Galaxy Thief, a British South Coast indie rock quartet, represents Yamaha across the United Kingdom. Since their formation in early 2017, Nothing But Thieves, The 1975, The Band CAMINO & Angels, and Airways have influenced their sound. From modest pubs to popular music venues and festivals throughout the United Kingdom, including Bestival 2017, Main Stage at Silverstone F1 Grand Prix 2017, and Southampton’s Music in the City, they have developed a reputation for explosive live performances that keep their fans coming back. Rhys Messenger (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), George Bowerman (Lead Guitar/Vocals), Ben Watton (Drums), and Jake Trim (Bass/Vocals) comprise the unstoppable band brotherhood. Since their formation, they have produced their debut EP, titled “Mind Games,” and four singles, all of which have garnered hundreds of radio spins, including on BBC Introducing and BBC Solent, as well as interviews on a number of regional radio stations and several television appearances. The band’s second EP, ‘Fires You Can’t Put Out,’ which includes their most popular song to date, ‘Better,’ has attracted a larger global audience, followed by a lockup experiment of alternative versions, FYCPO ‘Alternatives.’ The fascinating collaboration SHAKEN with Amber T debuted in 2021. Collaborating with Producer Michael Smith (RYP Records) in July 2021 at Woodworm Studios, the band created four innovative and diverse new compositions, the first of which, FREE, was released on 22 October 2021, followed by TIMEWASTER and REASON in 2022.
Galaxy Thief begins a new era in 2023 with the release of “YEARS,” the first of five ground-breaking and artistically diverse new tracks. The result of a second recording session with inspired and talented producer Michael Smith (RYP Recordings – Weird Milk, The Pylons, Honey Lung, etc.) in the summer of 2022, this finely and thoughtfully finished new material provides compulsive listening with catchy and original hooks and fast-paced songs that explore new creative boundaries while maintaining the impressive instrumental and vocal skills for which Galaxy Thief are now renowned. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
GALAXY THIEF: Our guitarist George wanted to start a band at school and invited some friends round for a jam. A few member changes later after meeting drummer Ben and bassist Jake at the local music store and our singer Rhys busking in London, we have our current line-up!
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
GALAXY THIEF: We have a couple of Grades between the 4 us and have all had lessons throughout the years, but we’ve played a lot together which I think is just as if not more important than practicing and learning alone!
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘GALAXY THIEF’?
GALAXY THIEF: We all listen to loads of different music, but I’d say the biggest influences on our music are Foo Fighters, Nothing But Thieves, Angles & Airwaves and The Band CAMINO. The name ‘Galaxy Thief’ came from a band member stealing another member’s chocolate (seriously!!).
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
GALAXY THIEF: We try our best to write from our life experiences. Some days one of us will come in feeling a certain way about a situation in our life and we just end up writing a song about it all together, it’s definitely a form of therapy! I would say our sound is mixture of Rock backing with Indie Pop inspired melodies.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?
GALAXY THIEF: We have been through a fair few different sounds thinking each one was “the one” but in hindsight we were imitating more than innovating. I think it’s important to draw inspiration from music you like but if you just follow the latest trend then you will always be behind the curve. We just write music that we want to listen to and hope other people agree with us (A.K.A we love rock!!!!).
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
GALAXY THIEF: I think music is a great avenue for people to express themselves or their opinions by feeling that they are putting a small piece of themselves out into the world. As a music listener, I think people connect to music that makes them think, or feel something, whether that’s through lyrics or the sound of the song. As a band we just want to make good music that people can just turn on and vibe with! We use personal experiences as inspiration for lyrics in most of our songs so if people want to look deeper there is also a level of relatability, but at face value we just want to entertain people and write songs they want to listen to over and over again!
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
GALAXY THIEF: Whenever we release new music and we see people enjoying it, it doesn’t matter if it’s 10 or 1000 people, we’re just humbled that people want to listen to something we’ve created and that makes us feel incredibly fulfilled. It’s very easy to always look forward and not appreciate what you’ve got at the time.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
GALAXY THIEF: We usually write the backing (the instrumental) before we write the lyrics and melody. Sometimes we will have a general lyrical theme or motif that we write the song around, but we very rarely have the lyrics down before the backing. We’ve found that the instrumental side comes a lot more naturally to us than lyric and melody writing so it’s usually a good place to start to get the writing session flowing! We’d love to start collaborating with other artists or song writers to bring a fresh vibe to the writing sessions and ultimately the songs.
9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
GALAXY THIEF: Covid. 100%. It put a complete stop to our progress and we lost all momentum. When we returned after venues started opening back up we felt like we were starting from square one.
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
GALAXY THIEF: Whenever anyone is singing our songs along with us at a gig, that’s a win for me!
11. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
GALAXY THIEF: I think it’s important to listen to everyone’s opinion. If someone is typing something online, then they must have a reason for doing so. I think you can learn a lot from constructive criticism, but it’s definitely important to have thick skin. Some people just love to moan…
12. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
GALAXY THIEF: I think we’d all have different answers for this, but I personally (drummer Ben here) would say I prefer the creative element the studio provides. Being able to see the vision in your head come to life in front you is a feeling that will never be beaten. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing live, but the studio takes the cake on this one.
13. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
GALAXY THIEF: I love that people can take what they want from each of our songs. There’s no “right answer”when interpretation is involved.
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