Tony Collum of FLAIR | Matt Connarton Unleashed

0:00 Speaker 1: I love every single thing about that song. That is city Lights. That is the newest single single from Flair. I love it so much I can't even say single. You're on Matt condorton Unleashed and we've got so hopefully he's still there. Tony from the band I believe, has joined us via Microsoft Teams Tony, are you there?

0:20 Speaker 2: Yeah? I'm here. How you doing?

0:21 Speaker 1: Hey? How are you? Man? Is it just you or is anybody else with you?

0:26 Speaker 2: Just me today? Everyone else is working on a Saturday.

0:29 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I completely understand. Welcome to the show. I love that song so much. By the way, we should mention too, you are the vocalist and how do you say your last name?

0:41 Speaker 2: Call him? It's like Gollum from Lord of the Call him.

0:44 Speaker 1: Okay, cool, cool, Hey, I love that song so much. We also played I think it was a couple of months ago now the time gets away from Me but run Away, which that was the first song of yours that we played. Another great track. But city Lights is amazing. That is so very catchy. Are you are you getting any traction with that at radio over there? I would imagine you are. If you're not, I'm sure it's coming.

1:07 Speaker 2: Yeah.

1:07 Speaker 3: Yeah, we got an email recently saying that, like in the first week of it being released, it's been on about sixty different shows over here. So it's doing pretty good so far, you know, and Spotify streams will hoefully be catching up with that as well soon.

1:22 Speaker 1: Oh that's fantastic. Yeah, I'm not surprised because it's a very very strong track, very catchy. And then so, now is that from the EP, because you guys have an EP out right.

1:34 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, So this one's just a single. Our EP which came out a couple of months ago.

1:39 Speaker 3: Now that was that included our songs Runaway, Sackering and.

1:43 Speaker 1: Swan Gotcha, Gotcha? Okay, so those are on an EP. Now, so is city Lights going to be on? Are you working on another EP or is this going to remain a standalone single or do you even know yet?

1:54 Speaker 3: Well, we've got a couple of more studio sessions books in a couple of months where we'll get another couple of songs done and from there I will decide they will include this and another EP or if we want to maybe use those two and another one.

2:09 Speaker 2: So still be decided.

2:11 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's interesting, how you know, and this is this is truer than it's ever been. There's so many different ways to approach it now in terms of how you release, how you release music, whether you do a single, whether you do an EP or a full album, or you can release a series of singles that eventually become an EP or an album. It's there's a lot of different ways to do it now. And but this is such a song, a strong track. Now, who wrote Who wrote city Lights? Did you guys write it together or did you write it or what's the what's the process like in the band as far as songwriting, Well, for a lot.

2:43 Speaker 3: Of our songs, it kind of comes from us do in practice stations and just jamming together soil something kind of clicks and be all kind of getting a rhythm. But for this one particularly, it was actually I went to our bass player, Johnny's house and sort of just like a late night kind of songwriting session. The tubas kind of came up with the music in the lytics together mainly me lyrics and have music.

3:05 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's it's got a it's got a great vibe and it really kind of I'm curious is it about This might be a silly question, but is it about any particular city. Uh. And part of why I ask that is I'm someone who and maybe this is part of why the song appeals to me so much. I love Jenny knows this about me. I love images of city skylines at night. I just And it is some are prettier than others, but it can really be any city. I just I love. I love looking at city skylines at night. I love you know, the city lights.

3:33 Speaker 1: Is Is there any particular city that you had in mind when you wrote this or is it? Am I am I thinking? Uh? Am? I getting too granular in terms of my analysis of the song.

3:45 Speaker 2: Oh no, no, I'm right there with you, man.

3:46 Speaker 3: It's well, it's definitely inspired by our hometown Glasgow and here in Scotland.

3:52 Speaker 2: Yeah, but a lot of it's really like.

3:54 Speaker 3: Just like general it's a lot of it's kind of about mental health as well, and you know, like try to get away from all that kind of stuff too, So that's sort of part of its generalized. But it's tefinitely a lot of inspiration from Glasgow too.

4:07 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, And can you talk to me more about the mental health aspect of of what the song is about, because that's also something that we talk about a lot on this show. I'm a certified hypnotherapist, so I help people deal with some issues and and uh, you know, and I'm someone who I myself struggle with depression, so I know all too well how you know mental health, how how it affects so many people. And and maybe that's another thing that kind of subconsciously that I connect with with the song.

4:37 Speaker 1: But but can you can you kind of expand on that a little bit?

4:42 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, Well, when I can write lyrics, I usually do it based on past experiences. I find it easier to reflect on them that way, and can I get you know, put words to it easier. So like the time of writing, I didn't feel this way, but like it reflects back on a time where I was feeling very anxious and not in the best place. And like at the time I wouldn't be able to come up with those kind of lytrics.

