Stanleys are an upcoming four-piece band from Wigan, Lancashire. Aiming to establish the small town’s music scene, along with bands such as The Verve and most recently The Lathums, we wanted to catch up with them to talk more on their inspirations, songwriting and Neighbourhood Festival…
Tell us about yourselves! Where are you from and how did your band form?
After all enrolling at the same college and sharing similar music tastes, the four of us began playing gigs at local pubs in Wigan. Following several successful cover sets at local pubs, we began writing and recording our own material and playing shows further afield.
Who are your main influences and how have they impacted your music?
Our main influences can be summed up in three genres: 80s and 90s indie guitar music from bands like Blur, Pulp, The Smiths and The Stone Roses, as well as 60s pop like The Stones and The Beatles and modern indie music such as The Strokes. We try to combine our influences and attempt to innovate our own new unique sound.
The local music scene in Wigan is amazing right now. I think with the success of bands like The Lottery Winners and The Lathum’s, people are now even more interested in guitar bands in the area. We all share a strong friendship and all the bands have gigged with each other closely over recent years and grown together. Support from the football club and the council have only made the band scene more successful.
What’s the story behind your recent release, ‘Why Would I?’?
‘Why Would I’ was the first song we had with the same chord progression throughout. I had been listening to indie hits such as Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People as well as songs such as Sit Down by James and decided to try this technique. In the end we ended up with a strong pop song. Lyrically, the theme rests on the boredom of most mundane jobs and how they can lead to resentment in the workplace, a feeling that nearly everyone can relate to.
What does your songwriting process look like? Do you all have certain roles in it?
The process has changed over the years we have been in a band. With the recent EP stemming from an acoustic demo’s on a laptop and then the rest of the band later adding their magic and making the track come alive.
You’ve recently been added to the Neighbourhood lineup. Are you excited to play? Is there anyone else you’re looking forward to see?
We’ve attended this festival several times over the years and seen some amazing artists, so to be added to the lineup is a dream come true for us. We’re really excited to see The Snuts live as we first encountered them at Kendal Calling and were blown away by their live show. We’re all big fans of Everything Everything so we will be catching their set at Neighbourhood as well.
What’s next for Stanleys?
As we’re currently in the process of releasing the tracks for our second EP, ‘Time Waits For No One’, we’ve quite a busy schedule. We’ll be heading back out on tour and we’ve a new vinyl to announce very soon!
Listen to Stanleys here.