Devon-based folk band, Tors return with their highly-engaging folk-based harmonies on their new single ‘Wilder Days’, following a sold-out tour supporting Tom Walker in November last year. Malvika asked them Six Quick Questions.
EP: What’s the story behind the band name Tors?
T: Theo and I grew up in the best county in the UK – DEVON! When we were younger our favourite thing was to go to Dartmoor and dick about – camping, fishing, taking our rubber dinghies down the River Exe. On Dartmoor there are a huge collection of different rock formations called Tors and we used to try to climb up as many as possible. It just felt appropriate to name the band after them. Our first single is basically a love letter to Devon and the area we grew up in.
EP: Describe your music style in 3 words?
T: Harmony led indie.
EP: What is the inspiration behind the single ‘Wilder Days’?
T: ‘Wilder Days’ is a love letter to Devon and to our childhood. It was inspired in part by the scenery we grew up around (the drastic moorlands, rolling hills and rivers) and in part by brotherhood, the adventures we would have when we left the house in the morning and see how far we could go before it got dark. As we grew so did the distance so we never stopped exploring really. Then you become an adult, you move away, start working and suddenly those ‘Wilder Days’ seem so distant. It’s bittersweet, we know we can’t get that time back but we don’t regret a second of it, it’s become who we are.
EP: What’s your personal favourite song to perform live? And your favourite venue/festival?
T: Our current favourite song to perform at the moment is one called ‘Invincible’ about a young band who sadly passed away in a car accident, we like to get down from the stage and perform it in the crowd; just a guitar and our voices. Having said that our cover of ‘We Like to Party’ (The Vengabus)’ is pretty spectacular, it’s been described as “too long” and “deeply unsettling”.
Our favourite venue we’ve played so far is St Pancras Old Church, the acoustics are amazing for stripped back tracks and it’s such a beautiful space to perform in. Our favourite festival is definitely Barn on the Farm, because of the more intimate crowds it ends up feeling less like a festival and more like some three-day musical commune…with a lot of drinking.
EP: Matt writes music for Japanese and Korean bands. KPop and JPop are quite big right now. Personal favourite Japanese/Korean musicians?
T: Great question! Our favourite Korean band are GOT7. Our favourite Japanese act is W-INDS. Matt’s actually written songs for both.
EP: What would you describe as the highlight of your career so far? What’s next for you guys?
T: The highlight of our career so far was having Ainsley Harriott tell us we’re his favourite thing since stuffed peppers. On a more relevant note we were honoured to support Tom Walker in November, it was the best fun we’ve had as a band and Tom is an absolute lad, nicest guy we’ve met in music yet.
Next up is more music, we’re releasing another single in March which we’re really excited about, it’s a much bigger sound for us. We’re also playing some great shows, including supporting Billy Lockett this Thursday at his sold out Union Chapel gig, and ‘The Great Escape’ in Brighton, our birthplace, and one of our favourite places in the world.
Listen to ‘Wilder Days’ here:
Follow Tors on SoundCloud, Spotify, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