5:07 Speaker 2: But like that's exactly like I.

5:08 Speaker 3: Couldn't stand being around people all this hustle and bustle. I want to just you know, get away, go somewhere quiet where I could be alone.

5:15 Speaker 1: Mm hmm hmm, Yeah, I can. I can relate to that. I think everybody, you know, I think that's uh, I think that's very very relatable. Do you find that, I mean just generally does does writing and performing music? Does that help you in terms of your own you know, whether you know you mentioned that at one point, you know you're feeling very anxious and whatnot? I mean, is that kind of because I always feel like creativity is the best therapy, right if you can, if you can take things that are bothering you and create something out of them, or if they spur you, or maybe it's not even maybe what you create has nothing to do with what's bothering you necessarily, but you're just creating something as a way of kind of getting through that, you know, the malaise or whatever it is.

5:59 Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely, Like I've always thought, it's a very therapeutic way of getting like how you're feeling out there, and like I find like reflection on sort of even past emotion is a good way, you know, even after a while finally you know, help yourself get to a root cause of it, just looking and within yourself. But even at the same time, if it's not, as you said, directly addressed and an issue you're haven't, it's a good distraction as well, I.

6:22 Speaker 1: Think, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Now, when you brought city Lights to the other guys, because you and and Johnny wrote this, did they were they into it immediately? Were they like, oh, this is this is a hit? Or what did what? Did they think?

6:35 Speaker 3: Well, Yeah, this is actually a song that we've been playing on stage for probably well over a year now. Okay, it's definitely we had tried to release it a couple of times before.

6:47 Speaker 1: Yeah, but we just felt.

6:49 Speaker 2: Like, you know, there's something missing from it.

6:51 Speaker 3: So it certainly took a lot of work to get to the version that you just played there.

6:55 Speaker 1: Yeah. The I'm curious about the production too, and I'm kind of a recording. There's there's some very there's a lot of nuance here. You know, it's not like you guys just went in obviously and just you know, you just play the track and and and you know, there's there's some production flourishes, shall we say, especially at the end. The way that it ends is so cool and it's very it's very sort of atmospheric, is it. And actually, now that I'm thinking about it, Runaway is kind of like that too. Have you been working with the same producer and recording engineers, uh this whole time or or is is it a I'm curious about your your approach in terms of recording these songs, because like I said, it's you know, you're not You're not just going into a studio and handing somebody a bunch of money and just recording and you know there's more going on there.

7:40 Speaker 1: The the production is is pretty sophisticated.

7:45 Speaker 2: Oh, I appreciate that, thank you.

7:46 Speaker 3: And we like to think that we found like some good producers over the years, but like Runaway and actually Aim recorded by two different people. But I think this a lot of these just the kind of sounds that we are trying capture right now. But I think that you know, we went to the producer over in Edinburgh for city Lights, and I think he was just like, it's a much lighter sort of vibe to run Away Runaways, I'd say, a bit darker, more mysterious kind of sounding. But I think like both like both producers were able to find the like the exact kind of tone that we were looking for.

8:22 Speaker 1: Yeah, each song, yeah, no doubt, no doubt. By the way, so what's the situation in Glasgow as far as the music scene there. I would imagine there's a It seems like Glasgow is a city that we hear a lot about, at least in the US that we hear a lot about in the UK where there's a lot going on musically. I mean, is is that true? Is my perception true? Is is there a lot of really good, really good bands and solo artists in Glasgow?

8:48 Speaker 3: Absolutely every time that we play a gig, like, I'm always impressed by at least one of the other bands that we're playing with. There's so many talented urs over here, especially like the sort of like rock and in the scene that there's so many like cool venues like King Tuts is like a legend of the place here that's where Oasis were discovered and so like that's like it's almost like a mecca for like bands in Scotland to like come like to go and play there.

9:14 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I can imagine. And then so what's what's the live situation? Like what's are you guys able to get out and tour? Do you play shows in your area or do you do you do you hit the road?

9:27 Speaker 2: What?

9:27 Speaker 1: What's Obviously you know, we're in the time of year when this is when everybody wants to be out touring, right, how's that been for you guys?

9:35 Speaker 3: Well, although the first couple of years we were like we're stuck in the mud, like we were only getting Glasgow shows, which was great because, like I said, the music scene in Glasgow is amazing. But I'd say about a year ago, we've you know, we've ventured down south, we went to England, We've done you know, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Birmingham, a few other places, Newcastle as well, and we've still got a lot more booked for the rest of this year and finally starting to get some festivals in two so good.

10:05 Speaker 2: It's been a sating time.

