Kieran Webber
Director and Founder of CLUNK Magazine, CLUNK Events, and other CLUNK affiliate businesses. You’ll probably find me tucked away somewhere sending emails, listening to music, and creating content.
Bristol’s Runner Up chats to us about his debut singles, the process behind them, and life in the city
The musical project that is Runner Up has been six years in the making and finally it is out for all of you to hear. The debut single ‘I Wanna Be Late’ came through as a classic indie anthem that was akin to the early days of the Vaccines, following this was a B side of sorts with ‘Let’s Go To London’, a track that takes a step back and sees Runner Up‘s songwriting take the lead. Runner Up, or Dave to his friends has an incredible knack for crafting emotively driven indie anthems that are wildly infectious, as well as relatable.
We’re only two songs into Runner Up‘s building discography and we are confident he will be taking the airwaves by storm. So, before he inevitably finds himself on the mainstages, we chatted with Dave about his new music, life as a Bristolian, and much more.
Kieran: Hey Dave! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us! How have you been?
Dave: Hey, I’m good thanks! I’ve been very busy, as much of a 30-something cliché as that is… But in a good way. And I’ve also been enjoying bits of summer weather as and when I can.
Kieran: How’s your 2024 been so far? Any highlights?
Dave: It’s been really great actually! The best I’ve had since Covid I think. I finally feel like life is full of all the good things I used to enjoy in pre-pandemic times again. I recently toured around Europe for a month playing in the Novo Amor band which was lovely, and I’ve enjoyed going to lots of gigs and festivals since getting back to Bristol. Ritual Union and Dot to Dot in particular.
Kieran: So, to your music, you recently shared your debut single ‘I Wanna Be Late’, and the follow up ‘Let’s Go To London’ comes out soon. Can you talk us through these releases and what they mean to you?
Dave: Yeah, this has been the main thing keeping me busy this year, and I’ve been really enjoying releasing the first music from this new project. ‘I Wanna Be Late’ has been a favourite of my songs for a long time and I really wanted it to be my debut, so it felt amazing to finally set it loose in the world! ‘Let’s Go To London’ is sort of a companion piece to IWBL. They’re both break-up songs; one takes place just before, and the other just after the break. These are two of the first songs I wrote for this new project and started feeling excited about… Around 6 years ago now!
Kieran: The project Runner Up has been in the works for six years! I bet it feels great to finally get your music out there?
Dave: Absolutely yeah, it’s mental that it’s taken this long! It’s a big relief to finally release these songs and feel like I can let go and move onto other things soon. I started writing these songs during a pretty horrible period of my life, but I’m now so far removed from the things that I was going through and writing about then. It’s probably a good thing and makes it easier to just enjoy them now with some water under the bridge.
Kieran: Was it your intention for it to take this long to get your music released?
Dave: Haha, no… When I started these songs in 2018 and ’19, I was busy playing and writing in a band called The Malago Ballroom. These new songs felt more personal and poppy and didn’t fit the band, so I kept them aside for future Dave Huntriss solo stuff. I started recording them at the end of 2020 but then Covid happened and I forgot about them for a couple of years. By the time I started working on them again in 2022/23 I felt they didn’t belong with my other solo stuff and I decided to start a new project, so that took a while to figure out. I think after sitting on the tracks for so long, I wanted to make sure they’d be as good as possible when I finally released them. So in the end, I’m really happy with how it’s going and I think it was worth taking the time to get it right.
Listen to ‘Let’s Go To London’ here:
Kieran: Can you describe your writing and recording process, please?
Dave: My “writing process” sadly isn’t a very intentional thing. Most of my best ideas pop into my head when I’m doing really mundane things like walking, showering, or trying to sleep. Moments where my mind is wandering and my brain starts to create a soundtrack for whatever it is I’m thinking about or feeling. It normally starts with a rhythmic pattern or drum groove, something that has a certain energy or emotion to it. Then I fit a main chord pattern or riff to that, then start to layer smaller ideas and melodies on top. Songs either have a few lyrics from the start, or I write them all at the end, making sure they match and enhance the mood of the song.
Kieran: What’s life like as an artist in Bristol and how do you feel it affects you as a creative?
Dave: I love Bristol and its music scene so much. It’s a super small city and you bump into other musicians and friends all the time. Everyone knows everyone in the scene here! It doesn’t take long to feel that way and I love it. I moved here at the end of 2015 as a complete outsider and after a couple of years playing in bands around Bristol, I really felt accepted and like I belonged here. It’s been a little strange post-covid as a lot of my favourite Bristol bands have stopped playing and broken up, but there’s plenty of new stuff around and I’m starting to find my feet again.
Kieran: What’s a misconception about being a musician based in Bristol?
Dave: That we’re all into post-punk or drum and bass! Don’t get me wrong, I love both. But there’s plenty of other great stuff going on in Bristol aside from that.
Kieran: Lastly, what else can we expect from you in 2024?
Dave: A lot more music, live shows with my band, some fun video stuff. I feel like I’ve been constantly saying “big things coming” this year… But it’s true! I can’t wait to share everything else over the coming months.