's the guitarist, he flys around the fretboard, his name's Evan, so why don't we just call the band Evanfly?" So basically, it's a play on Geraint's name and the fact that he flies around the fretboard of a guitar. It's obviously unique – we checked it with the band registry, and it just stuck from there. How did you get involved with T4 on the Beach?  | | Evanfly with BBC Somerset Sound's Jo Phillips |
Steve: Over the past year, we've done a lot of big gigs, especially in the South West. We've got a lot of experience playing on really big stages in front of huge crowds. We knew T4 was coming up, and we knew we could do it and hold our own. So we thought, let's just see if we can get on there. So our manager, Joe, contacted the organisers, and then hassled them to death. Right up until the last minute we thought we hadn't got it, and then at the last phone call, they turned around and said yeah, you've got it. What have you got planned for the future? Joe: Straight after we leave this show, we head up to London for two very big gigs – we've got a lot of people interested in us in London – record labels etc. Then we're obviously back to Weston for T4 on the Beach. We're off to Glastonbury, and then it's going to take off from there. We've got a lot of big concerts throughout the summer planned. We're hoping to go to Germany to try and sell the music in Europe. We've also had a lot of interest from the United States. The next six to 12 months are going to be a turning point for us. We're hoping to release a single and possibly an album in the next year. | 