10:06 Speaker 1: Yeah, festivals are definitely where it's at in terms of getting exposure and and and building a fan base in terms of your your your live presentation. So that's that's great, that's really good to hear. That's when you guys play out by the way, So if you're doing a set, you know, in a club or that type of situation, do you mix in some covers or maybe you have a backlog of originals that you haven't covered, I mean that you haven't recorded yet. But I mean, what do you guys do do any covers or do you stick to originals or what do you do?

10:37 Speaker 3: We mainly stick to originals just because, like mainly the kind of circuit that we play it is like mainly ticketed events where people are just like looking at here sort of original music. But because that we kind of have kind of more zone than on a specific sound now, so we did have to kind of throw out a lot of our older songs. So we do throw in a couple of cover he didn't then, but mainly, like it's actually, if we're not doing a handline show, we're just supporting someone and we've got half an hour, we only really want to do our own songs.

11:06 Speaker 1: Sure, no, that makes sense, That makes sense absolutely if you've got an open for anybody, uh really any any sort of national or international touring acts yet going through your area?

11:19 Speaker 2: Not yet, but what's trying. Yeah no, that's a dream.

11:23 Speaker 3: Yeah no, it's gonna I want to, you know, go and you know, like go out and travel somewhere in Europe and beyond, and you're like going a proper tour.

11:31 Speaker 2: That would be great.

11:32 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, no, I think it's gonna happen for you. I mean, you guys are you're definitely going in the right direction. So and uh, like I said, these are such great songs, and you know, keep putting out great music and keep doing what you're doing, and I you'll you'll definitely continue to progress. I have no doubt about that. By the way, where does the name Flair come from?

11:51 Speaker 2: So it's a funny story. It's actually nowhere needs excited.

11:55 Speaker 3: It's from the video game in FIFA, okay, And it's basically it's like it was basically one of the one of the traits that you can put on, like your creative players, is called flair, and it just means like they're a bit more skillful, a bit more flashy.

12:09 Speaker 1: Oh okay, Oh that's cool.

12:12 Speaker 2: It was actually that's the story.

12:14 Speaker 3: I've been told that it was actually already called flair before I joined the band.

12:18 Speaker 1: So oh okay, well if that's what you were told, I mean it sounds like that's the official story. So that's cool. Good deal. So where should people, Tony? Where should people go online to keep up with everything that you guys were doing. Where's the best place for people to go? Because you've got a lot of great stuff happening.

12:37 Speaker 3: So mainly we use Instagram right now, which are handled for that is at flair band, and then we use Twitter as well, that's at flair Band zero one four one as well, And those are kind of the main two social medias that we're using right now to kind of like, you know, get out, like where we're going to be playing, what songs are coming out all that stuff.

12:57 Speaker 1: Yeah, but and do you have any any idea when the next single is gonna be out or I don't know if you've started have you started working on the next one yet, or I know you're focused on city Lights.

13:06 Speaker 2: But yeah, so once we're kind of done today alas, we do have.

13:12 Speaker 3: Either October or November that we're going in for two more recordings, and we're gonna be looking to release them, you know, as soon as possible. Ones we've recorded them, so definitely by the end of the year we'll have two more songs.

13:23 Speaker 1: Oh fantastic. Well, we look forward to doing that, We look forward to hearing that, rather, I should say, and we look forward to playing those so fantastic. So I think what we're gonna do, Tony is we will end the segment with I'm gonna play Runaway, which is another great track and then I'm gonna cheat a little bit. I'm gonna play Runaway, but then I'm also gonna play city Lights one more time because I love that song so much and selfishly I want to hear it. And plus, you know how radio works. I mean, there's there's people who didn't hear the start of the show who are just joining the show now so then they'll be able to hear it.

13:50 Speaker 1: But I that song is so addictive. It's one of those songs. It's you know, like a lot of people, I wake up with a song in my brain every morning, like as soon as my eyes pop open, as soon as I even start to wake up, there's something playing in my head. So I have this little playlist in my brain, and that's one of the songs that the first time I heard it. For several days after hearing it the first time, that's one of the songs that was stuck in my head when I would wake up in the morning, I would hear that.

14:16 Speaker 1: It's just so catchy, it's absolutely infectious. So after Runaway, I'm going to play that one more time as well. But we will definitely do this again in the future, because, like I said, you guys are on a very positive trajectory and happy to you know, we're happy to support you here on the American side anyway that we can. So Tony, we will let you go and I'm going to hit that track. But thank you so much for joining us today, and we'll talk again soon. I'm sure no prov look forward to it.

14:42 Speaker 2: Thanks so much for having me.

14:43 Speaker 1: All right, Tony, you got it. Thank you, take care, bye bye, bye bye. All right, wonderful. That was Tony column from the band Flair