Stay for Tomorrow return with third single

All of a sudden the quartet were a proper band – they have just seen their first recorded single appear on Spotify and they celebrate in fitting style by hooking a phone up the speakers to blast out Kings and Queens while dancing around the place.

It was a huge moment for the band. Having their first song available to stream from anywhere in the world; letting people hear what they had been working on for the last few months – it was mixture of jubilation and relief. Stay for Tomorrow were on their way.

Kings and Queens was released on February 1 last year. Stay for Tomorrow played their first full gig the following night at Monty's Rock Bar.

"That was nuts – it was a capacity crowd and it was our first real gig. We had so much energy for it and it was so busy," recalls Joe MacFarlane – the band's singer and rhythm guitarist. Their debut single was already on the lips of those who had come to see them that night. It was a proud occasion and solid platform for the band.

"We want to write stuff that is familiar, but has something a little bit different that might make someone go: 'Ohh, that's interesting'.

The gigs continued to come and slowly Stay for Tomorrow started to carve out a name. They were already well-known in the town: drummer Sean Priestly and lead guitarist Nic Holson already played in the funky disco-rock outfit The Passing Sages. Elsewhere, Joe had been playing solo acoustic shows in the area. It was through one night that the band all came together. Joe was looking for someone to help him re-work his acoustic songs for a full band and enlisted the help of Nic after he caught one of Joe's shows at PJ Molloy's.

Nic: "You know, at the beginning, he was paying me. This was a job and I was just helping him to re-work the songs for a band. At that time, I had no intention of being in the band; it was a thing on the side while I was doing my teaching and playing in another band.

"But then I got to the point where I was thinking: 'I really like this stuff; I've written some really tasty guitar riffs. After about three or four sessions, I just said to Joe: 'So, do you want me to just play in your band with you?' We then asked Sean to record the drums for Joe's Demos. But the more he got involved with it, the more we all started to think: 'I kind of like this; it's kind of cool'."

Things started to click and the more the three worked on the material the more things started to make sense. With a good chunk of original material in the bank, it was time to finish the line-up and so they began searching for a bassist. They had spoken with Ollie Cobbett and so they went along to see him perform in Dunfermline

Nic jokes: "We were sitting watching him and we were like: 'Oh, damn. This guy looks cool – and he's young, and he has tattoos – he already fits the whole rock image; and none of us have that'."

Everything had fallen into place and around October 2018, they were forging ahead with plans to record and release Kings and Queens. January soon arrived and their launch night was booked at Monty's. Of course, they had a pre-party party at the open mic night the evening before, with anyone in the area after midnight getting a sneak peek of the track.

Management Deal

Since then, the four-piece has taken further steps. They have followed up with a second release in the form of Rumours, they have headlined King Tut's and recently secured a deal with Reaction Management. A third single – criminal – will be released on Friday this week, with a gig at Audio in Glasgow on the same night, before returning to Monty's on Saturday.

Further releases are earmarked for this year as Stay For Tomorrow begin to hit their stride in the songwriting process. Indeed, there is no one source of material in the band – it is a committee of sorts.

"We just love writing songs," Nic says. "When one of us plays a new idea, we very rarely say 'no' – we're very good at trying to look at ways to make it better. Even, I suppose you call them 'bad ideas', can lead to good ideas and something great. We don't have Ringo Starr moments from Family Guy: 'Ohhh, that's lovely, I'll put that right on the fridge'."

The guitarist adds: "There is no one approach to our songwriting for us. If someone had told you that they write all their songs in the same way, then their stuff would all sound the same or they are talking nonsense. There is not one way to do it. Some songs can just come out, but others you have to work at.

"The songs that begin with Ollie are really quite interesting. He brings in some chords, lyrics and bit of a melody. But then Joe takes that and works the melody to fit with how he sings and then they bring it to me. Then I pull the whole thing apart. But, somehow, the piece becomes a complete collaboration with everyone's styles."

It is that blend which drives them. It was always important to the band that they show range in their material. Their sound is often compared to Biffy Clyro or Twin Atlantic but they feel they draw upon too many influences to be easily described. The balance, however, is being able to express themselves musically but still be able to create something easy to digest.

Joe explains: "One thing we all agreed upon when we started was that we didn't want to be the type of band that who, when you finish hearing their set, you'd turn around and say the songs all sounded the same. That's definitely not what we want, but we don't want to sound like five different bands at the same time, swapping genres every single song."

"There is no one approach to our songwriting for us...There is not one way to do it. Some songs can just come out, but others you have to work at.

The band have discovered their anchors – those elements which landmark their songs and form the backbone of their sound. From there, they can build and begin to incorporate more expressive ideas.

Nic continues: "Joe's voice is so recognisable. Even when we play in different styles, he doesn't try to sing in that style. He never tries to imitate anyone else, he always sounds like himself. That allows us to play in slightly different styles but people will always know it's the same band.

"We want to write stuff that is familiar, but has something a little bit different that might make someone go: 'Ohh, that's interesting'. But if we make it too different – and it's very off the wall – then it'll just go over people's heads. So, we try to be thoughtful and a lot of the time we load the song on Pro Tools and just trim the fat, move things about and edit it. We're never really satisfied with what we do first; we're always looking at ways we can change things."

The collaborative approach has borne fruit and has helped to keep individual band members from tossing away embryonic ideas. Too often they dismiss things they have written, only for someone else to push them on.

Joe looks back: "We are each our own worst critics. One person is sort of tuning up or messing around and the other will be asking about it. Then the first guy will dismiss it and say 'it's nothing' but we'll persist because it could well be the start of something. So, we do bounce off each other well."

Nic adds: "Sometimes I'll write something and it's more useful to play it for Joe, Ollie or Sean to see their reaction, rather than go on what I think. Because if they get a buzz out of it then maybe there is something there."

It is a big week for the band: On Friday, February 28, they will release single number three, before back-to-back live shows. The track, titled Criminal, features the talents of singer-songwriter Avaleen Rose, and marks a bit of a departure in tone from their previous two.

Of course, if at around midnight on Thursday you were to see four lads bouncing around a bar listening to a song you haven't heard before, you'll at least know who they are.

Catch Stay for Tomorrow at Box in Glasgow on Friday, February 28, or Monty's Rock Bar in Dunfermline on Saturday, February 29.