Getting To Know... The Great Leslie

After spending the last year developing and cultivating their sound, London-based outfit The Great Leslie have now returned with their latest stunner 'Out Of My Hands'.

Taking their cues from acts like The Killers and Kings Of Leon, 'Out Of My Hands' sees the group return in stellar form. With its rich and textured direction, soaring aesthetic, and blistering direction, it feels like these guys are well on their way to becoming one of the next big names to emerge from the capital.

So with the new single doing the rounds, we sat down with them to find out more about their background and what has inspired them most over the years.

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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?

Ollie: Probably the drums, I played piano and guitar before that, but the drums caught my imagination, and matched my manic energy when I was a kid.

Julien: The electric guitar! I heard Hendrix playing Purple Haze and there was no turning back…

Ryan: Guitar - my dad used to play it to me as a toddler.

Jason: For me, it was piano. It was the first instrument I learnt to play when I was around 6 and it’s the instrument that I compose and produce on now. Bass is a lot more fun to play live, but it isn’t the most fun to write on, so I always end up back on piano. I think it also helps with my playing as well, because one thing that I used to get bogged down with was playing what I could play, rather than what I should play for the song. When I compose on a piano, it becomes about the composition, and then the bass just slots in to complement the song, rather than the instrument.

What kind of music did you love as a teenager?

Ollie: I loved old rock, namely bands like ACDC and The Rolling Stones, but to be honest I have always had an eclectic taste, so I would’ve been listening to everything.

Julien: I’m a rocker at heart, so loads of classics: Queen, Guns’n’Roses, The Rolling Stones… It’s a long list! I was somewhat into the stuff coming out at the time, but would always gravitate back to records from the 60’s and 70’s. I eventually got into heavier stuff around 15, like Metallica , Megadeth, Anthrax… and Jazz at 17 when I discovered Sylvain Luc and Bireli Lagrene’s album “Duet”.

Ryan: I was full on emo. Fully into screamo music. No shame.

Jason: I went through phases. I was really into metal and rock. I never liked Metallica or bands like that, but I was into Every Time I Die, BMTH, Architects etc. I also loved hip hop and drum & bass, and even now, whenever I’m at a festival, you’ll find me in the drum & bass tent at 3am.

What was the first album you remember owning?

Ollie: The first album I remember owning was ‘Fever’ by Kylie Minogue.

Julien: Classic Queen. A compilation of their best hits.

Ryan: Limp Bizkit - Chocolate Starfish and hotdog flavoured water.

Jason: It’s not the first album that I owned, as I was always gifted music at birthday, but the first album that I remember buying was Songs About Jane by Maroon 5, and it’s still one of my favourite albums. There’s a version on Spotify that has all the demo versions of the songs on there, and it’s a real testament to what a good producer can pull from a band. Musically, it’s really interesting to play, but it’s also easy to listen to. It’s a great example of making an album fun for musicians and listeners.

What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?

Ollie: My answer would probably change...but for now I’ll say ‘You To Me Are Everything’.

Julien: There are quite a few, but if I were to choose one, I’d go for Bohemian Rhapsody.

Ryan: Happy Birthday. (Those royalties would be sick).

Jason: Anything from Submotion Orchestra. One of the best gigs I can remember was seeing them at Koko when I first moved to London, and the response to It’s Not Me, It’s You was euphoric. The band is (for me) the natural development of jazz, in that they don’t appear to be pushing harmony to its limits (though the harmony is still really interesting), but they are really experimenting sonically in making jazz electronic. When you listen to it, you’d think it was all programmed, but when you see it played by real musicians, it’s so impressive. Tight and rigid, yet musical and flowing. Seriously, check them out.

Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?

Ollie: I like to sit in the same space, and I always write with the same pen, not in a superstitious way, it’s just a force of habit.

Julien: I find art quite inspiring in general. I used to go to the National Gallery or Tate Modern and get inspired from the amazing installations and temporary exhibits to fuel my creativity. When trying to write guitar parts to a song in a band context, I try to create something that will fit within the confines of everything else while remaining original.

Ryan: I’m gonna have to call the 5th amendment card even though I’m in the UK.

Jason: I have two approaches depending on how much of a block I have, but both involve putting the instrument down and walking away for a while. If I have an idea of where I think a track should go, I will engross myself in that genre for inspiration and to see how others are doing it. If I have no idea what I’m doing, I will go for a walk and listen to a podcast to get music out of my head. Eventually, something will come to you, but it’s important not to force anything. You can usually hear when a song sounds forced or coerced into sounding how it does, and I think some of the best songs with themselves. Recently we’ve been on a writing binge, and had a lot of demos that we were writing to the demo stage for the studio and if we weren’t feeling a song initially, we would simply move on and come back to it later. Allowing yourself to get bogged down can create a fogginess that’s hard to get over, so we’ve tried to stay light and nimble to keep everything flowing.

Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?

Ollie: The Killers, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Creeping Jean, Sports Team, Louis Prima.

Julien: I’m always discovering new music and some older gems. Here are 6 artists I recommend listening to: 
Tigran Hamasyan, Ape Echoes, Snarky Puppy, Donald Fagen, Arch Echo and Jacob Collier.

Ryan: Mothers Cake, Brecker Brothers, Harry Styles.

Jason: We’ve just put a playlist up on our Spotify celebrating some of our favourite women in the music industry, (go and listen to it) so I’ve been on a binge of some of my favourites there, including Submotion Orchestra, Beady Belle, Erika and anything with Carol Kaye on bass (so a lot of The Beach Boys). Before that, I was listening to a lot of Vistas and Gentleman’s Dub Club (in particular, Night Shift has been on repeat).

If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?

Ollie: The Killers.

Julien: Radiohead.

Ryan: The Killers, King of Leon, Ed Sheeran.

Jason: At the moment, anyone. Just let us on a stage!

What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?

Ollie: Moving people with your music in some way or other.

Julien: Music has shaped my life from the very start - I was put in a conservatory at 3! Playing music regularly generates its own inspiration, so playing music and “being” a musician is constantly rewarding.

Ryan: Learning something new and of course performing.

Jason: The crowd. There is genuinely no better feeling than being on stage and the crowd feeling it with you.

And what is the most frustrating part?

Ollie: It’s not the most financially stable job in the world.

Julien: Without going into depths, being a musician in today’s world can be quite tough. I’d say the way musicians and artists are portrayed in society ends up turning a lot of people away from it as it can be quite expensive and takes years before being profitable.

Ryan: Waiting to play after soundcheck 10000% is the worst!

Jason: Recently, the lack of live work. Everyone is just itching to get back on stage, and I imagine the first few shows back are going to be something special.

And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?

Ollie: Practise.

Julien: Listening is equally as important as playing and to play well in the context of an ensemble or band, you need a good sonic picture of your surroundings!

Ryan: Just keep playing…

Jason: Efficiency. I was trained to be a “session musician”, so a lot of that training is learning songs quickly and playing for the song. One of the words of advice I got from a tutor at uni was to not over play. He argued that if you were getting paid £200 for a show that only requires you to play 10 notes, you’ve just earned £20 per note. “Don’t dilute your worth for the sake of ego”.

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The Great Leslie's new single 'Out Of My Hands' is available to stream and download now. Check out the video for it in the player below.