Interview: Pollyanna Blue (Written)
Following the release of 2023’s debut studio EP ‘Trials & Tribulations’, Bristol-based alt-rock trio Pollyanna Blue returned with a music video for its leading single ‘Strong Enough’.
1. Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.
We’re Pollyanna Blue, a three piece alt rock band that is based between Bristol, Exeter & Hereford. We started originally in 2019, but after the pandemic we kicked off again in 2022. As a band who are split between three different cities, we spent a long time writing and recording in our own personal studios and sent the mixes between each other, until we met up in Bristol to work on them in person. In 2023 we released our debut EP ‘Trials & Tribulations’ in 2023 and have received an amazing response for our first EP. We’re now ready to kick our 2024 off with a music video for ‘Strong Enough’ which is one of the songs from ‘Trials & Tribulations’.
2. Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?
We play modern alt rock music that we’ve filtered through all of our love for 90s and 00s music that we grew up listening to.
3. What’s currently going on in your camp? New releases? Tours? Etc.
We released a music video on 23rd of February! It’s for our song ‘Strong Enough’ that came from our debut EP ‘Trials & Tribulations’. It’s a great performance video and we are so excited to share that with the world!
There is a gig coming up on the 29th of March playing at Asylum 2 in Birmingham, with some bands we really admire: Mirrortalk, Mercury & TNL VZN.
After that, it’s looking like new music will be on the way!
4. What has been the most positive experience of making music to date for you?
Most positive experience making music so far would have to be at the end of last year where we went into Lower Lane studios and worked with an amazing producer called Sam Bloor. We’ve recorded the best music we’ve made to date!
5. Likewise, what have been some of the more challenging aspects and how have you overcome them?
I think just establishing ourselves more in the industry, but that is a pretty standard thing that most bands have to go through. We keep pushing forwards, reflecting on the work we’ve done and how to improve it and to always make sure we’re having fun and enjoying the experience while we work on it all.
6. How do you handle the modern expectations of being in a band? Always online, having to put out content constantly, your success measured in likes and follows?
I think using social media as an instrument, you have to learn it and practice it. It’s not going away, so may as well roll with it. People are able to see bands in a more personal way which is a plus.
7. What’s something that really ‘grinds your gears’ about the industry/business these days and what would you propose is done to combat it?
I guess nothing really ‘grinds our gears’ too much, we love creating music and playing gig and it’s our job to adapt with the ever evolving industry to be able to navigate it and benefit from it.
I think something that would be nice would be for bigger bands to take a chance on smaller artists, there is so much good music out there that may never get to be on the stage that deserves to be played on.
8. Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support your music?
The things that would be the easiest and cheapest (free) would be the most obvious such as following us on our social media and sharing our posts so it reaches more people, word of mouth through social media can help us out so much. Coming to our shows and buying merch would also help us out as it funds all the parts of being in a band that we pay with our own money.
9. Outside of the music, what’s do you do to relax?
For us it’s spending time with our close friends and family, taking our dogs for a walk and playing video games.
10. Where can people find you?
We are almost everywhere at this point!
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