Better Left Alone
Preston’s Better Left Alone took to the stage at Hub Festival after winning a competition to share the stage with the likes of Funeral For A Friend and The King Blues.
After an exciting set, which resulted in a fantastic reception for the quintet, I caught up with the band in their dressing room just ten minutes after they finished their biggest gig to date.
“We absolutely loved it,” Dann Walling (guitar) said. “The stage itself was absolutely fantastic”. Eddy Robinson (vocals) admitted: “I was s******* myself! I loved every second of it.”
Better Left Alone is completed by Mik Connor, Josh Harrison and Nick Else, and it’s clear during the conversation that this band works so well because of a genuine friendship amongst the band.
Many of their comments can’t really be printed here, with it feeling like sitting in on a conversation between five best mates – and at times it was.
Dann agreed that this line-up (after many changes over BLA’s early years) is their most solid. “Everyone is some comfortable with everybody,” he admitted.
The festival was highlighted by shows by Funeral For A Friend and The King Blues, the former being a huge influence on the band. “I’ve seen them once before and they were absolutely amazing,” Eddy said.
BLA won one of two slots at the festival after a public vote. It definitely wasn’t easy: “People were cheating all the time, but in the end we prevailed on Facebook by the skin of our teeth...just,” Dann revealed. “On the last day, over the last few hours, we racked up a few hundred votes to end up winning it.”
Although the band put in a huge amount of effort themselves, support from their growing fan-base helped them earn this chance. Mik said: “We have to give a shout out to Becky Lee, as well,” adding “She lives in Manchester, and she spent forever annoying the hell out of people.”
“She even went round Manchester flyering for us,” Dann admitted. However, he was quick to point out that the band do put in the effort. “We don’t rely on people. We still do a hell of a lot ourselves.”
So, what were Dann and the rest of the band hoping to achieve from the festival?
“We want to expose as many people as possible to our music, because we honestly believe that we can be very good musicians. We can entertain a lot of people, we just want the chance to do it.”
It’s clear that, despite the band’s fortunes improving lately, they’re still very humble. Mik seemed genuinely pleased at their self-titled EP’s recent sales. “We’ve had people buying it in Germany!”
With the music industry as it is, selling albums is hard for any band, particularly a smaller one self-releasing material. “It wasn’t hard to get it online, to get it in all the big stores, but it’s a ball-ache trying to get people to buy it,” Mik said.
He added: “If you’re not a massive name, nobody cares. It’s just a case of trying to get your name out there and make it big.”
On the subject of new material, Mik revealed that the band never really stop.
The band have been advised to continue putting out new material after meeting with a label in London. BLA were quick to point out that there is no deal on the table, they just received some helpful advice.
Nick said: “We’re not doing anything with him at the minute”, with Dann adding: “We’ve been told to prove our commitment before we get onto it.”
How was the trip to London, then? Mik joked: “We stopped at Oxford Circus, and there were no elephants,” before Nick added: “There was that woman who looked like an elephant!”
The immediate future of the band, it seems, lies with new material and touring as much as possible over summer.
Mik said: “A few dates in June are going to mash into a mini-tour. We’ve got a week-long tour in July coming up, North West and Midlands.”
As the interview rounded up, some of the band left final messages for anyone reading this online.
Dann: Can they read? If they can’t read, they’re wasting their time! Anyone reading, if you haven’t heard of us, check us out! If you’re just reading, please give us a listen.
Mik: And buy our music so we can actually afford to go on tour!
Eddy: Check us out. You might like us, you might not. You might find your new favourite band.
Better Left Alone’s self-titled EP is available now via all major digital online stores. For more information on the band, search Better Left Alone on Facebook, or head to http://www.betterleftalone.co.uk/.
Female First – Alistair McGeorge