Beldon Haigh – One Way Holiday

By starrymag | January 23, 2024

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) A bonfire of guitars, insane synths, ice cool drums and bass and honest vocals. Lyrics full of melody pictures and story and the occasional social comment.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Beatles and Stones, Tom Petty, Tom Robinson, Biffy Clyro, Sigur Ros, Danald Fagen and loads more.

 

Q) Tis the season! Talk about the story behind your new song “One Way Holiday.”

A) Imagine if you could go off on holiday, go off traveling and never know when you are going to return. Imagine the freedom of that, the excitement but also the loss of what you would be leaving behind, throw into that mix some heady, fleeting, supercharged romance and then your kind of in the mood for “One Way Holiday.”

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) The mystery behind it. It’s a song that asks a lot of questions but doesn’t provide many answers – which is a bit like life itself.

 

Q) The video showcases some of the world’s most stunning holiday locations. How did you settle on which places you wanted to be sure to feature?

 

A) These are all places that I love personally. It’s a bit of a personal bucket list collection. They are also some of the most romantic cities or locations on the planet. I think that also brings the romance of the song out as well. If you watch closely, you will also see that the video starts at sunrise and the ends with the sun going down and the city’s all lit up at night.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) I start with lines of melody and lyric together, interesting hooks, so it kind of comes all at once and usually very fast. So, I need to go and get the whole song out of me before the mood goes away. I will generally write a song in about an hour and then spend days developing, polishing, arranging, etc. After that I involve the whole band in the production and it’s a very beautiful and creative process where everyone brings ideas to the session. It’s one of life’s joys working with such creative and talented people.

 

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) All of it. We don’t use any producers we don’t get told what to do by a record label. I have total creative control. I also decide who mixes the tracks and work closely with the mix engineer and mastering engineer to get what I and we, as a band, want. So, it’s very uncompromised from that perspective.

 

Q) “One Way Holiday” is very seasonal. Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

 

A) Yes – at the end of February a full album will be launched, but we are putting out new singles every six weeks up until then. In November we just put out Anyway You Want It. It’s going really well, too.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) I like performing anywhere – small pubs, big venues, even in the street. I love playing with a full band but I’m equally comfortable singing and playing solo with a guitar. I don’t mind. We did a gig as a four-piece last week in a pub in Alloa with about a hundred people and it was brilliant. It’s all about the atmosphere and the people. The thing that makes any performance is the audience and atmosphere. When those aspects are good, which they generally are, then I don’t care where it is.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Elvis Costello

 

Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

 

A) A Scottish band called King Creosote – I love their latest single its beautifully atmospheric and vibey.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Thank you. It’s a privilege to be listened to by you.