Lee Blake:
“Every once in a while all the stars align and that dream becomes evermore tangible!”
Rewind 3 years and I find myself in a musical drought, totally disillusioned with all things music, I considered giving up playing and to finally submit to the hum drum reality of life.
In one last effort I placed an ad but this time I was really specific with what I really wanted to do musically, original material using synths, samples, loops.
Unsurprisingly not a lot of offers presented themselves to me but out of the blue, Pete Lawrence called me and started to sell me his dream. Pete a prolific song writer wanted to add synths to his 3 piece indie rock band?
“You can do whatever you want to these tracks, I am not precious” was Petes words as he promised to send some files over. “Have a listen, come up with some ideas and we can meet for a audition”.
On first listen to the tracks I could appreciate the songwriting but I really couldn’t hear how I could add anything, was this what I wanted?
With the words “I am not precious….!” stuck in my head I started delving into my sound palette piecing ideas together.
Still not convinced I went along for my ‘audition’
Formal introductions with Pete, Dan and Darryl aside I explained to the boys my ‘Marmite’ analogy- you will either love it or hate it.
Initially without a click track all ideas using loops, arpeggios were unsurprisingly a mess but something magical was happening. After the 3rd track, Darryl made the announcement on behalf of the others? “If you want to, you can join the band” I think they could appreciate what I was thinking.
Week by week new songs were introduced and after convincing Darryl to play the drums to a click track, these songs really started finding their own new personalities.
Coming from a heavy gigging background I wanted to get out playing these songs…..! As all original bands will testify finding gigs is nigh on impossible.
So after discussing our options we decided to start recording all these tracks. We rented some rooms and set up the IMC studio circa November 2017.
Slowly track by track we started piecing together a large back catalogue of recorded material. Hugh amounts of hours were spent in these tiny rooms honing the recording process.
Initially the few people that heard the songs were very complimentary about ‘our babies!’ Unbiased we thought they were good but hearing other people say they were good… cemented our beliefs.
Nearly a year passed and we hadn’t really played together as a band, recording had taken up all our time.
Unfortunately we had to give up our recording space and we were forced back into hiring rehearsal space. As a band we had to learn how to play a lot of these songs live for the time without all the bells and whistles that the recording process affords you. It was good to get back to playing again and we were soon tight and gig ready.
2019 saw the start of IMC releasing some of the early recordings on all the usual platforms with a few gigs along the way. In the meantime we were already demoing new tracks albeit from home studios set ups. Sending recorded stems to each other. Pete had the unenviable task of trying to piece it all together. These new tracks show us finally finding the IMC sound and are some of the best songs we have come up with to date.
2020 soon arrived, the year started well and we were getting lots of interest and offers of gigs. This was going to be our year!
March 2020 and the Covid pandemic arrives and we are all forced into house arrest…..?
Not wasting our down time Pete and me continued demoing new tracks. Anthemic indie synth rock at its best…..? We think so!
July 2020 and we are released again to collectively make some noise and tentatively make some plans.
August 2020. We now have good passionate management onboard, an ever increasing social media profile and a large back catalogue of songs to record and release. Hopefully 2021 will see IMC gain the musical exposure we believe it deserves.
Every once in a while the stars align……!
Pete Lawrence:
Why! why do I do it? I don’t really know! There is something inside of me that makes me, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do really apart from being a footballer but never quite good enough to do that.
From the First time I see Chesney Hawkes on top of the pops with a red stratocaster I was hooked. The guitar! From that moment on I had to have one, even if it was made out of the inside of a roll of Xmas wrapping paper and a cereal box. When I did eventually get to get my hands on real guitar it didn’t look like Chesney’s. It was an old Spanish guitar that my dad brought from a charity shop along with a book of classic rock songs to learn on guitar (who the hell was jethro tull?).
From the first time I learnt to strum a chord on the guitar (Em) I wanted to write my own song. I was addicted, learning different chords and then turning them into my own songs.
Endless listening to the Beatles all the way through to Motown and indie scene I was listening to in the mid 90s shaped the way I heard I want to write. Just a guitar and melodies but I would never play them to anyone, they were just for me.
I’ve been in bands from The age of 15 mostly indie rock bands always trying to copy the next big thing. It’s taken a few musicians and a few years to get where I feel myself and not a false interpretation.
I have written so many songs over the years I’ve lost count, some good, some not so good and some absolute shockers but I never look back, the future isn’t written and neither is my best song.
All I’ve ever wanted to be is, the songwriting guitarist of the band and not the lead singer. I kinda fell into this role but now the role is mine. I love it!
The feeling of magic in the air when the four of us are in the room. The best 3 musicians I have played with and they turn my songs into IMC songs. In my mind we are the best band in the world but I need to pursued the non believers. Some may disagree, some maybe right! But that makes the challenge more exciting.