Stone Angels Talk New Single, Music Video And More

Who is in Stone Angels and what do they play?

We are a four-piece band. On lead vocals/rhythm guitar you have Niall Kersey, lead guitar and backing vocals is myself, James Innes, bass & backing vocals in Sam Sayers & sat at the back of the stage hitting things is our drummer Loz Ford.

You recently released your new single ‘Hold On’. What is the story/inspiration behind the song?

This song came together quicker than any of the others on the record, during a band practice session I came up with the guitar riff, Loz started playing a beat and about 20 minutes later we had the majority of the song. When working out what to call it, Niall said “Hold On, I’ve got an idea!” It’s got a great, fun Friday night feel pulsating through it.

In addition, the single is accompanied by a music video. How did you want to approach the making of the video?

The main aim was to be able to capture and convey the energy of the song. Our director, Nick suggested using a greenscreen to bring it all to life. The end result was wilder and more epic than we could have imagined, it was such a fun shoot.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

We’re on the UK south coast in Brighton. Fun, eccentric, inspiring, diverse and seagulls!

You are looking to release your second album in 2024. Where did you record it and who produced?

We initially started the recording process in 2019 with our friend George Donoghue then the pandemic struck and everything ground to a halt. During lockdown, I was introduced to Mike Krompass (multi platinum producer) and we got on like a house on fire. He invited up to his recording studio in Barnsley, Base Culture UK to help supercharge the record. We were fortunate to get to work with two great producers on this record.

Was it a difficult album to write?

Every album has its challenging moments, we learned from our mistakes with the first album, which was not to rush the process, we made sure to deep dive into our songs to make sure that they were all as strong as they could be. Probably the biggest difficulty that we overcame was a faulty tuner when we began recording as it was tuning a semitone lower than the correct pitch, which had us questioning our sanity when trying to work out why the songs were sounding different.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals?

During the pandemic, I built a telecaster that has a copper flake finish to it, which means it catches the stage flights really well. It’s probably my go-to guitar right now. I call it the “Copper Dog”.

Do you have any UK/Europe live plans for 2024?

There are plans underway at the moment as we want to make 2024 the busiest year possible for Stone Angels. We are currently in talks with a few booking agents but it is too soon to reveal anything just yet. If you’d like us to play where you live, get in touch!

How do you look after your voices?

Early morning, naked yoga, there’s a vision for you! Niall drinks herbal tea that is designed for vocalists to help keep the throat in good condition, he also practices a lot of vocal warm-ups before every performance.

What makes Stone Angels happy and what makes you unhappy?

We are simple creatures, getting to play live in front of crowds is an experience that is hard to beat. The adrenaline buzz is almost indescribable. What makes us unhappy, is that gap that sometimes appears between the crowd and the stage, it’s almost like a void that the audience is too scared to cross. Thankfully, it usually disappears very quickly once the band kicks off the party!