Indie Blog Scotland - "Glue" by Florentenes

From a band I was recommended with one track out, to putting them on for a show and oh so nearly travelling to Cardiff to see them, Florentenes are Manchester's latest indie rock stars.

The group, composed of William Smith (Vocals), Luke Holding (Guitar), Harry Stubbs (Bass) and Liam Fiddy (Drums), are aged from 14-18, and are absolutely oozing with talent.

The tale begins in March 2024, when they came to The Ferret to headline a free entry show for the showcase event in Thursday Live. I was immediately encapsulated by their stage presence, rocking fashionable suits while remaining distinctly recognisable from one another. I watched, very intently, as what some of the regulars dismissed as "just another generic indie rock band" individually showed incredible talent that only the keen-eyed would notice.

Sure enough, it wasn't long until they would return for a headline show, this time organised by myself, with my selections of support bands in Cadaver Beach and Pendant. I stood by the bar with Cadaver Beach's lead guitarist, Kian Welsh, to watch the soundcheck, and I swear I could hear his jaw hit the floor as Liam did a check of the full kit. The sound engineer and other venue staff recognised the skill immediately as well, with me leaning over to Kian to remind him - "that's just the soundcheck. You haven't seen anything yet!"

Of course, their prowess in a live environment is incredible. Anybody that's seen them knows so, and is very quick to show their appraisal. But what about in the studio?

Well, prior to their two shows at The Ferret, the band had released their debut single, "Gone," which had all of the staff hooked from the get go. The range of sound, the clear influences while remaining very identifiably original was something I haven't heard to the same extent in a long time.

I was well aware through discussions with their manager, Gemma Smith, that they'd been recording at Rockfield Studios with the legendary producer, Dave Eringa (The Proclaimers, Manic Street Preachers, Toploader). Having seen a handful of short clips from these sessions, there was a clear vision and concept going into every track that they worked on. The very first of the demos I saw were from Glue, and I was practically on my hands and knees begging for the release.

Thankfully, the band would kindly oblige, announcing Glue as their sophomore single.

At first, the track takes you into a nostalgic melody, aided by distorted speech and some light taps, inviting you to ponder, before a quick little muted strum into the aggression the band so often shares. Then, a bold shift, as Will's vocals portray a situation of various regrets, almost grievances, in a soft and sultry manner. Just as quickly as they disappeared, the distorted guitars return for the build-up. A seriously well-structured ramping up of the pace and the volume, with a riff that intensifies into rapid chords as the vocals return, and Will's lyrical talents come on full display - both in the writing and the singing. The passion involved, literally shouting these words into the microphone over the top of a catchy groove, is sure to appease anybody's taste.

To conclude the track, there is a brief, but oh so catchy solo from Luke, with an almost comedic cowbell tap from Liam during a pause, and one of the best screams I've heard outwith metal - taken from a live recording! - before unwinding back to the same level as the intro, with the bassline carrying the soft guitar melody into a vast crescendo.

With all the various pauses and the catchiness of each instrument throughout this track, one could almost guarantee its success. It's one of those songs that'll go unforgotten - and neither should it. Its influences are clear too, with elements of The Backseat Lovers and Franz Ferdinand truly on show, but with that little edge they need to make it their own. Nothing more, nothing less - a perfect blend.

This lot are an absolute powerhouse, and should be watched carefully. At such a young age, to be producing such incredible music, is nothing short of incredible. I stand by what I said the first time I saw them; “Bone-chillingly talented… a beautiful amalgamation of CATB, Arctic Monkeys, Pink Floyd and The Kooks.”

The future is very bright for these young lads from Bolton, and for alternative rock as a whole.

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Following the release of Glue, I was lucky enough to be able to interview the band's vocalist, William Smith, about the track and the creative process behind it.

So, tell me Will - How did the concept of "Glue" come about?

William Smith: It came about on the piano; I'd been messing around with chords for an extended version of another track. I showed Luke the basics of it and we got a little jam going with rhythm and lead. I ended up going home, and the structure all came around pretty quickly.

Where was it written?

WS: Like I said, mostly in my room - but the arrangement was really fine-tuned through rehearsals, with the rest of the band all adding their expertise to it.

Awesome. What about inspirations? I definitely hear a lot of The Backseat Lovers in there, but I'm curious on what else you'd say inspired the song.

WS: There's actually a playlist on our Spotify profile with all of our specific writing inspirations for Glue, same as Gone - I think there's some of The Backseat Lovers on that, but plenty of 60s-70s rock influence.

Alright! I'll definitely need to check that out. Now, tough one. Favourite part of the song?

WS: The single cowbell hit and scream are objectively the best part of the song.

Luke Holding: My favourite bit is where it goes I'M GLUED TO YOUUUUU BAM BAM BAM BAM (insert drum emojis). I like that bit, it's fun!

Haha, I had a feeling it would be! You said that scream was a live take too, right?

WS: Yeah! I tried to do the scream in the studio, but it was just too funny. I couldn't get it. We just took a live take that happened to be really good.

Crazy. What about the voice in the intro? Who, or what, was that?

WS: It's a poem that I wrote - we got our producer, Dave Eringa, to read it out in his rich southern English accent into a cassette tape recorder, then we put it through a '60s radio filter. That's how we got the muffle.

That's incredible. One more question for you then. Royston Club. Excited?

WS: I think we're all very excited, but also very nervous - it'll be the biggest crowds we've had the pleasure of playing in front of so far.

Florentenes are very proud to announce that they are joining The Royston Club on their UK tour later this year, featuring alongside Siobhan Winifred and The Guest List. They will also be supporting Jamie Webster, including their first ever arena show, with The K's as well as The Lottery Winners. Tickets are mostly sold out, but some are still available via LiveNation and Ticketmaster. Book now to avoid disappointment.

You can stream Glue now on all major streaming platforms by clicking here.

And personally, a massive thank you to William for his time in the brief interview!

Overview

Guitars

Vocals

Structuring

Variety

Strengths

Weaknesses

What is a weakness?