The Clause have been together as a band since their childhood, and over the last couple of years they have been reaping the rewards of years of hard work.
The Birmingham group have already had two singles reaching No1 in the iTunes rock chart and just outside the Top 20 on the main charts, and their latest track ‘Fever Dream’ is gaining a similarly positive reception.
The band will head out on their biggest UK tour to date this Winter, after impressing on the live stage at festivals and live shows up and down the country, gaining some desirable support slots along the way.
They told us all about their rise and what to expect in the future during our latest Q&A… which you can read below!
You are heading out on your biggest UK tour so far this Winter. How important is making these dates country-wide for the ambitions of The Clause?
“Our ambition has always been to become one of the biggest bands in the UK. To be able to take this tour all across England, Scotland and Wales is massive for us. To be able to go and gig in some of these massive venues up and down this island is an absolute privilege and we’ve got all of our fans to thank for that.”
Fri 22 Nov 2024 – London OMEARA – What are your experiences of playing in the Capital?
“I remember the first time we gigged down in London, we were just kids and played to about 30 people on a support gig in Islington. For a couple of fresh-faced boys from the back streets of Birmingham to take their band down to London for a gig felt like a dream for us at the time, no matter how small the gig was for us. Fast forward a few years and we’ll be coming back to headline a sold out Omeara; it’s a bit crazy for us. Some of our best memories are from playing in the capital, we can’t wait to tear the roof off Omeara on the 22nd of November. It’s gonna be a special night.”
Fri 06 Dec 2024 – Manchester Gorilla – Manchester has an iconic music scene and often embrace Midlands bands as their own, have you found that?
“We’ve always felt right at home in Manchester; from the moment we started touring, the people took us under their wing. It really is the UK’s hub for indie music and you can feel that every time you step on stage there. We’ve always set a goal of headlining Gorilla and in December we’ll get to live that dream. For a midlands band to head up to such an iconic city and have the platform to do that means a lot to us, it’s gonna be a mad night.”
Fri 13 Dec 2024 – Birmingham O2 Institute – Your home city of Birmingham has produced some big artists over the years, particularly in genres similar to yours. Has that been a blessing or a pressure when coming through?
“The initial purpose of this band was to put Birmingham back on the map in the music scene. Despite the endless stream of iconic artists that have birthed in our city, we’ve always felt Brum was overlooked when people talked about the iconic city’s connected to music in the UK. To come from the same place as the likes of Sabbath, UB40, ELO, Peace etc. is an absolute blessing. We’ve just always wanted to do Birmingham proud because we love our city to bits. To headline & sell out the 02 Institute where we grew up watching our favourite bands is a dream come true for us.”
What has the music scene been like with up and coming Birmingham bands and artists, is it a supportive scene?
“The Brum music scene is thriving, there’s so many unbelievable artists bubbling away here that go unnoticed. Most people connected with the scene here are all good pals and will support each other through thick and thin, that’s what this game should be about. Wherever we can we’ll try and get bands from in and around our area support slots to try give others a platform we struggled to get when we started out. It’s massively important to get behind each other.”
What local grassroots venues would you like to shout out in your home city that have supported The Clause and been important for your career?
“Honestly, there’s too many to shout out because we literally hit every single up and coming venue possible in our hometown when we first started out. We’d have to give a special shoutout to places like The Rainbow and The Sunflower Lounge which really shaped us as a band in our early years. Special shout outs to venues like Deadwax & Muthers which were still heavily involved with. The list is honestly endless, there’s so many great venues in and around Birmingham.”
You have supported the likes of The Pigeon Detectives, DMAs, The Enemy and The Snuts, how important have these experiences been for the progression of the band and what did you learn?
“More than anything it’s just special for us to have been able to share a stage with some of our heroes. If you’d have told us at 16, we’d play with some of then we’d have asked what you were smoking. Being able to watch some of those bands up close makes you realise why they’re all so successful. Seeing how their tunes connect with fans is a real eye opener and we try and reciprocate that connection into our own music.”
Tell us about your new track ‘Fever Dream’, what is it about and where does it take the band sonically?
“Fever Dream is a battle cry for all the procrastinators out there. It’s a repentance for all the wrong turns I’ve made whilst I was waiting for the world to fall into place, whilst wishing I could wake up tomorrow and realise it was all a dream. This whole EP has sonically shown the other side of our coin and connected with the parts of us that just want to write big uplifting indie bangers. Fever Dream was the first track written for this EP and it really set the tone for what was to follow.”
Can we expect more new music throughout the rest of 2024?
“Our second EP ‘Weekend Millionaire’ is out on October 18th. It’s a collection of our best tunes yet and we’re so buzzing to get it out into the world.”
If you could name one band/artist you are particularly enjoying/inspired by at the minute, who would it be?
“Over the past year we’ve been massively touched by FOALS latest album, it’s really unlocked a few doors for us. Such a talented band that are criminally underrated in my opinion despite the fact they’re massive.”
Did you feel as though the indie genre is experiencing a resurgence and is it an exciting scene to be a part of at the minute?
“Yeah, we can feel it bubbling. It’s definitely coming back I think everyone can feel that, it’s exciting to be a part of indie music at the minute. The return of our best ever export Oasis is gonna be massive for guitar music, it’s gonna take over again very soon. We’re aiming to be one of the many bands who break through from the resurgence when it happens. I think 2025 is gonna be a big year for Indie.”
Is a debut album around the corner? What does the future hold for The Clause?
“We’re trying to keep it hush hush but I think everyone knows it’s round the corner now. 2025 is going to be a big, BIG year for us is all I can say.”
The Clause are Pearce Macca (front man), Niall Fennell (drummer) Jonny Fyffe (bassist) and Liam Deakin (guitarist).
Head to LIVE | The Clause for ticket information.
…
Follow us here:
You can check out all episodes of The Northern Chorus Podcast on Spotify, Apple and YouTube, including interviews, reviews, rankings, music chat and more!
