Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: As a child myself Martin, picked up the guitar at age 13. I was determined to make an impact musically, school was not very good for me and so initially my song writing harboured resentment. My dad was a massive Beach Boys fan, and then I heard Queen, from there on I felt a belonging. It was my mum’s suggestion to get a guitar, by 2006 I’d signed with my first record label and in 2014 I wrote the chart song Hope ain’t a bad thing for MBE Stephen Sutton.
Q: Can you describe the musical style of Naked Sunday in three words?
A: Passionate, anthemic , driven.
Q: How do you stay connected with your fans, and what role do they play in shaping your musical journey?
A: We love getting people involved with Naked Sunday ,our fans are very important to us and always want to give a little something back. We have had fans in our music videos and always get them to join in singing when we perform Unbreakable, to having fans join us on stage or hanging out before and after the shows . We have fans doing group vocals on We Wanna Go The Pub, and in the new year we are going to have a design your own Naked sunday t shirt ,the winner receives a free t shirt and their design will be sold at our shows.
Q: You have just released your new EP, ‘Rise’. Is there a story behind it?
A: it really is the two sides of the coin villified being labelled as the villain, Web the tragedy of falling in love with a wrong un, and then the majestic quality of Shine, finding someone who deserves to Shine, and of course Rise, the phoenix rising from the ashes
Q: What is your favorite track from the EP and why?
A: Martin:Shine,it’s about my wife, Laura the bass player of Naked Sunday, the reason I get up in the morning, the best human anyone could meet.
A: Laura:Web around my grave which is a nice heavy number and one to really get into when performing live.
Q: Can you walk us through the creative process of producing the EP, “Rise”?
A: We recorded at Robana studios Birmingham with Miguel Seco. The songs collectively came together, although Rose was my little moment, I always write on an acoustic, if it sounds good on that, it will sound good electric. We rehearsed and recorded the tracks at Shoestring in Stafford before taking them to Miguel. He is currently helping us add these and more to album 3.
Q: What has been the most memorable concert or performance for Naked Sunday so far?
A: After lockdown and not been out live gigging our first show back was at KKs Steel Mill festival, a huge stage and sound and was also live streamed to people’s homes
Q: Reflecting on your body of work, each song holding its unique significance, could you share a particular track that stands out to you personally? What makes that specific tune special, and why does it hold a place of pride in your musical journey?
A: Home, it’s quite an easy choice again and acoustic song that went electric. Our harmony work we do at the end resonates. Alex really bought some pink Floyd guitar work to it and it was very hard to sing, I walked out the studio at one point as it’s very emotional lyrically, it’s really about losing a friend and seeing them now just glad they are ok, and back in the shire (Staffordshire). It’s about wanting the best for that person.
Q: Exploring the diverse creative processes within the music industry is always fascinating. Could you provide insight into Naked Sunday’s unique approach to crafting music? From the initial spark of an idea to the finished song, how do you navigate the creative journey and bring its musical concepts to life?
A: Each member myself, Alex, Liam or Martin has a strong input to the band which makes us Naked Sunday, creatively we bring In various different styles, we share ideas and riffs over WhatsApp messages and bring these to our rehearsals at Shoe String studio in Stafford. To complete the song, we don’t like to be pigeon holed and are not afraid to be ourselves, each song sounds different but has our own Naked sunday flair . Martin will always write the lyrics.
Q: As we wrap up our conversation, looking ahead, what aspirations or dreams do you have for Naked Sunday, and what message would you like to share with your fans as they continue to accompany you on this musical journey?
A: The dream is to continue this body of work that started as a solo project in 2006. What a journey playing gigs with heroes, to seeing our music on CDs in magazines at shops, people singing back lyrics. It’s been heartwarming to receive such lovely kind words especially from Derek Holt of The Climax Blues band another great Stafford musician. We have lots of exciting gigs next year, please keep supporting us the way you do, it’s never taken for granted.
