Courage Have Courage
It's all moved quite quickly for Guernsey band Courage Have Courage, who only properly formed in Spring this year.
Since then, they've performed at Guernsey's Festival of Performing Arts, playing the Main Stage alongside the likes of Frank Turner, The Gaslight Anthem, Example and Primal Scream.
We chatted to the band a few hours before they took to the BBC Introducing Stage for one of their biggest gigs to date.
-Are there any nerves at all?
I think it's excitement more than nerves. We're a brand new band, we started in March. After we toured in June and got that e-mail, it was such a surprise.
We're spending a lot of time writing, but we put a lot of focus on this to make the most of the opportunity that BBC gave us.
Nerves maybe happen before you play, as soon as you're on stage you're just playing and having a good time. We play well, when we have fun.
-Is there a different mindset you're getting into for this show, or other festivals, or do you just get on stage and go for it?
You hope to do things bigger at a festival. Being a new band, we've got everything to prove. We've got to go out there and take the opportunity. We played Guernsey alongside people like Frank Turner, and that went down pretty well. That was a great experience for us.
-What can people expect from your live show?
Fun and energy. We like to do something a little different live than on record. It's a bit more rocky live, more energetic. It's even a bit more exciting. When you hear us on CD it's a bit more poppy. We're definitely a band to see live.
-How much does BBC Introducing help bands get their name out there?
Massively. Zane Lowe does wonders for people. Our fanbase has increased because of it. It's a killer endorsement, really. There's hundreds of amazing bands, so to have BBC Introducing endorse it really helps for promoters to see that a band's worth backing.
-The band's career has moved quite quickly. Are you surprised at how quickly it's progressed?
We are. We are definitely surprised, but we have worked really hard over the past year. We started writing last year, but I think your first gig is when you become a band.
We didn't start playing until we had our full package. We got that sorted, so when people first saw us, we had more to show that just a CD.
-Is it hard funding it yourself at this level? Do you do anything besides the band?
We've all got full time, flexible jobs. We're working crazy hours to do this. We really want to do this, and we're going to work as hard as we can to make it happen.
-What do you think is the best way for a band to get noticed?
Doing shows, the right shows, is really important. Just putting everything into it. Doing it half-arsed won't pull it off. Make sure that everything you do, it's on undeniably good, across the board. There's so many good bands at the moment, you just have to nail everything.
-What stage is your next release at?
We're doing a lot of writing at the moment. We're making a progession, it's so exciting for us. We're enjoying it more than ever, because it's fresh, it's different. It still sounds like us. We're hoping to get some bits out online by the end of the year, and a bigger release next year.
-What's the plan after Reading and Leeds then? Are there any other live dates planned?
We weren't going to be playing any more live dates. We were going to take a break to write, but then Reading and Leeds came along. It's something we've always wanted to be involved in. I think for us, now, it's writing really hard. Just writing, touring, writing and touring.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge