Thomas Needham interviews EARLS founders Anthony Lamb (frontman / guitarist) and George Prosser (drummer) in honour of the bands tenth anniversary.
“What led to the formation of EARLS? What was the decision behind the name ‘EARLS’?”
We formed in 2015 after moving to Leicester for University. George and I met at The Earls High School in Halesowen. So yes, we are named after our school, thankfully we didn’t go to The Bono Vox High School for delinquent teens. We were in bands together back in Halesowen when we were teenagers but seeing as just us two moved to Leicester we decided to become a two-piece. This worked out well because all of the previous members of our old bands were far more talented than us.
“What made you want to pursue music?”
We wanted girls to think we were cool and we are bad at sports.
“What bands and music inspired EARLS the most? Were their influences outside of music, if so what were they?”
Originally we were inspired by Royal Blood, we thought that it was a really original and fresh idea to be a punk two-piece. A week after writing our first song we discover Slaves (Soft Play). We have never recovered from this.
“You refer to yourselves as ‘Skum’, where did you derive the name from? Why did you call yourself this? Who qualifies as skum?”
We wrote ‘Skum King’ and thought it looked better being spelt with a ‘K’. We are honestly not sure why. We released a self-recorded EP in 2017 called ‘Skum King’. It sounded terrible and only a few physical copies of the EP still exist, we have done our best to scrub it from the internet.
Skum was a reclamation of the word used as a slur against the working class and we wanted to take that word back as wear it as a badge of honor. This almost certainly inspired the IDLES song ‘I’m Scum’ released in 2018.
Joe Talbot is a thief.
“What do you think of your time as a member of EARLS?”
We both have ADHD and this is a memory disorder and we struggle to remember most of it.
“What was your creative process like when it came to making music? Was it largely a collaborative affair?”
The beauty of being a two-piece is it streamlines the creative process. Meaning if one of us came up with a shit idea the other one could nip it in the bud quite quickly. Lyrics were mainly written by Anthony seeing as he was the one who had to say them. The music was a completely collaborative effort though. We went through periods of writing lots of songs and other times we didn’t write stuff for over a year.
“What was it like recording and releasing your debut album, CARDBOARD PALACE? What is the hardest part about crafting an album?”
The hardest part is getting someone else to pay for it, thankfully we had Andy Askey from the short-lived Earwig Records. We recorded the album with a relatively new (at the time) producer called Joey Whelan. The live recording for the album happened in the White Room at Stayfree Music.
With hindsight we both think that we weren’t ready to record an album but we are glad that we did it. Given more time and experience we could have released a better album. However, at the time releasing an album helped legitimize us as a ‘proper’ band and made us feel like we were going in the right direction.
“What’s the story behind Earwig Records and its eventual dissolution? What lessons can be learnt for those looking to operate independent labels? Is it even viable in the current music industry?”
Earwig Records were originally just Andy Askey (bassist from Echolocation) who started out by helping The People Assembly (formally known as Fivehead). Andy paid for The People Assembly to record an EP and some merch. We were intensely jealous and wanted a slice of that Askey pie. We played in front Andy for the first time at Handmade Festival 2018. (This is where IDLES stole our whole Skum bit) Andy’s partner at the time, Caroline, was a big fan of our music and encouraged him to take us on. Andy paid for our album recording, CDs, vinyls and a line of merch. We still haven’t sold all of these and we are so sorry to Andy and his family for how much money was wasted on us.
With hindsight all the money could have been spent more wisely on a few singles and some proper promotion but we were too young and too excited to do an album at the time. I think that more people, who have the spare cash, should put that money into some local bands and consider starting small labels but it’s not a viable way to make money, you’ve got to do it for the love of the game.
“How was the titular cardboard palace constructed? Whose idea was it? Is there a meaning behind the iconography?”
The cover for Cardboard Palace was constructed in our living room. Anthony spent an entire day taping the structure to a corner of the room before the photo shoot took place in the evening. Photos were taken by the delicious Rowan Taylor.
‘I am the king of my Cardboard Palace’ is a lyric from our song ‘Skum King’ – the Cardboard Palace is a reference to makeshift housing used by rough sleepers. We thought long and hard about what to call the album and what the cover would be but ultimately we are happy with the result.
“How do you look back on EARLS, are you proud of what you accomplished, do you have any regrets?”
We are both proud of EARLS are what we managed to do with no money and no background in Leicester. We showed up in 2015 and played to empty rooms for over 2 years. In 2018 we released 3 singles at once (we have no idea why we did that) and everything changed overnight. We started playing to bigger crowds, our crowds.
Our only regret is letting Joe Talbot in on the whole skum thing.
“What are your favourite and least favourite songs you’ve written over the years and why?”
ANTHONY:
Favorite – ‘Blackheath’ with an honorable mention to ‘Anger Management’
Least Favorite: ‘House Party’
GEORGE:
Favorite – ‘Blackheath’ with an honorable mention to ‘House Party’
Least Favorite: ‘We Don’t Want ‘Em’
“10 years on, what are your thoughts on EARLS’ legacy? Your music serves as commentary about the world around us. Do you feel more optimistic now or has the situation worsened?”
I believe that our music serves as a time capsule of the late 2010’s and our experiences as young adults. It tells the tale of two young men who went to university and spent more time drinking than studying and eventually the crippling weight of late-stage capitalism starts to creep in.
How the f-ck could we feel more optimistic now. Have you seen the news?
“How did you keep yourself driven in terms of creating art? How did you deal with writer’s block or creative disagreements?”
Staying driven was always a difficulty because we are easily distracted and we struggled with money a lot at university. This meant that even if we had the time to create we didn’t have the space or equipment to do so. We had to pay to rehearse, for all our gear, travel to get to gigs and all the beer once we got there. We sunk so much money into EARLS and had very little return. We didn’t start getting paid for gigs properly until 2019 and even then it was a rare occasion.
Writing songs has always been a very personal thing which depended on our moods and circumstances at the time. We also wanted to improve our song writing with every new song which is why post-album we really struggled to come up with new ideas.
“What are your fondest memories? Were there any particularly low moments along the way?”
Our favourite gig was at The Shed (Vault Stage) on the 7th of April 2018. It was to celebrate the single launch of ‘We Are Skum’ and the crowd went crazy for us. It was the first time we had people sing the words of our songs to us, we felt like we made it that night. Would also like to shout out a special gig we did in Chester (circa October 2019) in St Mary’s Church. We got offered MDMA in the lord’s house, blasphemy was committed.
Our lowest moment was all of lockdown – we will get onto that in the next question.
“What was it like being an active part of Leicester’s music scene throughout the COVID lockdowns? How has it changed since? Has it been for better or worse?”
Lockdown fucked everything up for us. We hated being stuck indoors. We didn’t write a single song during that time. We started writing ‘Money 4 Meat’ before lockdown and finished it after lockdown was lifted.
Lockdown absolutely shagged Leicester. We stayed inside for almost two years and a lot of bands gave up in that time. It feels only now that the scene is starting to recover but it also feels like the local scene is coming back stronger than it was pre-lockdown.
“What was Leicester’s music scene like when EARLS formed? How has it changed since? Have these changes been positive or negative?”
When we formed the local music scene felt a lot smaller however we were new to the city so we didn’t know anyone who was ‘in the scene’. There was a lot more touring acts coming through the city before 2020 and that shaped the way the music scene felt at the time. Today there are a lot less touring acts coming through the city and its debatable if that’s a good or bad thing but I think it has made the local scene stronger, more supportive and more accessible because of it.
“Why did you increase the number of members in EARLS? Were there limitations in being a duo?”
Before COVID we were still a duo, during COVID we lived together and we didn’t write a single song for 2 years. We decided to add two new members bring the spark back. Josh (bass) and Alex (guitar) were only 18 at the time we added them to the band. Being a duo was limiting but that limitation did lead to a lot of creativity. Adding extra members did allow us to write more interesting songs and it was nice having some new voices in the room.
“Did becoming a four-piece change EARLS? What were the benefits and drawbacks?”
Becoming a four-piece was a revelation for us. It made our sound even better and it stopped Anthony from being stuck behind a mic stand. By having an extra guitarist it allowed Anthony to release his inner diva and shake BIG ASS on the stage and George got to make some new friends which he really values.
“What was the moment when you realised EARLS would disband, how did you feel about this and how do you feel about the disbandment in hindsight?”
