ARTIST SPOTLIGHT – MOTEL SUNDOWN
This month, we caught up with Motel Sundown, a Liverpool-based trio known for their blend of folk, classic rock, and country.
Since coming together in 2018, the band has captured audiences with their rich harmonies and storytelling. Ahead of their upcoming ‘El Dorado’ EP release and tour, Motel Sundown reflects on their journey so far, the city’s influence on their music, and what fans can look forward to in the future.
Can you tell us a bit about how Motel Sundown came together? What brought you all to the Liverpool music scene?
We all came to Liverpool separately to pursue individual music projects after studying here for University and were introduced through mutual friends around 2016.
From then on we played together across Liverpool and discovered we all had similar interests in music and singing harmonies, but playing together came really naturally from early on.
We then brought together different ideas for original songs we each had and finally released Chicago, our first original song as Motel Sundown in 2019.
How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard your music before? What genres or artists have influenced your style?
One of the benefits of being in a band with multiple writers is that we can all bring different influences to our music. Since we formed in 2018, we’ve covered a multitude of genres, primarily Folk, Classic Rock and Country. Our debut album released in 2022, If You Were Listening, leaned more towards the latter with pedal steel from the legendary Gerry Hogan. But our next upcoming EP El Dorado, leans more towards a heavier folk rock sound with some comparisons to the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Band and The Flying Burrito Brothers. We’ve always maintained our three part harmonies throughout all our releases.
Karen and I (Naomi) are both from Ireland so there is a blend of old traditional songs and some Bluegrass/Country and Blues Rock which has influenced us both as songwriters and performers. Bobby grew up in Kent listening to the likes of Neil Young, John Martyn and Bob Dylan as well as being brought up around 90s bands such as Oasis and The Verve.
When we started playing together we discovered mutual influences such as The Beatles (of course), Fleetwood Mac, CSNY to name but a few..
Liverpool has such a rich musical heritage. How has the city influenced your music, if at all?
Liverpool becomes a very small city after a while in that everyone is friendly and driven and willing to help you with your project. Being surrounded by like-minded musicians is inspiring and there are always opportunities for gigs and writing sessions. We’ve been lucky enough to develop our live sound in Liverpool over the years from playing in intimate spaces such as Berry & Rye as our three piece to Liverpool Pier Head with our full band.
What’s the creative process like for you as a band? Do you have a particular way you approach songwriting and recording?
We tend to write separately and bring our ideas together but even if a song is completely finished and one of us brings it to the band, once we end up adding harmonies and layer the guitars it always adds a bit of magic that you don’t quite get with solo material.
When we’re in the studio we have demos ready for the engineer with a specific template of what we’d like but we always leave room for the engineer and the band to develop the track.
You’ve played at various venues in Liverpool and beyond. Is there a particular gig or performance that stands out as a favourite?
The Pier Head gig in Liverpool is up there as one of our most memorable gigs as it was amazing seeing the Liver Birds from the stage and we also shared the bill with the Jacksons which is definitely something we never thought we’d do!
Your music often features strong storytelling elements. Where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics and themes?
It can vary from song to song, sometimes it’s autobiographical, sometimes influenced by a film or a book recently read or news story. One technique is to read a whole bunch, whilst making notes in a journal. You tend to pick out the things that resonate with your own life and it inherently has a thread or theme then order it later into lyrics. Conversely sometimes the music comes first and then you have to find the right lyrics to fight the sound of the music.
You recently released your debut EP at the end of June. How has the response been so far, and what was the experience like bringing that project to life?
It’s been a slight change of direction in some respects to the previous material, but not massively. We were quite intent on every song having its own niche and place in the EP so hopefully there is some good variation to it. The response has been decent but mainly online so hopefully with this tour we will get a good sense of how people really feel!
How do you see your music evolving in the next few years? Are there any new directions or experiments you’re excited to explore?
Another EP, sort of part two with the same ethos of each song being distinct. But really just not being stuck in any one restriction of genre just to make as much music as possible. We have a collaboration project in the works that’s quite different lined up too. Maybe doing some more co-writing as well just to keep everything fresh. Hopefully lots more touring in the UK and Europe.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your journey as a band so far? Are there any moments that have particularly resonated with you?
It’s all stepping stones, and it’s part of one journey. Sometimes the best things aren’t the biggest but just the music. Playing and singing together in rehearsal, or in a tiny venue you sing together and you occasionally remember this is something really special and we are lucky to be together. Or the excitement of a new song. Those are really the moments you do it for, and you just hope sometimes it happens on stage.
Finally, how can fans best support you? Are there any upcoming shows, merch releases, or other ways they can connect with your music?
The best way to support us is to come along to our tour, buy our merch, stream and share our music, tell your mates, tell your mates mates’ cat.
We will be releasing new music this Autumn or keep an eye out on social media.
El Dorado October 2024 tour dates:
11th Oct Ophelias Loft at Daly’s, Omagh
13th Oct Black Box, Belfast
14th Oct The Sound House, Dublin
18th Oct Sound Lounge, London
19th Oct Elysium Gallery, Swansea
30th OCT KAZIMER STOCKROOM, Liverpool
2nd Nov The Dog House, Stafford
3rd Nov Caffi Isa, Mold
