Red Cavalry are an alternative rock/jangle rock band based in Aberystwyth, Wales and Bavaria, Germany. Comprised of James Peate (Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin) and Alex James (Bass, Drums, Guitar) Red Cavalry offer an escape from distorted guitars and electronic beats with the sweeping melodic chime of their unique jingle rock sound.
Tell us about your name, who came up with it?
I (James) was reading Red Cavalry by Isaac Babel at the time we started talking about it and we liked the idea of having socialist realist imagery but its message satired to promote music.
How did you get together?
We were friends that met at university and had played in bands together as undergrads. We’d always loved the idea of bands in the early 60’s going in and writing and recording a record in a stupidly short time and just came up with the idea to do that, as a challenge as much as anything.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Currently it’s an eclectic form of alternative rock with a heavy leaning towards jangle pop. Though I’d say our first album is more folk rock, our upcoming Alas, So Long album is the jangle pop though we hope to put another twist on things in future.
What is your creative process like?
Generally although not always, I (James) write the music and lyrics and send over a demo to Alex to work on. Alex handles all the rhythm section and production so shapes my rough sketches into something more polished. Essentially there’s a lot of back and forth in emails being based in different countries which on one hand frustratingly slows down writing and recording but on the other hand gives you more time to write.
What other independent bands have you been into recently?
We really enjoyed The Hannah Barberas last EP was really good, a proper modern take on a 60’s sound.
Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
Unfortunately with Red Cavalry we’ve not been able to perform live yet, with the combination of being based in different countries and then the current crisis waylaying our plans for live shows its proven too challenging currently. Although I have to say of places we’ve previously played the King’s Arms in Salford has to be up there – it’s a pub though you play in what is a small victorian theatre upstairs it’s very cool.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
On the mainstream it’s been almost entirely negative, it has turned music into a disposable commodity to be marketed then forgotten. There are no great albums in the mainstream anymore and streaming has made many people hold no value in music. Conversely, it provides so many more opportunities for smaller bands such as ourselves to get started and given our cross continental nature, it enables us to exist. There’s a freedom of expression and independence that the internet brings to artists such as us that would no doubt been driven out of us should alternative music become ‘pop music’ once again.
Out of your recent tracks which is your favorite and why?
Currently, definitely our new single Give Me a Sign. Although lyrically and musically it’s one of our most simple, it’s a genuine pop song in a 1960’s definition of pop. Whereas I love having more complex layering of guitars or a deeper lyrical meaning or heavier subject matter, happy guitar driven simple love song pop is something we love and miss in music today and that’s essentially our ethos – produce the music we want to hear.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
Probably just for the mainstream industry to reflect the eclectic nature of music that is out there today and to put more value into music. If marketed in the same way it would undoubtedly be profitable and result in a more interesting array of music that is more lasting memorable as well as promoting more opportunities for artists of all genres.
What’s next for you Guys?
We’ll be releasing a few more single throughout the Autumn starting with a song called Second Best in late September. Following that we will release our album Alas, So Long at some point in autumn hopefully in October. Following that we’re playing on remastering/rerecording our first album No Music but Class Music and making it less rough around the edges.
Thank you for answering the questions, You can follow the band on the below links.
