Haven - Wolverhampton, UK, Summer 2001
By: Toby L
In the same time that it takes for you to blurt out the word 'Wow', Haven will have just stolen away your heart with one of their soaring choruses, and locked it within their ability to create music to lose yourself to. So, yes, this is a new band that don't really need to wait and hone their craft before they reach a level that's marketable. Nope, instead, it's going to a tough job for ex-Smiths manager, Joe Moss - who's now adopted similar responsibilities in handling this four-piece - to hold them back from becoming too big, too soon.
The reasons for pacing their build-up to stardom? Well, what's the point in riding a wave of hype if it's impossible to live up to it? The way these guys see it is that the hard work should go in early on to get the public known to the ways of their talent, prior to any media furore - which shall inevitably follow suit, just in time for any chance of international stardom.
Haven are comprised of singer/guitarist, Gary Briggs, guitarist, Nat Wason, the curiously-named bassist, Iwan Gronow and drummer, Jack Mitchell. So, yes, in all fairness, it's hardly a great change in line-up to the typical, British guitar bands on show out there. However, what is different to Haven and all the other acts is the end-result sound - and more importantly, the dexterity and passion which combine together sublimely to form it.
For instance, there's Briggs' voice, which is that of the mouth-drop-open-when-you-see-him-perform variety, your eyes locked on to his every breath into the microphone and ears hooked into every towering, high note... Watching such a performer can be a moving experience. The rich musicianship of Wason's distinctive and finely adaptable guitar-play, Gronow's sturdy rhythms and Mitchell's clear expertise ensures far more than a back-up to the frontman's transcendent vocals, offering also a plentiful display of character in each member.
Of the music, the temptation to become cliché, arrogant and mundane is seemingly non existent. Luckily, this leaves them to produce the grace and sumptuousness of 'Beautiful Thing', together interlocked with the destined-for-greatness, 'Say Something' and current third release, 'Let It Live', all commonly offering more than can be found in careers that have spanned for decades on end. To top it all, they've been rewarded the accolade of working with the legendary and hugely influential guitarist, Johnny Marr, who has produced their debut LP - something that not many have gained so early on into their life-span within music.
Tonight, though, the band are proving themselves to new faces, as well as members of the fanbase they've shortly established along their way to the top. Yes, they're playing one of those soon to be acknowledged as 'classic', debut co-headline tours - along with the Nude Records-signed newcomers, Gloss. However, the latter cannot make it this evening, leaving Haven to impress the respectable turn-out at the Varsity venue in Wolverhampton. From early on, it's apparent that the onlookers are keen to see whether or not the Manc-based quintet can dispel the relative amount of hype that's already developed around them. By the closure of their rousing set, judging by audience reaction, no one's left disappointed.
It's therefore quite bizarre when you hear how their identity derived from an 'ill-fated' holiday-camp experience, in a resort that provided the band with their name...
'Well, that's a humorous take on it,' laughs off Briggs. 'In all honesty, I met the band in Cornwall and it's weird: for such a place that's well known for big fields and all that shit, it's kind of claustrophobic... There was nothing really going on around that really interested us other than the music.
Nat backs this up. 'If there's the four of us playing in a room, then there aren't many thoughts other than on what's happening, so it clears your head and becomes therapeutic.'
'When we were playing,' continues Gary, 'We got that moment where it all came together and we knew we were on to a good thing; it (music) becomes your solace, in a way, for everything you hate. That's where the name, 'Haven', came from, because - without wishing to sound dramatic - you can find refuge in your own music, although, living in Cornwall, it wasn't that I had anything to shy away from and it's not an overtly violent place. However, playing music was our outlet and it made everything seem all right.'
'The great thing about having left Cornwall is that I can understand it more,' lingers Wason. 'I really enjoyed living there - was really comfortable, but probably a bit too comfortable, so - now I've left - I'm glad, because - if I hadn't - I know that I'd still be there doing not much and just being content.'
By being in such a remote and cut-off part of the country, in comparison to the more busy and populated towns and cities located in the UK, how was the interest in music unfolded?
'I've been into it since I was a young kid,' opens Nat, pondering on his past with a seemingly satisfied gleam in his soft eyes. 'My folks were always into it and my dad's done a lot of travelling, so there's always been music playing in the house since a really young age. I got into playing whatever was around: pianos, flutes, old tablas and all that shit! I first picked up a guitar, though, when I was about twelve.
'I just locked myself away with the guitar; everyone else was out doing their socialising bit and I missed a few years of that because I got to know how to play all my favourite records and almost immediately got playing with a drummer, so I went straight into that.
'Because of my parents, I started out listening to all the classic late-60s gear, early-70s and my old man was into reggae and all sorts. I got into listening to just guitar music - guitar players on their own in different styles.
'My guitar playing - because I've been known Gary for so long - is a product of his melody and singing, as much as his guitar playing is, as I'm always working with his voice.'
'I'm not sure exactly how old I was,' Gary utters, scratching his head. 'Music was always a big part of my family - there was always a lot of records around. My mum played the piano and my dad played a bit of guitar so there were musical leanings too. You could say that music runs in families, but it can go either way; you could get a family that are really into music and it maybe turns the kids off it, but I suppose I was lucky, because I was turned on by the records that my family played.
'The first record I remember actually going and getting was 'Timeless Melody EP' by The Las, but there was stuff like Buffalo Springfield kicking around the house. I turned on to the Velvet Underground and bands like the Messenger Service and I remember my sister playing New York Dolls records, so I started checking that all out as well.
'I think the defining moment for me, really, was coming across Nirvana, though; it just f**king blew everything else away. Their 'Unplugged' show was the seminal rock performance, in my eyes anyway.'
And, of creating an influence - such as the one that Nirvana cast upon music - is this something that Haven would wish to similarly achieve in their career?
'It's a funny one, because there's not really - and never has been - an agenda behind this band,' the frontman mentions with a convincing touch of earnestness. 'It's really nice now, though, knowing that other people are going to have an opportunity to hear the music; the only thing that I really want is for everyone that likes the band to be able to get a copy of one of the records - that would be enough for me.'
Were either members' 'musical leanings' and backgrounds enough to tempt them at a young age into aspiring to get involved with the industry or performing?
'I don't know about being a performer,' whimpers Wason. 'I dreaded the idea of being onstage as a kid! However, when what you've got is right, you're just proud to get up there and do it.'
'The music industry, no, but to be able to make music and keep a roof over my head as a result, yeah,' nods Briggs. 'I never understood what the music-industry means - and I still don't! It's easier to slag it off as you often read about it, but gone are the days where there's anything serious to be moaning about how it all runs.'
When first grouping up together in Cornwall, was there a specific music scene present there?
'No,' instantly quips Gary, 'And that was the main reason that we moved away. It's a great place to be doing what you do anonymously, but I think there comes a point when you really want to challenge yourself and see what's going on out there.
'So, we moved to Manchester and I was amazed at the amount of bands there were and the standard, if you want to call it that, but I'm not one for saying that this band's better than the next band because I think that's bullshit. However, there was definitely a degree of competency that we came across in Manchester which had been alien to us before.
'We were playing gigs where there were members of Alfie, or Damon (Gough, AKA Badly Drawn Boy) and Doves knocking about, so you had to be f**king good.'
One perception of Manchester bands is that they're loud, outspoken and make music for the masses - how do you see the Mancunian scene and how do Haven fit into it?
'There's not really a universal sound for Manchester, so we fit in with it that way,' acknowledges Nat thoughtfully.
'There's certainly not a definitive, Manchester sound,' views Gary firmly. 'For example, Alfie are massively different to Doves, as they are to Elbow and I Am Kloot - and these are just bands that everyone knows of at the moment; the scene's become far too cosmopolitan for anyone to really feel like they need to stereotype it.'
And because the quality of music has been so high recently in such parts, do you feel any pressure in what you're doing to come up against it?
'No, not really,' Gary reveals. 'We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be honest and to do what we do with integrity, if you like. We're not in it to play games and compete. We've just finished our album - and we've made an album that sounds like Haven, not any other band.
'We hope that people will find it to be a great listening experience; we spent three and a half weeks making it solely so it sounded fresh and exciting.'
If you hadn't moved out to Manchester, how do you think your music would have turned out differently?
Nat draws upon comparisons to answer the question. 'Well, if you look at the music that's come out of San Francisco and New York, you'll see the differences and how everything's affected by surroundings. Also, if you follow the blues from Mississippi and follow it up the Mississippi to the different areas it got to, depending on what's there, you can hear the effect in the sound. For example, you know that train sound you get in some blues - that sort of chuggy thing - that's literally come from trains as it was the main means of transport and this shows how - without even realising it - you start imitating the noises around you.'
Gary responds similarly. 'Bob Dylan moved to New York to do his thing and he could only ever sound like someone from New York, that kind of anger that he had and I think that moving to Manchester introduced a more realistic, harder edge to our music...
'Living in Cornwall's like living in Limbo: I was scared that I'd look round in thirty years and see an old man stood there, thinking and wondering where it all went, because time and fashion and what's really going on has no reality; the biggest drama down there would be the baker running out of bread!'
The 'Haven sound' has been discussed - but what does this band have which others don't and will ensure their success?
Gary pauses, momentarily speechless, before finding the response. 'Well, we're pro-melody in every aspect and that's what it's about for us. The guitar playing in particular is pretty special; Nat's a great guitar player and we really work well together. I think that's something that will always be really evident on all of our records - as much melody as possible.'
'There's a kind of energy,' feels Wason. 'I think there's a pretty strong feel-good factor about the music; this isn't a reflection on the lyrics, but the attitude behind the playing of the music. I don't think it's subtle - it's very bold; you could whisper an idea, or you could just scream it out. For us, we'll just push it out as far as it can all go.'
With this sentiment in mind, how would you prefer people to hear Haven for the first time - in concert or on record?
'It'd be nice to see the band live,' guesses Briggs. 'It's a different experience (to hearing the records): a bit looser and anything can happen, I suppose - you just see where it takes you.'
'We've made an album that we're really pleased with, though. We've recorded about thirteen songs, all of which should make it on to the album, but it'd be best to have a nice, rounded record that's enjoyable. The strangest thing about having made a record is that now - taking into consideration the type of people that might buy it and listen to it - we want to make it as natural for them as we can.'
What with so much having been put into furthering Haven, what are you looking to get out of it?
'It'd be nice to have a long part of my life taken up playing and to take the chance to go travelling a lot,' smiles Nat.
Gary agrees. 'I'd like to just to keep playing... What I always really admired about American bands is how they didn't feel it was necessary to create a big drama about a gig; they'd just kind of plug in and play - it didn't have to be an event. That's the ethic that we're running under; we just want to turn up at as many venues as we can and turn our amps on - and hopefully turn a few people on as well. That's all I want to get out of it, really - people walking out, knowing that they've seen a good band.'
There's no doubt of that happening too; for a band that have released one EP and just a single, they promise great things. Given time, electrifying shows as such witnessed this evening - not to mention the fine batch of material they've acquired along the way - will guarantee them the time to shine that they're looking for.
And that's when they'll represent not just a solace and haven for themselves, but also for thousands of music fans too.
Artists in this article: Haven