Five Minutes with ... High Tyde

Five Minutes with ... High Tyde

Words: Linn Branson

First heard by Little Indie back in the early part of 2014 after the release of their first EP ‘Fuzz’ followed by single 'Karibu', Brighton foursome High Tyde have since gone on to tour with Peace, Little Comets and Eliza & The Bear to name but three, play festivals around the country (including a first appearance at Reading & Leeds this year), release two further EPs, and generally win fans over with their melodic tunes and energy driven live act.

Little Indie spoke with lead singer Cody Thomas-Matthews just before the band begun their headline UK tour yesterday (scroll down for all dates) about tours, life in the High Tyde camp and their upcoming fourth EP, 'Real', out on October 28 via Loud Talk.


Hey, Cody, good day. So, where do we find you at this precise moment? 

Cody: Hey! Just in the van on the way to Leeds for the first show of tour, listening to the Arctic Monkeys' 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' - big album.

What does tour preparing involve for you: Do you pack loads of ciggies and Marmite in with the pants and socks? Are there any peculiarities that might surprise us?

Cody: Haha!  Yes, of course! I've got my speaker for vibes backstage. It's a must. The boys would kill me if I forgot it! Spencer brings clippers for spontaneous hair cuts.



Is that aspect, being on the road and performing live, the best part of what you do - bit like a lads' jolly! - or is the actual creative side, the writing and recording, where you feel happiest?

Cody: We enjoy all aspects of this band! But there's nothing like jumping in a van for a tour, playing rad shows and meeting great characters. We're constantly creative, especially on tour as we are with each other 24/7.

How did you come up with the name High Tyde. Is it right that it has a link to Noel Gallager? 

Cody: Yesssss,  it's a lyric from a song in the first High Flying Birds record: "High Tide / summer in the city".

Why did that strike a chord with you in particular as a band name?

Cody: We felt like it fit what we were about and our sound. Obviously we live by the sea also! When Spence made the logo, with emphasis on the G, we thought it looked the part.

What can you tell us about the new EP you have ready for release?

Cody: We feel it's our strongest yet, and we're so buzzing to get it out there and hear what people think! It's a massive leap from 'Safe'. These songs are gonna make the pits bigger.



Will 'Speak' be on it? That really has something. Also, a strong Viola Beach flavour, would you agree with that?

Cody: 'Speak' is the opening track. Viola Beach? Yeah, I guess so. It's a song that means a lot to me around the time we wrote 'Real', so it felt right that it was on it.

Where do you take your influences from for lyrics?

Cody: My everyday life. The notes on my phone go on forever, haha! I am constantly writing, as things come to me at the most random times.

Which of your songs means the most to you, and why?

Cody: 'Dark Love' is a pretty special one for me. It's about an unbreakable, intense love, that I feel everyone can relate to. Every time we play it live so many people sing it and that literally means the world. It takes me back a bit; we wrote that song in the tiniest room and now people sing it back to me every night.



When writing do you visualise how it would come across live to a crowd? Have any not turned out how you'd hoped?

Cody: I love the aspect of taking a song from a little room to a live environment. So yes, definitely. Before releasing a song we usually test it out live and see what the vibe is - like 'Dark Love'. We played that at Boardmasters and it was received so well we had to drop it, ASAP.

Where does the new EP go from your previous efforts? Do you feel you are developing with each record you put out?

Cody: One hundred per-cent. We are always maturing our sound with every song we write. I feel that 'Real' is the best of High Tyde to date, I have never been so excited to release an EP.

What unfulfilled ambitions do you have for High Tyde, and do you have a time plan for achieving them?

Cody: We want to travel the world a lot more and do bigger tours. I also really wanna play in Australia! It's like my dream.

If each of you weren't in the band what would you be doing now?

Cody: Fuckkkk.... I don't even know what I would do without this band. Probably work in a bar somewhere. I need to get some tips off of Spence - he's the cocktail king.



Tell us one quirky thing about each of you.

Cody: Spencer makes all our artwork. I edit all the videos. Connor calls everyone by their second name, for some reason haha! Louis has a serious iced tea addiction.

Brighton is a real buzzy town to be in, do you have time to get out and check the competition? Who are you rating currently on the music scene?

Cody: We don't get to go to as many gigs as we should do, but we saw Loyle Carner the the week, and, oh man, that guy is cool. Really love what he's making. Also Black Honey are fucking rad - van jams.

What do you think you've learnt over the last years being in a band, about yourselves, about music?

Cody: That music is the only thing I want to be doing, I couldn't imagine anything else. Also touring with your three best mates is amazing.



High Tyde are: Cody Thomas-Matthews (vocals, bass, electronics), Spencer Tobias-Williams (guitar), Connor Cheetham (guitar), Louis Semlekan-Faith (drums, backing vocals).

More info: FACEBOOK

Tour Dates

October
25 Leeds, The Wardrobe
26 Edinburgh, Electric Circus
27 Glasgow, The Garage
28 Newcastle, Think Tank
29 Birmingham, Rainbow
30 Brighton, Concorde 2
November
01 London, Scala
02 Bristol, Exchange
03 Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
04 Liverpool, Arts Club
05 Leicester, The Cookie