From the moment Josh and Alex joined the band we knew our days were numbered. They were both going to university eventually and we were staying in Leicester. When the time came to do our final gig it was an emotional farewell to a long project but we knew it was the right thing to do. We weren’t going to go back to being a two-piece and we weren’t going to find new members.
“Would you recommend people listen to EARLS? Where should a newcomer start?”
Start with track with track 1 on Cardboard Palace and work your way to the later singles. With the knowledge that it is a story of two naïve young men trying to work their through university and early adult life.
“If you could go back in time, is there anything you’d want to change about EARLS?”
We should have asked to be paid for gigs more often but apart from not a damn thing.
“From your experience, what is your advice to bands who may be struggling? Is it good to let go and start afresh? Is music an industry or art worth pursuing today?”
Art is always worth pursuing but if any local band is just trying to ‘make it’ they have the wrong idea. The music industry is for elitist nepo-babies. Art is for everyone.
The rest of the interview was answered individually, exploring both Ant and George’s lives in the aftermath of EARLS:
“What have you been up to since the end of EARLS? Are you content with where EARLS ended?”
ANTHONY: Since EARLS ended I have continued to perform on stage with Mouse Teeth as her occasional bassist. I have also started a new band called ‘Pumping Station’ but I am not ready to provide any details on that band just yet (big things coming soon™) Outside of my music ventures, most of my time and effort goes into running and booking shows at The Big Difference music venue. This is not just my job but a passion project to help support local artists and make the local music scene flourish. It’s been a satisfying transition to go from being an artist in the local scene to being someone who facilitates creativity from other artists.
“Do you feel like you peaked creatively or does a part of you feel you have unfinished business?”
ANTHONY: I am constantly battling with that question in my head. Some days I am desperate to get back on stage and start shouting into a microphone again and some days I feel so creatively bankrupt and I can barely string a sentence together. I am lucky to have good friends who are encouraging me to get back into writing and performing so with some time (and a heavy dose of ADHD medication) I will return to the stage.
“What led you to becoming the manager of The Big Difference?”
ANTHONY: 50% luck and 50% hard work – I was lucky because I used to work in the venue when it was The Cookie (RIP) so I was already familiar with the building and had been dreaming of running the place since 2018. After lockdown ended I was lucky to hear that there was a job opening at the venue for a venue manager and I jumped at the opportunity. This was in 2022, The Big Difference had already been open for around a year and the venue was struggling. The Big Difference was opened by The Big Difference Company, a local charity that is mainly known for putting together the Leicester Comedy Festival every February. They had no idea how to book local bands or run a music venue and they let me have the creative freedom to run the place how I wanted to.
“What is it like transitioning from a performer to a manager? Did your experience influence how you run The Big Difference? If so, how so?”
ANTHONY: The transition was quite easy! I had already been gigging in Leicester for years and I knew a lot of local acts so I had a big advantage over other local promoters because of how entrenched in the local scene I already was.
“Do you have any particular memories of the venue when it was known as ‘The Cookie’? How has it changed since becoming The Big Difference?”
ANTHONY: The Cookie was a really special venue the old owner used to book a lot of touring acts and had a lot of contacts with national booking agents. The Cookie absolutely helped raise the profile of Leicester on the touring circuit however, as by the time lockdown happened the owner was looking was a way out and the lockdown was the perfect time. I have changed the focus of the venue from touring acts to local acts. I have also changed the philosophy and economics of the venue by focusing on paying bands fairly for their gigs.
“What is it like running a venue in Leicester? What is your daily routine? What is the hardest part of your job? What part brings you the greatest satisfaction?”
ANTHONY: It’s a fucking nightmare. Leicester is a really well populated city but that population are mainly students and families who don’t give a shit about the local music scene. I don’t begrudge them for it at all but it does feel like most of Leicester’s night life caters for the average dickhead who likes nose-bags and cheap cocktails with a decent photo opportunity for their socials. This makes running an ethical music venue hard because every other music venue in the city is fighting for the same small audience.
My daily routine is all over the place. Sometimes I’m up at 7am to take stock deliveries for the bar and other days I’m working at the bar until 1am. I have to find time in the week to book acts, promote shows and fill our calendar with interesting events as well as the day-to-day management of the bar. It’s taxing but when we have a good event like ‘Be There or Be Square Festival’ and I get to see the music community coming together in the space I have created it fills me with pride.
