Morganway Talk New Album, Single And More

6-piece self-described Americana rock band Morganway are now strangers to JLTT with our late lead writer Pete Sargeant enjoying their music and live performances. Their new album ‘Kill The Silence’ is released on 31st January 2025 with a headline UK Tour in April. We spoke to the band about their new album and more:

Answers from:

Callum Morgan (CM) – bass, lead vocals

Kieran Morgan (KM) – lead guitar

SJ Mortimer (SJ) – lead vocals

Matt Brocklehurst (MB) – keys

 Who is in Morganway, what do they play and how did you meet?

CM: Morganway is a six-piece alternative rock, country, Americana melting pot of a band. It features me on bass and sometimes lead vocals too, my twin brother Kieran on lead guitar, SJ Mortimer on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Nicole Terry on fiddle, Matt Brocklehurst on keys and (Steady) Ed Bullinger on drums. Kieran and I go way back, you know, the womb and what not, and we’ve known Matt since childhood. Ed we got to know at sixth form, and SJ and Kieran met doing the same music course in Southampton. They later became close with Nicky when all of them were living in Cambridge, playing in bands together. In early 2018, we finally all started playing together in Morganway.

 When did you begin songwriting? 

SJ: I think the first song I wrote was called ‘Fun House’ when I was 10 in a girl group at school, heavily inspired by Spice Girls and Bewitched! When I went to Uni to study music that’s when I really got the bug for it.

CM: I suppose I technically started writing songs when I was probably around 12. The way we write as Morganway begins whenever we enter a room together! It’s always evolving. Different members may begin a song outside the band, but it’s often going to change in some way the moment it becomes Morganway.

 What is your earliest musical memory?

CM: With my brother at my parent’s house listening to ‘I Can’t Stand Losing You’ by The Police, dancing along and shouting the words. At the time I thought Sting was singing, “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t stand music!” My parent’s found that hilarious and chose not to correct me and for years I thought they were the actual lyrics…

SJ: I think I was sung to sleep by the likes of Bon Jovi & Queen growing up. My family is very musical and I have very happy memories singing anything from Disney songs, Eagles songs, to Shania with my Dad by the piano and learning to harmonise.

You have your new single ‘I Feel The Rain’ out now. What was the inspiration/story behind the track?

SJ: This track was inspired by when we supported Skunk Anansie in Norwich. We were totally blown away by the magic of the band on stage – their electricity and chemistry and crazy rock and roll energy was amazing. We jammed ‘I Feel The Rain’ not long after together in Kieran & I’s home studio “the shack”, and the song came out like a bolt of lightening!

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it? 

SJ: The music video was so much fun to film! Nicky and I had a crazy idea of wanting to flail about in the sea and be witches – we didn’t realistically think it would happen but it did! We’re super lucky to have some very talented videographer friends – Roger Sargent & James Robinson. They were fully on board with our ideas, so we went to a beach in Norfolk and went full on witch mode, fire torches and all, and there were seals in the sea when we went in – pretty cold but a hell of a lot of fun!

In addition, you will release your new album ‘Kill The Silence’ on 31st January 2025. How did you want to approach the making of the album? 

CM: This was our third album, and we really wanted to take any ‘thinking’ out of the room. We wanted to capture what it was like to discover a song for the first time, and the parts that naturally form in that setting. We also wanted to record the band playing live, together, in a room, with minimal overdubs. It was all about the rawness.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

KM: We recorded the album in the Welsh valleys at a place called Foel Studios. The album was self-produced by the band and engineered by Mike Bew – who owns and runs Foel. We wanted to capture a rawer sound to our previous two albums so set up in the room together and recorded most of it live. 15 songs were tracked over 4 days, with 12 making it on to the album.

CM: We plan to release the other songs too, at some point, but you didn’t hear it from me…

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions? 

CM: We were in rural Wales, middle of nowhere, lots of bats! One flew in the control room late one night and we were all trying to help it out. Have you ever tried to catch a bat? Not easy! Ed did eventually, what a dude. And the bat was fine.

SJ: Whiskey was consumed… a lot of whiskey! And there were loads of meercats right next to the studio which was so wholesome and lovely. No signal so we could totally switch off from life and only think about the music. Safe to say we all had a good time.

Do you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for your music?

KM: I feel the 6 of us come from very different musical backgrounds but share a passion for live music. So when we bring our different influences together it is what creates the sound of Morganway which is 6 people who just love to play together. For me personally I use a lot of reverb in my guitar sound and that is down to a wonderful pedal called the Eventide H9. It has an epic corridor reverb which I love.. Nicky is a violin luthier and built the violin that is used on this record (and on anything Morganway has done) which is pretty damn awesome.

SJ: Nicky and I have always been very acoustic with our instruments but with this new album we experimented with some pedals. A favourite moment in the studio for me was when we put Nicky’s fiddle through a crazy distortion pedal – it sounded like nothing else!

 Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

SJ: I think our music really goes through the emotions and can be a rollercoaster at times – like the industry! For me ‘Feels Like Letting Go’ is the happiest, ‘I Feel The Rain’ the angriest and ‘Surrender’ the most reflective. I found recording vocals on this album so cathartic – it was great therapy!

Who created/designed the album artwork?

CM: We had a photoshoot with Roger Sargent – who’s a bit of a hero of mine having worshiped The Libertines since my teen years and loving the work they did together. We were so thrilled with the photos we felt they should be used as the album artwork somehow. We chose two of the exterior ones. Nicky – who is a fantastic artist in her own right and did our previous album’s artwork – designed her own text, hand drawn, for our name, the title, and the tracklist, too. While it’s very much her own thing it reminds me a little of Anthony Kiedis’ (RHCP singer) writing style, which I love as the Chilis are a regular on our tour playlist. Nicky then worked on the rest of the design with Matt, our keyboardist and graphic design wiz. Very much the DIY ethos right there!

