Beaty Heart are one of those bands who popped up out of nowhere for me. Recently emerging as one of the fresh new bands out of Britain to be watching, a jump down a YouTube/Spotify rabbit hole soon after had me hooked. Their musical flavour is one that evokes the energy of early Foals, Alt-J and Glass Animals, while the sounds is an interesting and well-crafted mix of indie grooves and experimental pop rhythms, licked with some of that classic British flair that’s become so endearing to international crowds.
An international profile is something Beaty Heart is definitely growing at the moment too, with recent tours with Jungle introducing them to more American music lovers and a solidly forming schedule of shows on the homefront keeping the band on the road through the UK and Europe consistently too.
I caught the band at the start of this year’s European Summer Festival circuit, hours before they laid down a set to a full house at The Great Escape. It wasn’t Beaty Heart’s first time out at the Brighton festival, though they anticipated 2016 would treat them much better than their debut – the sunshine in the seaside town being the first good omen.
“We’ve done The Great Escape before, two years ago, I think?” Josh Mitchell says. “We did a venue on the seafront. When we first played, we were pretty new to the festival circuit and I think the experience we got from playing here and playing other festivals has taught us how to get our act together and set up quick!”
“Last time we came [to Brighton], it was pouring down with rain,” he adds. “It was the worst weather! It seemed like, last time, we didn’t really get the chance to experience it. It was a bit bleak.”
The idea that their music is starting to gain traction outside of their control overseas is one the band is still slightly bewildered by – their name in Australia is beginning to generate momentum thanks to triple j and blog love, but touring out our way is still a little ways down the line.
“It feels great, although it still feels pretty alien to us, that our music is being played out in Australia.” Josh says. “I can’t really contextualise it in my head, it seems crazy. We’ve had a few plays on triple j and stuff, but it’s great to have the opportunity to show our music to as many people as possible. It’s also really exciting for us, because we really want to come out to Australia and play – we’ll see what happens! Hopefully we can!”
When it comes to new music and balancing creating new sounds while on the road, Beaty Heart still are finding ways to manoeuvre the two. As their live format becomes more and more established, writing on the road hasn’t yet become a feasible option yet.
“We’ve never found the time to do it.” Josh admits. “We fuck around in sound check but that’s about it, we never really have the time. Also, because the gear is so much a part of this thing that it’s like a machine, you can’t take anything off unless it fucks up the show – it’s not easy!”
The middle of 2016 sees Beaty Heart taking to more venues through Europe before jetting back out to the US for another hit at crowds on both coasts. Following on from their tour with Jungle, a mammoth act on stage, the boys admit that such an experience has informed the way they approach their own live output.
“It definitely does shape the way you play music though, doesn’t it?” Charlie Rotberg agrees. “Especially being on the Jungle tour in the US, that changed the way we thought about playing our music. They’re amazing.”
“We’re off to America in June to do a show in LA and New York, which is great. Every state feels so different, it’s like a different country each time. New terrain each and every time. The summer is full of festivals, really, lots of one off shows and showcases. Lots of stuff in Europe, which is always really fun.”
At the moment, being able to travel and connect with so many new people is undoubtedly a highlight of Beaty Heart’s journey so far – a sentiment enthusiastically backed up by the band and the crew who are with them out in Brighton during our visit. Enjoying the ride as it continues is key.
“The opportunity to be able to go to these amazing cities, that’s my favourite part about it,” Josh admits. “Going to a new city and finding some completely amazing part of town. Walking around and just being a tourist. It’s great to meet loads of cool people. That’s probably my favourite thing about touring, is just meeting different people every day; constantly meeting interesting people, whether they’re the ones putting on the night or they’re the people you meet after. It’s pretty exciting.”
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Beaty Heart release their sophomore album, Till The Tomb, via Caroline Australia on July 29th. Find out more about Beaty Heart HERE!
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