In Conversation With Lovejoy: Island Takeovers and New Music
Interview by Tallulah Totten
Photo by Dan Pearce
Indie-rock band Lovejoy consisting of Will Gold (lead vocals, guitar, songwriting), Joe Goldsmith (guitar, songwriting), Ash Kabosu (bass guitar) and Mark Boardman (drums, percussion) have been making huge strides since their 2021 debut EP. Accumulating a dedicated fan base of 2.4 million monthly listeners, the band now holds three EP’s under their belt. Selling out shows across the globe, it’s clear their music connects deeply with fans, helping them to navigate through everything from “first loves to social agitation.” We were able to sit down and talk with the band about their musical influences and process right before their set at bleached fest.
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Pleaser: Starting off, Who are some of your guys’ biggest musical influences?
Will: Uhhh I try to think of a new one everytime. The Strokes are our biggest one.
Ash: Not so much for the entire band, but The Pixies for me. I like Kim Deal–she's a good bassist.
Pleaser: What song or songs have been on repeat for you guys recently?
Lovejoy: Thundercat’s new song with Tame Impala.
Mark: I’ve got “atomic” by Aziya. I don’t know if that’s how you pronounce her name but she’s an underground artist and she’s fucking sick.
Ash: Mine’s “Adderall” by shame. Adderallllll–such a good anthem man. Shame are fucking awesome. I don’t think they like us. We met them backstage somewhere. I don’t think we're their cup of tea.
Pleaser: Who was your favorite act at lollapalooza?
A: We didn’t really get to see anyone.
W: We had to fly out immediately.
A: Zoom in, zoom out.
W: We went straight from there to Montreal.
A: We’ve done four festival sets in five days.
Pleaser: How has that experience of performing live been? Are there any memorable moments or stories that you can share?
W: Playing to 10,000 people was pretty memorable.
A: Playing to 10,000 people was pretty crazy, it was pretty memorable.
Pleaser: What has the process of creating your latest EP, Wake Up & It’s Over, been like? What inspired the EP?
W: Long. It was a very long process. It took us over a year. Life inspired it. Life imitates art. What about you guys?
J: I guess it was just like some experimenting with a slightly heavier sound than what we had before. I guess it was like quite a big departure from our previous EP which was very bright and summery. This is a lot more kind of…
W: Dark and summery.
Pleaser: What does your songwriting process look like–if you do have a process at all?
A: We’ve got a council of otters in Will’s garden that we go and consult. We tend to whistle melodies to them and if they like it then they’ll clap.
W: I have little creatures that live on my shoulder called Paul, John, Ringo and George and they whisper lyrics to me.
Pleaser: What song of yours has the best memories attached to it? Whether that has to do with what it’s about or if the process of making it was just enjoyable.
Lovejoy: Oooooo!
W: I love a bit of “One Day.” That guy there made “One Day” good. His name’s David and he used to go through the entire days of the week for “One Day”.
Lovejoy: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
M: For me it was “Portrait of a Blank Slate.”
W: Ahhh the memories of four months ago!
A: Ahhh the memories of the song we just started playing.
M: When we first wrote it and you and Joe played the chorus for the first time…that fucking blew my mind. I was really excited to finish it and make it a full song. I think it came out very well.
Pleaser: Is there something you guys are most excited about for your UK tour?
A: Yeah. Just being on it.
W: Playing with Good Kid and Loupe again. That’s going to be incredible.
A: The support acts we’ve got are really, really, really cool. Musically but then also on a personal level. We love hanging out with them and spending time with them. They’re just really nice people. So, excited for that. But, honestly, we’ll have done 20 festivals (this summer). By the time we get to do our tour, I think it will be really nice to be back in a room of our people. I’m excited for that.
Pleaser: What would be your guys’ dream venue to perform at?
M: Alexandra Palace.
A: I really want to play in an abandoned, old church. I find religious buildings have really good acoustics. And I’ve seen an act called Moderat at an abandoned church in Dodleston a few years back. And the sound was just incredible. It felt almost like a religious experience. I’d love to give that to other people.
J: We need to find our own network. What’s that island that The Stone Roses did their concert on? The whole entire island was shut down.
A: You want to shut down an area?
J: Yeah! That whole area is known for that.
A: Joe’s on some hostile takeover.
W: What island should we shut down? Japan or something?
Pleaser: What long-term goals or dreams do you have for the band?
W: Island.
A: Long term?
M: To write a few bangin’ albums would be kinda cool.
Pleaser: Are there any upcoming plans for the band (other than your UK tour) you’re excited about that you can share with us?
A: Yeah, working on the next release. We’ve been on the road since March so we haven’t had any real opportunities to get into a recording space together. Just found a new spot that we’re going to set up in, in Brighton. And it just means we’ll turn up every day and keep writing music over and over and over and over. I’m really excited for that. Going to smash out some tunes.
Find Lovejoy Here!
