Jan 14, 20233 min read

An Interview With h:sharp

Molly Woodthorpe caught up with Stamford-based band h:sharp before their set at the Voodoo Lounge at an event organised by Stamford College.

The band comprises of Cameron Scott, 18, Bryn Eccleston, 17, and John Booth-Allcock, also 17. They describe themselves as a family, dumb and rockstars, and their music as evolving, versatile and fresh, six undeniable adjectives having met and listened to this band.

The name h:sharp came to John and Cam, since they were in secondary school they have wanted to use it as a name for something musical and in college the opportunity came for the pair to put this in motion, alongside some of their friends. The bands' musical interests began long before they entered secondary school. Bryn found his beginnings with a love of Rihanna, finding himself at about five years old, dancing to only girl in the world. He followed this by becoming a dancer, getting into music and performing, before getting into rock music and his tastes switching completely. For John, on the other hand, it was a combination of his dad, his brother and then his teacher from secondary school demonstrating how versatile music is and how you can express yourself.

One day aspiring to be like Arctic Monkeys ‘with a twist’, they mentioned their own song hands4guns, which they agree has similar vibes to Arctic Monkeys. It has also been collectively agreed on as the band's favourite one of their songs, with an unreleased song they have, being a close second. When asked about slow:motion, another one of their more popular songs, John told us that he likes it for its meaning, saying that “Songs can end up just being templates of one another and it's just like senseless writing, but those songs which have meaning- it's more emotional when you play them”. When it comes to writing their songs, they find inspiration from heartbreak, with the new album having strong links to past relationships, as in their own words “Everyone likes relatability and heartbreak is one of those things that is so relatable, which is probably why emo is such a big genre, and a bit of metal as well. Because no one likes being happy. It's boring”

Their advice for other young musicians is simple; take every experience you get and don't dismiss anything. They have had opportunities through the college they study at, but have made their own efforts too- through releasing new music on a variety of platforms- something which they pointed out the ease of now as there are plenty of outlets including Spotify and Soundcloud. They have also gained followers through social media, with Instagram and TikTok being increasingly important platforms, with Facebook and Twitter having progressively less of a presence. They also advise any young musicians not to be scared and actively try things that make them uncomfortable- according to them, this is a good thing when it comes to music. As far as individual advice goes, from John and Cam, ‘you only know what you know’ John continued, ‘once you know, you know’ this was advice that was passed onto them and they have taken it with them since. From Bryn, something he found on TikTok, “Yes, there's a tomorrow, but today is always better. You can do it today, so why not?”

Quickfire: about h:sharp:

One genre you’d happily never listen to again?

Bryn: (With absolutely no hesitation) Opera. No disrespect to the people who like opera, but I just don't get it, maybe its something I need to listen to more, but I know I won't

John: Maybe country?

Bryn: Hell yeah. Country

John: If it didn't exist the world would be a better place

Favourite Venues to Perform at?

Voodoo Lounge (Stamford)
The Met Lounge (Peterborough)
2Funky Music Cafe (Leicester)

They said that generally speaking, smaller, more personal venues are preferred for the connection it gives you with the audience and the fact they're great when you're starting, but the stage at the Met Lounge is also brilliant to perform on.

What's next?