Staffordshire Unsigned band Nova Bloom think big

The 19-year-old from Brewood isn't arrogant or making grand promises he couldn't hope to see through. He just looks at music through a wider scope and wants his band to be the best they can.

That band is Nova Bloom, who released their debut EP earlier this year slap bang in the middle of their busy performing schedule. Henry provides the guitar and vocals for the group, with his twin brother Tom backing him up lyrically and adding the bass. Their friend Kieran Shaw, aged 18 and from Penkridge, bangs the drums behind them.

It's the start of the journey for the trio, and something Henry has always wanted.

"We were lucky in that our parents really loved music and took us to loads of gigs," he said. "That's how we met Kelly Jones - we won a competition to go and meet them in 2013 at Kerrang Towers in Birmingham when they were still based there. He was lovely.

"That year was also 'the moment' I knew I had to be in a band. It was watching Arctic Monkeys perform live at Glastonbury. I got goosebumps when they kicked it off. It made me pursue playing guitar.

"I left school at 16, I was boarding at a school in Malvern," he continues. "It was a bit of a risk. Everyone at that school was very academic and studied to be doctors or lawyers. But I always wanted a music career.

"So I left, and went to college at what is now the ACM in Birmingham. I spent two years there looking at theory, performing etc. We had to do things like raise money to put on shows at the end of our units. It taught me everything I'd need for forming a band."

At college Henry met plenty of musicians and played as part of various projects. It taught him another good lesson – "the hardest thing is finding a good drummer".

Graduated and now teamed up with his trusted twin, they went hunting.

"We put an ad out on like a listings service to find musicians. Unless you paid for the full service [which they didn't] then your messages got deleted after a certain amount of time. Literally an hour before ours was, Kieran replied.

"I quickly sent him Shorter Days, which was the very first song I wrote, as well as our contact details. Luckily he replied. He came to a rehearsal and it was perfect. Everything clicked. Now he's like our third brother."

Shorter Days would go on to be the closing track on their debut EP of the same name which came out earlier this year. It was recorded in Wolverhampton at Newhampton Arts Centre on Dunkley Street, and has impressed enough people that another studio based at the same venue - RML - has asked them to return this year to think about the next project.

"We're looking at doing two singles which will come out in August," Henry continues. "Hopefully mid-August. Craig Davies at RML saw us on social media and said he liked our retro colours and thought we looked really professional. He asked if we wanted studio time and, of course, we're never going to turn that down."

They've played the Amstel Stage at Birmingham's Resorts World Arena before Post Malone's show there in February as well as being featured on the BBC Introducing WM programme and playing big Second City venues like the O2 Academy 3 and the O2 Institute. But they're not quite done for 2019.

"The Amstel stage was amazing - especially as we didn't know what to expect," he adds. "Nobody had heard of us and they were there to see an artist from a different genre of music. There must have been about two-and-a-half thousand of them and they enjoyed it and danced along. It was really positive.

"We're now looking to build our fanbase organically. We've ordered 80 t-shirts we're going to give away at our gigs to get people interested."

That starts with Bilston's Robin 2 on Sunday supporting The Killers tribute band The Killaz - a show tickets are still available for.

And moving forward there's the Codsall Beer Festival on October 5 which they have previously enjoyed appearing at.

"Andy, who runs it, is a great guy. He gets really reputable bands to play there. He took a risk asking us to play last year and we were really early on the bill. But we're playing just before the headliners this year. We had a really good gig. It's a really positive atmosphere and full of families.

"Then we'll just keep playing as much as we can and learn more and more. We've got relatives in Australia [they're currently over here visiting and Henry has taken a break from their exploring to speak to us] and they really like our stuff and are playing it to whoever will listen over there.

"We've got some really big ideas for more albums. We just need to reach that wider audience and get on a bigger platform. We don't want to put all our eggs in one basket in the studio. We've got to back it up on the stage."

And there's one goal the Wolves-mad trio have in particular.

"Remember when Kasabian played for Leicester fans at their stadium when they won the Premier League? Imagine doing that for Wolves. That would be something."

Nova Bloom can be found on Facebook and Twitter @NovaBloom_ - while their EP can be heard on their Spotify page. Tickets for their support slot at the Robin 2 can be bought from the venue's website for £8, or £10 on the door, while more information on the Codsall Beer Festival can be found on Facebook @Codsallbeerfestival