The Rolling People On New EP, The Manchester Scene, And The Gigs That Shaped Them

Bella Platt

Full time student and live music enthusiast, actively involved in Manchester and Newcastle’s music scene, interviewing and reviewing grassroots bands and larger indie acts.

We chat to Manchester indie band The Rolling People, following the release of their new EP ‘Outlier’

On Saturday 18^th April, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Manchester’s finest The Rolling People before their headline gig at New Century Hall.

‘Outlier,’ their new EP produced by Rick McNamara (Embrace) is out now.

You’ve just released a new EP, ‘Outlier’. How was the writing process different from earlier releases?

Charlie: With this EP we went into it in more of a collaborative fashion. Before, Elliot or I have come to the band with a fully formed song but with this we went into the studio and wrote it all together, jamming out, and working with our producer Rick (McNamara).

Rick McNamara from Embrace! How was working with him? What did he help push you towards that you might not have been able to do on your own?

George: He has very similar music taste to most of us, which really helped us get to the final sound as we could link it to a shared vision. He knew exactly how to get the tracks to the end result we wanted, while still managing to let our music breathe.

Charlie: In previous recording sessions for earlier music there’s been times when we would compile songs we liked to help us find the final sound. We didn’t do that as much this time- I think that really helped us form our own sound with this one. We weren’t chasing someone else’s ideas; we were aiming for authenticity within ourselves.

Do you feel like you’ve found your sound now?

Elliot: The EP turned out exactly how we wanted it to. It was a lot more raw than other releases yet produced enough to sound good. I feel like jamming together felt a lot more human and alive, and you can hear that in the tracks.

One of the tracks on the EP is ‘Soldered Souls.’ A pretty bold title. What’s the story behind that track and how does it fit with the rest of the EP?

Charlie: For us it refers to the “solder” between our souls. It sounds obvious, but the relationships you have with your friends, family, the people you love. How no war or conflict can break that.

More on the EP. Were the tracks laid in that order from the start? Does it matter?

George: I think they spoke out. Especially with the lead track, we knew which one we wanted to lead it, and end it. So relatively easy to order.

More generally, where did the name The Rolling People come from?

Charlie: It’s after The Verve song, we had it as a placeholder at first, too late to change it now. I do think your band name grows with you, like no band at the start has a great band name. Once people start to like you then its sound.

You’re all from Manchester, its home turf for you. If you had to take someone on a tour of Manchester venues that made you as a band, where would you go? Where does it start and end?

Asa: Start Northern Quarter, Oldham Street definitely. We could go through a fair few: The Castle Hotel, Night and Day, Gulliver’s.

Charlie: Band on the Wall was a big one for us. That’s a venue that we played at a time we were still finding our feet, but we went for it. The Ritz as well. Deaf Institute. I do think The Castle is the pinnacle, it means so much to us.

Is there a specific gig that you watched in the city or outside that rewired your brain about what live music can be?

Asa: Johnny Marr in Holmfirth is probably my favourite gig ever. The music, but also everyone was there for the same reason, to see him play songs that are 30-40 years old and still sound amazing.

Elliot: Pearl Jam at Coop Live, they were a massive, bloated act. But still raw and not playing to a click track, they were just jamming on songs. You never know the setlist because it changed every night. They go into different jams, so it’s a different experience every time you watch them. I thought it was really special and sounded mega.

George: Foo Fighters at Emirates Cricket ground. They’re one of my favourite bands and seem untouchable. But seeing them on stage having a laugh made them real people.

Charlie: For me, I saw Fontaines D.C. on their ‘A Hero’s Death‘ tour in 2021. It was before we were a band, but I came away from it knowing it’s what I wanted to do. It proper gave me the drive to play live shows.

Among your recent moves, the step into fashion with the Pretty Green partnership has surely been one of the most memorable highlights of the year.

Charlie: Yeah, doing the shoot with them was a good experience for us getting into that kind of world. I think obviously as they showcase new artists, it was a good spotlight. A lot of people in the music scene know Pretty Green, so seeing us come up with them was good exposure.

George: We haven’t worn it religiously but it’s definitely featured over the years in the band. So pretty cool being paid to wear it.

Finally, what does the next year look like for the band? What are you trying to become?

Charlie: This EP has opened stuff up for us both creatively and musically, we can go anywhere from here. It’s exciting as we don’t ever want to be boxed into a certain category or genre. On the live front, we’re gonna have so many more shows. We can’t wait to get back on the road again together.

Elliot: We’re just going to see where it goes. You can’t push yourselves into certain directions, it’s why we’re so happy with how the EP came out. We didn’t go into it with preconceived ideas necessarily. Touring, playing, writing, we know how to play and how we want to sound now. That’s all we’ve got to think about.

Listen to new EP ‘Outlier’ here: