By Daffs (@TwoDaff)
After the first one in the series with Jay Tennant, we’re back with another edition of ‘Waxing Lyrical’, this time with Finding Bella!
Finding Bella are a five-piece indie rock band formed in the West Midlands. Originally forming during the COVID-19 pandemic, the band’s mutual appreciation of eclectic alternative indie rock led to them performing and writing music together in the hope that their strong passion and energy could be shared with a wider audience. By the end of 2021, the band had begun to frequently gig in and around the Birmingham area, showcasing their varied catalogue of original and cover music whilst ever-increasing their support base and reach.
Finding Bella released their debut single, “Good Right Now“, on 11th February 2022 driving more following into the band’s listener base with early reviews citing clear influences of Oasis and Kasabian within the track that created a nostalgic sound of the ’90s, “the golden days” when Indie and Britpop music dominated the charts. Nevertheless, the band’s seamless ability to pull this sound right back into the 21st century left listeners hungry for more!
Three months after the release of their debut single, “Good Right Now”, Finding Bella are back with a bang. Their second single, “Set It Off”, carries forward the momentum created when they exploded onto the Birmingham scene in February, but this time showcasing their musical diversity by exploring the genre further while still maintaining the tonal elements and integrity of their sound.
I managed to catch up with the lads for a chat about the band and their new release.
Firstly, can I thank you for taking the time to chat with us at Awayday radio, could you introduce yourselves for our readers?
The band consists of Oliver White on vocals and guitar; Simon Black on lead guitar; Ben White on keys/synth; Liam Hadfield on bass guitar and John Woodward on drums.
Finding Bella is an unusual name, where did the name come from?
Oli: This is an interesting one, to be honest! After a while of struggling to find something we all
agree on, we decided to go with something which attaches us to the local area. The name Bella
comes from local folklore dating back to the 1940s. To this day the story is frequently told and
‘Bella in the Wych Elm’ has featured in many documentaries and podcasts. Definitely worth a
google!
Who writes the songs or is it a joint effort?
Oli: I usually kick-start the process by penning down some chords and lyrics. Once I’ve built a
decent base for the song I take it to the lads where they all add their own influence and we play
about with the structure.
It’s clear that some of your influences are Oasis and Kasabian, what other bands do you draw your inspiration from?
Si: There’s a big list! Arctic Monkey, The Strokes, The Libertines and Catfish and the Bottlemen
to name a few. Some of the more current acts would be DMAs, Inhaler (who Liam is a big fan
of), also Wet Leg and The Lathums who a lot of us have seen live.
Set It Off was inspired by nights out
Your new single ‘Set it Off’ is due to be released on 01/07/2022 can you tell us what inspired you to write it?
Oli: Set It Off was inspired by nights out in Birmingham whether it be watching live music or
going to clubs or raves. The punchy title name and chorus reflects the energy in these nights.
Liam: Yeah, the melody, build up and drum fills are all written specifically to maximise the
impact of the hook. It definitely transmits the fire in these nights to the audience!
Where was it recorded?
Oli: We recorded at RML Studios in Wolverhampton. Ryan has worked with lots of other local
bands and the quality of output is amazing. He was the producer that worked on The Assist’s
debut album.
Liam: After Ryan had finished with it, we then sent it off to the famous Abbey Road Studios to
have it mastered. We’re really pleased with the outcome.
Definitely time for us to drop one or two more bangers
Any other tracks planned soon?
Ben: We’re only halfway through the year so there is definitely time for us to drop one or two
more bangers before the start of 2023. Nothing is set in stone yet but we do have a few tricks up
our sleeve before the year is out.
On the gig front, what have you got lined up and which ones are you looking forward to the most?
John: We’re just about to begin a very busy summer schedule where we are gigging once or
twice a week until the end of August. Some notable mentions are Big Tree Festival in Sheffield
on the 24th July which has a huge line-up of artists all connected by the Awayday network.
Another one is Live Wyre Festival in Kidderminster on the 27th August where Awayday Gigs
have their own stage. More details of these can be found on our socials.
Ben: Easily the biggest for us will be our headline at The Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham on
the 9th July. Our first headline gig in Birmingham since February, it’s going to be a boss night.
Better get the beers ready now!
You are obviously busy and got a few things in the pipeline, where do you see yourselves in say five years’ time?
Si: At the moment we’re taking each single as it comes and focusing on improving each day. If
we continue to achieve what we have in the last 6 months, over the next 5 years, then the sky’s
the limit!
The Midlands music scene is hot at the moment, are there any other bands you like or are listening to?
John: Yeah, definitely. My personal favourite at the moment is The Assist, who we all went to see
recently at a sold-out Deadwax. Great debut album and great live show. Nice lads as well. I’ve
been in touch with them at times and they have given us some great advice.
Liam: I’m loving Overpass at the moment. Me and Oll caught them at Kasbah in Coventry last
year. I’d definitely see them again. Another band for a great live performance is Smokin Eskimo.
Top lads, they looked after us a lot when we were getting started.
I have to ask, how important are radio stations like ADR for getting bands noticed?
Si: Hugely important! If it wasn’t for stations such as Awayday then we wouldn’t have a
platform to get ourselves out there. We have had so much support from Awayday, Black
Country Radio and Wolverhampton Radio to name a few. Keep up the hard work guys, we’re all
making waves together!
And finally, football and clothing, what you into?
John: As for football, I support Villa, Si supports West Brom and Liam supports Wolves so the
banter is always flying around. Sadly, Oli supports Liverpool… Not much to say on that, although
he is known to go to Kidderminster Harriers games so it can’t all be about trophies!
Oli: For clothes, it’s got to be Adidas Originals, Pretty Green, Barbour, Fred Perry and North
Face. Stuff like that. I’m a big fan of Napapijri as well, I love their coats but they’re not the most
practical to wear on stage. I’ve tried it once and almost passed out during one of the first songs.
Lesson learnt!
Brilliant, lads many thanks and good luck with everything you do. I am sure we will be seeing and hearing a lot more from you in the near future!
You can pre-save Finding Bella’s latest single, here! Watch out on the site tomorrow for a preview of the latest single from the band…