“What is the process like working with bands in Leicester? You have an unconventional way of paying bands, has this been a success? Have there been any drawbacks? Is it something you think should be replicated by other venues?”
ANTHONY: Most bands are a pleasure to work with, they are enthusiastic and just want to do loads of great gigs. Sometimes bands have a tendency to ‘over-gig’ e.g. play at different Leicester venues 3 times in one week. I can’t be mad at them for it because I did the same thing with EARLS when we started out. Bands just love gigging.
At The Big Difference I wanted the venue to focus on fair and transparent payment to the bands. Here’s how payment works at The Big Diff: we keep £100 to pay the sound technician and everything else is split equally between all the bands on the line up, that means the headliner and the first support get paid exactly the same. I believe local shows are group effort and just because one band sold 20 tickets and the other sold 2 doesn’t mean they are worth any less, the quality of the show is what matters. We aren’t the only venue to do this but we are the one who shouts about it the most.
“What makes an ideal working relationship with a band? Do you have any advice to upcoming bands on how to best utilise live music as a platform for their art and careers?”
ANTHONY: You need to be able to say ‘your idea is shit’ to a fellow band member. It’s not necessarily constructive but you need to have that trust with your other band members.
Performing live IS the end goal, anything else is pure fantasy. Releasing music is nice but for me being a musician is all about the performance. It is a privilege to stand on stage for 30-60 mins and making a crowd listen to the shit you wrote in your bedroom. Music can be a career but for most of us it’s an expensive hobby where we get to LARP as rockstars one gig at a time.
“The Big Difference has recently been dubbed Leicester’s best music venue, what do you think of this? What do you think sets you apart from other venues?”
ANTHONY: I feel like I have done a good job of creating a community around the venue. Community is a hard thing to come by in our current neo-liberal hellscape so venues like The Big Diff are now sacred spaces where creatives and neurodivergent weirdos can come together and feel safe. The reason the venue attracts that crowd is because I am a creative, neurodivergent weirdo. If I was a turkey-teeth’d, crushed velvet, Love Island wannabe the bar would be full of c-nts like that instead. I put my whole p-ssy in to running this bar and I think that is reflected by the audience we attract.
“Do you feel optimistic about the future? Regarding the wider music industry, The Big Difference and the world we live in.”
ANTHONY: I am a relentless nihilist, I think we are totally f-cked. The corporate control of our everyday lives is only going to get worse as time goes on unless we murder a lot of CEO’s. The global music industry does not give a shit about working class artists from Leicester so why should we give a shit about them? We have the power to put on great gigs in our city and become local legends. I hope that The Big Diff continues to push that message to local artists.
“Do you think Leicester is overlooked compared to other cities in the Midlands? Why do you think this?”
ANTHONY: F-cking Nottingham.
“What are your thoughts on the pervasive belief that Leicester is a terrible city with nothing to do? Does it come from a place of ignorance or is there an aspect of truth to it?”
ANTHONY: Leicester is no more terrible than the next underfunded, former industrial city. If you think Leicester is a s-ithole then you need to get out more, most of the country is a s-ithole.
Leicester has loads going on. Great food, great art and a new festival every week on Jubilee Square. The problem is Leicester city is surrounded by Leicestershire, a bunch of miserable towns filled with miserable bastards who are terrified of coming into the city-center because a drug addict might ask them for change.
“What can be done to change this belief?”
ANTHONY: I wish I had a good answer to this. The public perception of Leicester is rough. Look at any local Facebook group or r/Leicester post and people are so negative about the state of the city. I agree that it’s pretty fucked here but it’s not going to get any better if you keep avoiding the city center.
“What are your plans for the future, are you looking into expanding The Big Difference?”
ANTHONY: The Big Difference is a never-ending project, there’s so many ways the venue could be improved but I don’t want to spoil or jinx my plans by revealing them here. In my personal life I will keep performing and creating art in my spare time, EARLS might be dead but Anthoy Lamb is still very f-cking alive.
“What have you been up to since the end of EARLS? Are you content with where EARLS ended?”
