Sheffield shoegazers Nai Harvest are two starry-eyed indie-pop perfectionists bringing a welcome splash of melodic scuzz to the alt-rock revival.
Together, Ben Thompson (guitar, vocals) and Lew Currie (drums) have dug deep into the back catalogues of 4AD, Too Pure and Creation to learn from the masters before finding their own route through the fuzz.
Part Slowdive, part Smashing Pumpkins, the pair have obviously taken their nod from the mid-nineties indie heyday, but rougher edges of punk and emo add a sharpness to their sound which is lacking in their dream-pop forebears.
The results are addictive - a riotous racket of clever melodic progressions and layered guitars.
Having cut their teeth on last year’s festival circuit, Ben and Lew are now gearing up for a couple of live dates in January and February to showcase material from their new album.
Expected in the spring through Topshelf Records, the bar has been set high by shimmering single Buttercups (check out the video below).
We spent 30 seconds with Ben to learn how the band came together and why Craig David and Kate Bush would make perfect collaborators....
We first started writing music because...
We were bored kids that had nothing better to do than start a band as an excuse to play shows for free beer and hang out with new people.
We formed Nai Harvest because...
We love each other, love the music we make and have a blast doing it. It's crazy getting to travel the world to play music to people and we never expected anything like this to happen to us.
Our music is...
Pop music for scumbags. Fuzzy scuzzy indie rock delivered to your ears by two soft punks.
You'll like us if you listen to...
Cloud Nothings, Japandroids, Ty Segall, Cap'n Jazz, Nirvana, Ride
Our favourite venue is...
The Great Gatsby in Sheffield. Wildest venue you'll ever play! The size of a bedroom but you can still fit over 100 people in there, somehow.
Music is important because...
It gets you though the day, gets you through the night, gets you into a sweaty venue in Dalston, gets you into a wet muddy field in the middle of Yorkshire, gets you some common ground with the best people you'll ever meet.
Our biggest inspiration is...
Each other. Sounds cheesy but we don't tend to listen to much 'genre relevant' music when we write and record so it comes out as purely Nai Harvest.
Our dream collaboration would be...
Something crazy like with Slipknot or Craig David or Justin Timberlake or Kate Bush, or all four of them together on a Christmas single. Sorry Bono, you aren't invited.
To try us out, listen to our song...
Buttercups...from our split single with Playlounge.
If we weren't making music we'd be...
Skateboarding, making art, watching TV, picking flowers, laying in the middle of the road.
In 10 years’ time we want to be...
In a decent job with wives and kids because being in a band most likely doesn't last forever but who cares we gave it a good shot right?
Upcoming live dates:
17 January - Owl Sanctuary, Norwich, with Playlounge
4 February - NME Awards show, Birthdays, London, with Happyness
http://naiharvest.bandcamp.com/
Together, Ben Thompson (guitar, vocals) and Lew Currie (drums) have dug deep into the back catalogues of 4AD, Too Pure and Creation to learn from the masters before finding their own route through the fuzz.
Part Slowdive, part Smashing Pumpkins, the pair have obviously taken their nod from the mid-nineties indie heyday, but rougher edges of punk and emo add a sharpness to their sound which is lacking in their dream-pop forebears.
The results are addictive - a riotous racket of clever melodic progressions and layered guitars.
Having cut their teeth on last year’s festival circuit, Ben and Lew are now gearing up for a couple of live dates in January and February to showcase material from their new album.
Expected in the spring through Topshelf Records, the bar has been set high by shimmering single Buttercups (check out the video below).
We spent 30 seconds with Ben to learn how the band came together and why Craig David and Kate Bush would make perfect collaborators....
We first started writing music because...
We were bored kids that had nothing better to do than start a band as an excuse to play shows for free beer and hang out with new people.
We formed Nai Harvest because...
We love each other, love the music we make and have a blast doing it. It's crazy getting to travel the world to play music to people and we never expected anything like this to happen to us.
Our music is...
Pop music for scumbags. Fuzzy scuzzy indie rock delivered to your ears by two soft punks.
You'll like us if you listen to...
Cloud Nothings, Japandroids, Ty Segall, Cap'n Jazz, Nirvana, Ride
Our favourite venue is...
The Great Gatsby in Sheffield. Wildest venue you'll ever play! The size of a bedroom but you can still fit over 100 people in there, somehow.
Music is important because...
It gets you though the day, gets you through the night, gets you into a sweaty venue in Dalston, gets you into a wet muddy field in the middle of Yorkshire, gets you some common ground with the best people you'll ever meet.
Our biggest inspiration is...
Each other. Sounds cheesy but we don't tend to listen to much 'genre relevant' music when we write and record so it comes out as purely Nai Harvest.
Our dream collaboration would be...
Something crazy like with Slipknot or Craig David or Justin Timberlake or Kate Bush, or all four of them together on a Christmas single. Sorry Bono, you aren't invited.
To try us out, listen to our song...
Buttercups...from our split single with Playlounge.
If we weren't making music we'd be...
Skateboarding, making art, watching TV, picking flowers, laying in the middle of the road.
In 10 years’ time we want to be...
In a decent job with wives and kids because being in a band most likely doesn't last forever but who cares we gave it a good shot right?
Upcoming live dates:
17 January - Owl Sanctuary, Norwich, with Playlounge
4 February - NME Awards show, Birthdays, London, with Happyness
http://naiharvest.bandcamp.com/