‘The Birmingham music scene is more about community than rivalry.’

Following their recent gig at St Swithun’s, Worcester, I caught up with Birmingham based band Bluewalk to find out more about the music scene there, how they are developing their sound, and what the rest of the year has in store for them. 

Please briefly introduce yourselves to future fans.
Hey! We are Bluewalk (Theo, Dan, and Archie), a three – sometimes four, sometimes five-piece indie band based in and around Birmingham. We have been together for just under a year and would describe our music as the perfect soundtrack for a game of scrabble or extreme skiing.

How and when did the band form?
(Theo) We formed out of the ashes of a few other bands that me and Dan had been in through meeting over a shared love of the Police (the band) at university. We’ve always known Archie so when our existing musical plans capitulated, everything fell into place. And so, after a good few rehearsals, two pints each of the cheapest beer on tap and some crisp high-fives – out came Bluewalk.

What are your musical/non-musical inspirations?
(Theo) – any little ditty that sticks in my head with a good tune and something I can steal from it (current musical obsessions are 1000 Umbrellas by XTC, Hello by Martin Solveig and Dragonette, and I Need Your Company by Michael Kiwanuka) (Dan) – In terms of my drumming influences, having grown up listening to a lot of 70s and 80s rock, such as the Police, Stewart Copeland and his very expressive and almost melodic playing style is something I try to draw from. Unfortunately, Archie is not answering his phone right now; however he has a CD of the Red Dead Redemption 2 video game soundtrack and also the Fallout New Vegas videogame soundtrack that he is very fond of. As a bassist, he takes a lot of inspiration from Andy Rourke of the Smiths.

‘I tend to write as full a song as possible that can be played on one instrument. (Theo)’

Turning to your sound, there is a really nostalgic atmosphere to the tracks you create. What led you in this direction?
(Theo) I would like to think it stems from a subconscious desire to make songs that are catchy, in a way that feels as if you have heard them before, but not in a way that makes us culpable for any legal challenges of plagiarism please. (Dan) The fact that we listen to a lot of music from the 60s and 70s probably leads us to create melodic instrumental parts which, in tandem with catchy melodies, can create this nostalgic feel.

3 of your released tracks come from a ‘Live in Room 2’ session. How did it feel recording in this way rather than multiple takes of a studio?
(Theo) That recording took place after our first gig together at this venue called the Indie Lounge, a common haunt for any student band that wants a foot in the door of a place where the sound is about as clear as a camouflage mirror. The guys from Room 2 Recordings (Hi Harry and George) reached out to us, and by that point, we thought it would be savvy to have some acoustic tracks of songs to put out on Spotify. We got there, all slightly hungover and unsure of what was to come and about an hour and a half later we had gotten down around 6 or so songs down in one or two takes and felt awfully smug with ourselves that we had something quite special.

Your single ‘Throw Them Away’ carries quite a contrasting sound to the others. What influenced this slight difference in musical direction?
(Theo) I think this difference in sound stemmed from a desire to make our mark when it came to a first release as a band. The song itself is a demo going back ages and so when bringing it to the others I knew it would have to grow into its own identity in this new context. Our good friend Gemma plays Jazz flute and having that extra colour in the palette really made the song sparkle and sound way more sophisticated. Another facet in the recording process was having a strong producer influence in the form of Harry Banks. He definitely allowed us to express our ideas as well as exerting enough of his own skills and expertise to fine tune the product.

When it comes to song-writing, do the lyrics or the accompanying elements tend to come first and how is this divided across the band?
(Theo) At the moment its just been me who has awkwardly shuffled into rehearsals clutching some demos as offerings to the great god Bluewalk (I don’t have many hobbies other than songwriting). I tend to write as full a song as possible that can be played on one instrument, but there have been many a case where everyone else has put in their own stamp insofar as the arrangement is concerned. However, the crystal ball tells us that Dan has many a song waiting to be heard and so the future holds more originals from him too (Archie is too busy rehearsing his next stand-up tour material to be co-writing the next album).

At your recent performance at St Swithun’s, Worcester, you supported Genevieve Miles. How well did you know her music prior to it and what was it like to share the gig with her?
(Theo) We’ve seen her play before in and around Birmingham and have always been very impressed with the overall vibe and sound of her music, it was joy to share the stage and rear our heads in the mighty music scene that is Worcester – here’s to more gigs in future!

‘The outcome of a good few rehearsals, two pints of the cheapest beer, and some crisp high-fives, was Bluewalk.’

As a band that’s new to the Birmingham music scene, what have been your first impressions of it?
(Theo) I think this year has been great for us in terms of realising that being in a music scene is more about having a community and feeling supported than a place of competition or rivalry. It just so happens that the people in the bands in the scene are also just lovely individuals so that makes it a lot easier.

How is the scene helping you develop as musicians either individually or as a band?
I think its been beneficial in fostering that feeling of really connecting to audiences and making things as accessible as possible. As much as we love playing a lot of the venues in the centre of Birmingham like the Institute, the Rainbow, Sunflower Lounge, these places take a lot more planning and for bands with not much money its often difficult to make it feel worthwhile when you want to be gigging as much as possible. This year has seen us host and take part in quite a few events in and around Selly Oak and while these have all been low level, DIY events in gardens and living rooms – its really helped in terms of growing support for the band and feeling self sufficient in putting on gigs.

Who else from the Birmingham scene should we all be listening to?
Harry Houlton and the Chundersnares, Brette Wolfe, The Speakers.

And finally, what does the rest of 2025 have in store for Bluewalk?
We will be huddled away recording for sometime in the future, with a planned release of a new single titled ‘Shadows’ in September. Aside from that – keep an eye out on our Instagram for a few gigs that will be happening over the summer, coming to a Birmingham near you!

Thanks Bluewalk for chatting with Listen to Discover