HAVVK just recently released the fabulous album ‘To Fall Asleep’ and are holding a launch night show in The Workmans Cellar Dublin on the 22.03.2024
Before this Abby has had a chat with the Julie and Matt from the band about the album and a few other interesting facts.
Please read below.
Abby Would you be able to tell us a little bit about yourself for those who don’t know you ?
Matt We are a 3-piece rock band based in Dublin.
Julie As a band, we’ve lived in London, Berlin and Dublin, and our sound has evolved a lot from place to place.
Abby Your new album ‘To Fall Asleep’ was released on March 15th, what has the feedback been like so far ?
Julie Really nice so far! I can’t wait to see the vinyl arriving with people at home. It will feel very real then.
Abby What are the challenges you have faced during the creative process of this album ?
Matt We wanted to make sure that the album was a step forward from the prior two records and that creates a fair bit of pressure. But we tried to do that by making the album more upbeat and aggressive in general and I think we got there.
Abby Some of the topics dealt with are your own experiences, such as insomnia, anxiety, paranoia, and some of the issues women might face; like not being taken seriously by men … What message or emotions were you hoping to convey through your music in ‘To Fall Asleep’ ?
Julie We’ve always had a lot of light and dark in our music. With this record we wanted to capture how loud your inner worries can be, even in a space as silent and peaceful as your bedroom at 3am. So I guess a sense of calm and chaos clashing against each other.
Abby What is your favourite song on the album, and why ?
Matt I really like’ You Say You Won’t’. It came together very easily and I think that shows in the way it sounds and how it has been received.
Abby Which song are you most looking forward to playing live and why ?
Julie This changes every time we practise, but right now it’s ‘Strong Possibility’ because I get to put the bass down and jump around. And we have Lizzie Fitzpatrick guesting on guitar!
Abby What is your least favourite song of HAVVK ? Why ?
Matt Er… that feels like picking one of your children that you don’t like! But I’d say that we had real difficulty finishing ‘No Patience’ in the studio and that led to a period where I didn’t like it. But I do now… so maybe that counts?
Abby If your music was a flavour of ice cream, what would it be and why?
Julie I’m gonna go with Magnum (before the shrank) because they are both crunchy and soft.
Abby What was your worst moment on stage and why ?
Matt We supported The Drums in front of a packed Lido in Berlin and just as we walked on stage Julie realised her in-ear monitors were in the dressing room. So we stood on stage for what felt like half an hour doing nothing while she raced to get them. The gig was good though… after that.
Abby What would your dream venue/city/country to play live in be, and why ?
Julie I would love to play Schokoladen in Berlin again. I don’t know how it survived the pandemic. It’s such a treasure of a venue and I would be really happy if we got to go back and play there again.
Abby If you could meet any celebrity that has passed away, who would it be and why ?
Matt I do love a bit of Jeff Buckley and I would be interested just to see what he was like in the studio or to see him do a vocal take.
Abby Are there questions you wish journalists would ask you but never or rarely do ? (Please feel free to answer any questions you might come up with and would like to discuss)
Julie I always like hearing what musicians people wanted to be when they were kids. So I’ll answer that. When I was small I wanted to be Sporty Spice, followed by Michelle Branch when I was about 13, then later I wanted to be Jemima Pearl from Be Your Own Pet (my MySpace era).
Abby Ok final question, you’re set to play an album launch show at The Workmans Cellar Dublin on the 22nd of March, how excited are you to play this and what can the fans expect?
Matt We are at 8 out of 10 and will be at 10 out of 10 by Friday. We are excited, love the venue and will have one show from the tour under our belt by that point so should be loads of fun.
”To Fall Asleep” can be found via the bands socials IG | TWITTER | SPOTIFY | BANDCAMP
Tickets for the album launch night can be found at both:
https://theworkmansclub.com/
https://singularartists.ie/show/havvk/
Words – Abigael Paquet
Photo credit -Tim Shearwood