Jonny Herman Talks Knight’s Tabards, New Music, And More

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Rock crooner Jonny Herman talks to us about his new single ‘Old Romantics’, his knight’s tabard, and more

Jonny Herman is one of the rare artists that offer something unique and fun, best described as crooner rock. It carries a similar vein to The Last Shadow Puppets but with a more weirdo/comical edge. His latest single ‘Old Romantics’ is a perfect example of Jonny’s flair for the comical, whimsical, and infectious songwriting.

After getting our ears wrapped round the new single we had a compulsion to get to know more about this brilliant new artist. We chatted about his beginnings, owning a knight’s tabard, and more!

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Kieran: Hey Jonny, thank you for chatting with us! How have you been? 

Jonny: Hey, thank you very much for the invite! I’ve been good thanks, busy but good.

Kieran: How has 2024 been treating you so far? Any highlights?

Jonny: It’s been pretty fun so far, happy to have begun releasing music and playing gigs again, both for my own stuff and for a side project I have with some friends called ‘The Bovril Boys’. There have been a few highlights for sure: filming the music video for ‘Old Romantics’; checking out Scotland for the first time; I’ll even add having Noel Gallagher try to re-write some of my lyrics in the Bovril Boys project!

Kieran: Let’s start at the beginning, when did you start making music, and when did you decide to release it into the wide world?

Jonny: I’ve been writing music for as long as I remember. First proper band I was in was during early 2010s though, an indie rock outfit called Sancho Blanco (bit of a blast from the past). I’ve been drumming and releasing music with various bands since then, and shifted to doing my own stuff from around 2017/18 onwards. 

Kieran: Were there any artists or people who helped shape your sound?

Jonny: Absolutely. From the indie rock side of things, I was always a big fan of Alex Turner and Father John Misty. I am quite big on Weyes Blood, Willie J Healey and Alexandra Savior too. Then there’s Gruff Rhys, Thundercat, Caterina Valente… and the band mates I have had across the past 15 years.

Kieran: You recently shared your latest single ‘Old Romantics’, a crooning, psych number. Can you talk us through this track and what it means to you? 

Jonny: Sure thing. This is the title track from an EP I’ve been working on, which deals with a lot of different ideas around romanticism. ‘Old Romantics’ itself has strong themes of purity in artistic expression, Quixotism, and the practical realities of getting your music heard nowadays. Themes I think about quite a bit as an independent artist, and which other independent artists probably think about too.

Listen to ‘Old Romantics’ here:

Kieran: Your music is really rich and full of many elements and I am curious to know what your writing and recording process looks like? 

Jonny: Thank you very much! The writing and recording of this track, and the EP, was quite a gradual process, as I was working on it in between doing my day job for the past year or so. I love picking up instruments and wrestling sounds out of them as well, so it can take a little more time to learn the parts I have in my head in order to play them for the record. Things like saxophone for instance.

Kieran: How long have you had a tabard and chain mail? 

Jonny: Doesn’t everybody have a hospitaller outfit lying around? No? Probably for the best.

Kieran: How does one acquire such a fit? 

Jonny: I would love to say it was custom made, or diy. Sadly, just another online, cosplay purchase. I can forward you some links, hahaha.

Kieran: And lastly, what more can we expect from you in 2024? 

Jonny: There will be another single coming out at the end of next month, and of course the EP later this year! I am currently in the planning stage of a mini-UK tour as well, so will hopefully be able to play for as many people who have been enjoying the new stuff as possible!

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