Lincoln rockers Lock up Laura will release their second album next week. The Linc caught up with Liam Giles (bass) and Aaron Hall (lead guitar) for en exclusive interview about the band’s latest endeavour.
Dedication and hard work is paying off, at least for Lock Up Laura. All the nights and weekends sacrificed to do gigs at pubs and clubs have earned the Lincoln-based band a core of loyal fans. Now they are not afraid to dream big.
Their second album, Masquerade, will be unleashed on the world at a release party at the Engine Shed in Lincoln on May 2. Aaron says all band members have tried to be a little bit tighter, a bit stronger and a bit more creative.
He added: “On Masquerade we have experimented a little, but without walking away from the sound we feel represents us. I would describe our style of rock as some kind of middle ground between hard and soft, but without us deliberately trying to make it so, it just comes naturally.”
Liam said the way the riffs are formed, the vocals and the style of the drumming would make the new songs instantly recognisable for fans. He also said the second album will be better than the first in terms of technique, although “there is a definite improvement. Even the simple stuff has been perfected more this time, making it just sound better.”
According to Aaron, the first album was more a collection of ideas they had compiled over the years. Working on the second album was very different, as it was more like a “blank canvas” and more open for creative input.
Looking back, the amount of work required to piece together an album took them by surprise the first time they tried. Aaron described it as a massive eye opener. He said:
“We named our first album Running In The Dark, because we had no idea about what we were doing. It seems so easy and writing songs were not difficult. But all the behind the scenes work like recording and mixing, is both expensive and time-consuming.
“We must be able to trust people because during the process we must let people into our little bubble and be open to their suggestions and changes.
Liam added: “We also had very ambitious goals, like recording three songs in a day. When the time was up, we barely had one of them done.
“With this album, we know what we are doing and who to contact, so everything runs much smoother.”
Aaron says the band tries to keep their productions as local as possible, using a lincoln based artists for their cover art and doing their recordings in town.
“There is a great music scene here, but people don’t really know about it. You don’t need to go to Nottingham or Sheffield to experience some real talent.”
Masquerade by Lock Up Laura is released on May 2. You can buy tickets for their Engine Shed album launch here and listen to the first single, The Jury’s Out, below: