They’re just finishing supporting Andrew Cushin on his UK tour, The Lilacs, a rising indie band from Wigan are embarking on their biggest UK tour early next year. I caught up with them after their set in Nottingham to discuss all things music, sh#t shirts and touring.

The four piece, Ollie Anglesea (lead vocals/guitar), Sam Birchall (lead guitar), Matty Johnson (bass) and Dave Gomersall (drums) bring a breath of fresh air to the indie music scene with catchy riffs, candid lyrics and a cheeky northern approach.

How’s the tour going?

Ollie: Yeah its alright. We’ve got this van with like beds and stuff on it, and it’s the first time we’ve done something like that so it’s been good. I think we finish on Tuesday in Sheffield, and then we’re off then for a few weeks.

We’ve got our headline tour next year – in march/April – that’s the real tour. This one at the minute isn’t really our tour – it’s a support tour. We’ve loved it meeting some new people and new faces, big up to Andrew Cushin for having us.

What can people expect from your tour next year?

Matt: Fireworks.

Ollie: Well this is will be our first proper headline tour that we’ve done. People are only really used to seeing the best part of 30 minutes, but this is going to be the best part of an hour so they’ll be more material.

Our shows are decent as well, I think we’ve got a good group of fans. Everyone says Lilacs fans are better than most, so you’re in for a good craic, a good atmosphere, and more sh#t shirts from Dave.

What’s your favourite part of touring?

Ollie: We’ve all got different things I think.

Sam: Getting home at the end

Ollie: Mine is this kind of stuff, the backstage stuff. This is where it’s best. Me and Sam were in a function band for years before this we did this, so gigging is something that we’re used to – although I do love listening to people singing our tracks back. But I kind of like this backstage where you come in and someone has stocked the fridge for us and whatnot, it makes you feel unreal. It’s like someone is mothering us.

Sam: That last hour before you get to your set time and everyone is just getting a bit giddy, especially when your headlining. Obviously the gigs are mint and seeing the venues keep getting bigger and bigger all the time.

Ollie: Yeah I suppose that’s a good point, genuinely. If you go play Manchester, then Manchester again and again every time we play the venue will up in size and it’s mad to see really because we don’t particularly push too hard, one thing we probably could do is try the promotion side of things – we don’t even do that. So the fact that we’re growing and we don’t even do anything other than gigging is like–

Sam- There’s not really that massive expectation though is there, but obviously when you’re growing it’s really cool to see.

Ollie: One thing I will say is every time you put a gig on you’re always worried about it not selling, and we’ve just sold out Gorilla.

We’ve got a really big date booked in for next year, its unannounced yet and everyone is saying that we will sell it but will we? And then once we’ve sold that you just go onto an even bigger one and I don’t think you ever stop. It’s exciting, we live for it.

What’s the worst bit of touring?

Sam: That last half an hour of unloading everything.

Ollie: Yeah its not as glamorous as people make it out to be. We’ve just filled the van up for the best part of an hour in the rain, we all have to go hands on. Once we get in on Sunday night we’ve got to take all the kit out of that van and take it up two flights of stairs. I’m hoping one day that will be all taken up for us and all we’ll have to do is turn up.

Sam: And then going back to work.

Dave: I work for MI5.

How did you all get into it?

Sam: Me and Ollie were in a covers band, just doing weddings and birthday parties and all that. We went to a few festivals together and just thought the cover stuff isn’t really what we want to do, we wanted to start writing our music and have our own band. We spent a few months looking for a bass player and drum man and found these two muppets.

You find that some of the bands in the industry are just doing the same thing. Whereas I don’t think there’s many people doing our Northern indie vibe.

How do you write a song? Does it always start in the same place?

Ollie: Usually it starts with me, I write an idea, or ten ideas, and then I’ll take it to Sam and we’ll see if he likes and if he does we’ll start to get the ball rolling. Then we’ll take it to the lads and if they like it, they all add their own parts and then we go to the studio.

Usually when we go to the studio it gets changed anyway. We only write 80 percent of the tunes now because we know when we go into the studio it will get changed so there’s no point bickering over the final track.

It’s something that we as a band struggle with a bit to be honest, I think we do this side really well (the gigging). Some bands do the writing side really well and not so much the gigging, and vise sersa, I think we nail the gigging side.

Everyone is all sort of fighting for the same support and same opportunities. It can be hard to get yourself out there and get seen, but if you keep going at it, and your music’s good it does pay off if you stick with it.

Where do you get your inspiration from to write the tracks?

Ollie: I don’t really know to be fair, I’ve always been a huge fan of The Courteeners and that’s reflected in a lot of our music. I don’t think there’s many people other than The Courteeners doing that, so I think that’s why we’re doing so well.

You find that some of the bands in the industry are just doing the same thing. Whereas I don’t think there’s many people doing our Northern indie vibe.

Cushin (Andrew) playing downstairs he’s like Noel Gallagher which I think is class, there’s not a lot of people doing that which is why he’s doing so well.

I also get inspiration from the likes of The Arctic Monkey’s. Sam likes Motown and soul and Chic.

Sam: Chic are one of the best I’ve seen live.

Whats it like making music in the industry at the minute?

Sam: Its hard, there’s a lot of bands doing it. Everyone is all sort of fighting for the same support and same opportunities. It can be hard to get yourself out there and get seen, but if you keep going at it, and your music’s good it does pay off if you stick with it.

We’ve been doing it for 4/5 years and most of them years has just been small venues, but the last year has been really busy with everyone fighting for it. It’s good as well though, not to make it sound all negative, all the bands are sound. We all kind of meet up and have a few drinks after a gig, so it is good as well meeting loads of new people you get to travel all over.

Matt: We’ve met some really good friends too, you do a gig with them and you end up best mates, and you’re all buzzing for each other.

Ollie: Yeah like The Chase from Nottingham, they’re from around here aren’t they. We’ve all met them from doing what we do.

In terms of making music, I think the last 12 months has been our best 12 months for making music – Sticky Dance Floors, Grace – which is the best song we’ve ever written as a band and a fan favourite – and Act Your Age. We’ve got Hopeless Romantic which is in the set which will be coming out at some point.

What do you want 2024 to look like?

Dave: Massive. Bigger than 2023.

Sam: Well we’ve got our UK tour in April, its got 12-15 dates on it. That’s our biggest headline UK tour.

Ollie: More festivals, that’s a big one.

Sam: We love festivals so if we can get on some different ones to fill the summer out that would be nice.

Ollie: A lot of new music. We’ve got some big unannounced dates pencilled in

Sam: Yeah we’re trying to jump a bit and started booking some large venues. I think we always worry that we’re not quite ready for it but, we’re you’ve just got to give it a go and see how it goes down.

Do you use TIK TOK?

All:  No

Ollie: We try. But we’re awful at social media, we’re just about playing (and drinking). We do try and we have got better at posting

If you could collab with anyone right now who would it be?

Ollie: Oh a bit off topic but we were drinking in a bar last night in London with Lewis Capaldi. He was so funny.

Dave: So Lewis Capladi is the answer to that question

Ollie: You’d have to try and collab with someone that’s not in the same industry.

Matt: Hugh Jackman. Idris Elba

Ollie: Dua Lipa, and hopefully it would take ages to write a song with her.

Dave: Trying to think who would be good, Coldplay – like a big stadium band.

Sam: or someone that would be a laugh the whole way through, Rick Astley.

Ollie: Sam Fender.

Tickets for The Lilacs UK tour dates are on sale now, and you can listen to their newest single Grace on Spotify.