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 Nottingham rockers Headway have just finished a support tour with Matchbox 20, playing to tens of thousands of fans including a dream slot at Wembley Arena in London, and have a new EP out now with their latest effort 'The Start'.
Things are really starting to move for these boys, and Komodo Rock's Mike Elliott caught up with vocalist David Wright to find out more about the band, his 'Hello Wembley' shout out, and where the band are heading for the rest of this year.
Mike Elliott: Can you give us a little background on the band? How did the band come together?
David Wright: Well Joe and I were in a band together when we were at school, we kind of got left behind as they aimed to move forward, we were about 16 and decided we wanted to continue making music, so we formed Headway. We were originally a four piece with Tom adding keyboards to a few tracks, he eventually became a full time member. Over the years there were a couple of line-up changes, Shaggy and I were at music college together, he came in when we were left without a bass player and Jay joined in 2005.
ME: How did you choose the name Headway? Is there any significance to the name?
DW: When we were in sixth form we had our first show coming up, we needed a name quickly and there happened to be a poster for a careers advisor called 'way ahead' so we just modified it and went with that. We always planned to change it but as time went on we never got around to it.
ME: You've just recently released a new EP, The Start. Can you tell us a little more about it, and the tracks on the disc?
DW: Well all the songs bar 'Sing Our Hearts Out' are going to be on the full record. We wanted to give people a taste of what to expect from us and the album. The ep is a mix of newer and older stuff, 'The Start' was the last song we did for the album and we wrote 'Finish What We Started' in the studio but 'Always The Same' is one of the oldest songs we have. We just wanted to introduce ourselves as a band in the best way possible.
ME: Recently you also toured as main support to Matchbox 20 in the UK. How did the tour go, and how did the support slot come about?
DW: It was an amazing experience, we were lucky enough to play some huge places, and the reception we got was fantastic. Everyone was so nice to us, all of the crew helped us alot and the matchbox boys were genuinely lovely guys. It was great to have a full production and be able to put on a real show. We are fortunate enough to have a great team behind us, our management and our label work very hard to get us this kind of opportunity, we just ensure we make the most of it.
ME: Not only that, but you also headed across the Atlantic for a show at the House of Blues in Hollywood. How did it go?
DW: Another great experience, we had a really good crowd who were up for it from the get-go, it was a real night to remember moment. We were pretty nervous beforehand as it was a very important show for us but halfway through the first song we were having the time of our lives.
ME: There were two cancelled dates on the American jaunt due to the Matchbox 20 tour. Do you have any more information on when these are going to be rescheduled as yet?
DW: Yes, we had a Viper Room show and an NME night at Spaceland, we were really looking forward to those but we couldn't turn down playing to thousands of people on the Matchbox Twenty tour. We are hoping to be back over in the States at the end of June, so we can make up for it then.
ME: When you played Wembley it seemed like a dream come true for you, complete with an apology at the "Hello Wembley" comment. Was it, and how did it feel to take the stage at one of the country's most famous venues?
DW: It was a dream come true for all of us, and everyone associated with us, our family and friends. Jay and I had our parents there so it meant alot. I defy anyone not to say 'Hello Wembley'! Hopefully we will be back but you never know so I took my chance! It was a surreal moment as our intro music was playing and the lights went down and 9.500 people start cheering, I was thinking a few of weeks ago we played to 50 people in a pub in Ipswich. These are good times.
ME: With the EP now out, are there plans in the works for a full album release?
DW: The album is finished and hopefully there will be a release in the autumn. It's one of those things where groundwork and ultimately timing are so crucial, we want to arrive with a bang and not a whimper. We have been waiting a long time to get this record out so a few more months is nothing for us.
ME: You take special care to stay in touch with your fans via blogs on your Myspace profile. Is the internet something you feel has a lot to offer bands like yourself?
DW: Again, I think it is crucial, every artist has something to gain from it and so do the fans, You can get in touch with each other directly in seconds, letting everyone know whats going on is so easy now. We are so grateful to everyone who takes the time to listen to our music and come to our shows, we let them know that whenever we can and try to give them as much as we can. For newer acts like us you can doa huge amount of groundwork and build up a good fanbase solely online, Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen have made everyone take a serious look at how they use the web in this industry.
ME: Songs from The Start have been used by Sky Sports, and at some football matches this year. Can you tell us about this, how it came about, and how it made you feel?
DW: The songs being involved in Sky Sports broadcasts and at some football grounds was a really cool thing because we all love our football, and obviously watch alot on TV, it is a great feeling to hear your music played in the context of something you love.
ME: And if that wasn't enough, you had the track 'Lord Knows' used for a promo for the International renowned ER on NBC in America. Can you tell us a little more about that and how that came about?
DW: We have been lucky enough to have had our music in a number of MTV shows as well as the ER promo which have all meant amazing exposure for us over in America. those shows are also making their way over to the UK which is cool. Music in TV isn't the dirty word it was a few years ago, as the business changes any chance to get your music out there should be grabbed with both hands.
ME: Do you have plans for a full UK Headline tour in the near future?
DW: Being out on the road is the best part of this job (If you can call it that) and hopefully we can do our own big UK tour to support our next release, I would have thought something will be put together in the coming months.
ME: Can you give our readers any important weblinks for Headway please?
DW: Just keep checking www.myspace.com/headway for now, we try to keep everyone posted as much as we can and there will be new videos coming soon.
ME: Anything else you'd like to add?
DW: Thanks for your support.
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