GEORGE: I’ve been saving the world through humanitarian projects by day, and then playing drums in cool indie band Güdness, check us out, we’re on the internet as well as rocking stages across the UK. I also have a sausage dog called Gravy, he’s really cool.
“Do you look back fondly on EARLS’ legacy? Were there any particular highlights for you personally?”
GEORGE: I look back with great memories, EARLS was my life as a young adult and something that I will cherish forever. Particular highlights for me were the nights around the gigs, for example, we had no transport so relied exclusively on public transport or walking to get anywhere, I remember a gig in Rugby where our set finished after the last train home, so we went on wild night hanging out with whoever we could to keep ourselves busy till the first train the next day.
“You’re now a part of GÜDNESS, what is the story behind its formation? Who’s a part of the band?”
GEORGE: I bumped into Jack Birtwistle and Dan Peel in Firebug, about a month before the final EARLS gig, they told me they were looking for a drummer and I told them that I was looking to drum, and the rest they say is history. We are currently made up of myself on drums, Jack Birtwistle on vocals and guitar, Sam Shooter on lead guitar, and Rhys Uscroft on bass, former members are Dan Peel who is in the worlds best band Heart Sauce, Jake Braslawsce who is flying the flag for Leicestershire Art from Ohio, USA!
“Has your philosophy towards creating music changed since EARLS? Do you still have similar inspirations or have they changed over time?”
GEORGE: My inspirations haven’t changed because I listen to mainly pop music like Addison Rae and CMAT, and 70’s / 80’s rock and metal bands like Iron Maiden and Golden Earing. I don’t know how much of this has seaped into either band no matter how much I try, I just like making music with my mates, and there’s not many things more special in life than friendship. I guess the only philosophy I follow which was present in both EARLS and Güdness, is every song we write NEEDS to be better than anything we’ve written before, do we always succeed at this? Maybe, maybe not, that’s for the people who listen to decide. However I believe continuous growth and improvement should be an ethos that you take in all aspects of life.
“GÜDNESS has recently released the EP, ‘In This House’, what was it like creating these four singles? Is the creative process different?”
GEORGE: We went down to Echo Zoo Studios in Eastbourne in January 2024 to record that EP. We worked with the incredibly talented Joel Patchett to produce it who has previously worked with The Orielles, Jaws, and Billy Ocean. I had a really lovely time recording these by the sea on cold winters days. We were back in the studio with Joel this summer, this time at Bam Bam Studios in Norfolk which was one of the best weeks of my life, the tracks we’ve recorded are incredible and I can’t wait to show the world.
“The EP is marked by a softer, indie-oriented approach, what was behind the choice to go for this less abrasive sound?”
GEORGE: I love all types of music and was really excited to do something a bit softer, however coming from EARLS I did find it really jarring at first trying to play calmer dynamics, but I feel like I’ve really grown as a drummer adding a new branch to my style.
“How do you find the touring circuit of Leicester, Sheffield and London? Has the live music industry changed for the better over the years? What’s the hardest part about focusing on live shows?”
GEORGE: I feel like things in Leicester have really improved, however I still find getting someone outside of Leicester to take a chance on an unknown band really challenging, We’ve worked with some really great promoters round the country but we’ve also encountered a few crooks too that want to take advantage of out of town bands.
“Do you feel optimistic about the future? Regarding the wider music industry, GÜDNESS and the world we live in”
GEORGE: It’s difficult, the music industry is an exclusive club for the wealthy and nepos of the world. I’m getting older, and poorer, the world is fucked and I just hope that when WW3 kicks off, I’m too old or blind for conscription. Other than that, I’m pretty optimistic.
“What are GÜDNESS’ future plans?”
GEORGE: We’ve got some really fun tracks coming out that we’re really proud of, I really hope the public like them too. We’ve been blessed to be supported so well by Dean Jackson at BBC Introducing, hopefully all the friends we’ve made and things we’ve learnt help us push these tracks to the next level.
“What can people use to keep up to date with your work and upcoming projects?”
You can follow Güdness on instagram at @mygudnessgracious for all music updates and pop onto LinkedIn to see my humanitarian work, I don’t really post on there but sometimes I update it! Why don’t you also follow EARLS on Instagram too, at @earlsband, who knows maybe there will be an earthshattering update on there coming VERY SOON, or maybe not, give us a follow and find out. Smell ya later!
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