Was it a difficult album to write?

SJ: I think picking the songs for the album was harder that writing the album. We’d had a lot of time away from the live circuit after the pandemic, so we were flooded with ideas and songs. We recorded 15 songs live in the studio in just a few days – the hard part was deciding which then made the album, and don’t get me started on the track listing!

CM: There were some we didn’t quite finish too, and I hope they find there way out into the world because their omission was nothing to do with their quality. Picking an album is hard, man!

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

SJ: To have connected with the audience and given them a fun emotional show full of all the feels. I love going straight to the merch table after a show and chatting with people. Music lovers are the best kind of humans and our fans are just the best.

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

CM: I love my Rickenbacker bass, but for some tracks you can’t beat a Fender Precision. I tend to go between the two. My favourite instrument though is probably my Maton acoustic – I’ve had it for about a decade and it’s covered in road wounds. But it very much feels like an extension of me now, I’m not sure where it ends and I begin.

SJ: I love my wireless mic. Nicky’s gone wireless with her fiddle too. We are free and it is wonderful.

KM: My trusty PRS Vela Guitar! It’s ol’ reliable, never goes out of tune and looks awesome. We call her ‘The Badger’ – I also have a Gibson Flying V which is a guitar you rarely see these days. Particularly in the Americana Country Scene… whenever I get that out I get a lot of comments. There have been gigs when chants have happened for the V to come out. Looks and sounds amazing… but horrible to play!

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

SJ: Half of us are from Norfolk, half from Cambridge – so we say we’re from East Anglia, the a*** of England!

CM: … in an affectionate way! Someone pointed out to us once if you look at the country, where East Anglia is placed it looks a bit like… never mind.

 How do you look after your voices? 

SJ: I recently discovered an amazing warm up technique for touring from a vocal coach which is singing through a straw into a bottle of water. We recently did a tour that was 10 days in a row and the straw technique got me through like magic! Would recommend to any singer and it’s so easy and travel friendly. I also carry a “bag of health” on tour which is mainly lemon, honey, vitamins, Vocalzones, and of course whiskey…

 You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

CM: What a great question! Matt?

MB: I recently read Espedair Street by Iain Banks, which is one of those ‘ageing bitter rock star looks back at their past’ books, and I can imagine it being a really gritty film with lots of opportunities for atmospheric moments in the soundtrack, so that would be a fun one to have a go at with the band… from time to time we do drift into slow slightly inebriated moody psychy jams… we should probably do more of that, it’s great fun!

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations? 

CM: I can’t get enough of Craig Finn as a lyricist. The Hold Steady are one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen but his recent solo stuff is fantastic, too. Check out his single “Messing With The Settings”. The lyrics and story floored me the first time I heard it.

SJ: So many bands from the 70s & 80s! Eagles, Fleetwood, Queen, Bon Jovi, Hall & Oates, the list goes on! Recently I’ve been super inspired by Haim, Kacey Musgraves, Boy Genius, Stephen Wilson Jnr and of course Tay Tay.

MB: In terms of pianists I’d say the underdog piano rock scamp Ben Folds was my main inspiration through high school. I also owe a lot of my ambitions as a player to Ollie McGill from Aussie acid jazz juggernauts The Cat Empire… his solos are absolutely mesmerising, someone once said it’s ‘like he’s holding onto the back of a train, and the faster he plays the easier it is for him to hold on’. Every time I see him, I’m inspired to work on my technique (and speed!). In terms of recommendations, the artists whose discographies have consistently impressed and inspired me would be Tom Waits, Nick Cave, David Bowie and Radiohead.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025?

KM: We have our first ever German headline dates after going out there to support Elles Bailey and then later Belle and Sebastian, followed by our biggest ever UK headline tour!

What makes Morganway happy and what makes you unhappy? 

CM: Nothing feels better than discovering a song, together, in the studio, when everyone has completely let go and the sound you’re making is no longer just you; it’s an out of body experience. Playing live too, of course. Those things make us happy. No coffee and traffic jams? Not so much.

SJ: Touring and performing is the dream. We’re a live band through to our very core. The admin side of being an independent artist can become taxing at times and can freeze the creativity, but it’s all part of it. If it was easy the emotional rollercoaster would be a walking escalator at the airport at best! Sometimes the music industry can be tough, but we ride out the lows to get to the highs – which is performing live and connecting with people through music. I couldn’t imagine wanting to ever do anything else.

Feature Image & Album Artwork Photo Credits: Roger Sargent

Morganway’s new album ‘Kill The Silence’ will be released on Friday 31st January 2025.

Pre-save the album here: https://earache.lnk.to/killthesilence

Following the release of Kill The Silence and their first headline tour in Germany, Morganway will embark on their biggest-ever headline UK tour.

For tickets and more information visit their official website here: https://www.morganway.co.uk/

The April 2025 UK Tour will visit the following venues:

Wed 2 Apr – Norwich, Epic Studios
Thu 3 Apr – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
Fri 4 Apr – Newcastle, The Cluny
Sat 5 Apr – Glasgow, Drygate
Sun 6 Apr – Whitby Pavilion
Wed 9 Apr – Hassocks, Mid Sussex Music Hall
Thu 10 Apr – Birmingham, Hare & Hounds
Fri 11 Apr – Manchester, The Deaf Institute
Sat 12 Apr – Bodega Nottingham
Sun 13 Apr – Birkenhead, Future Yard
Wed 23 Apr – Winchester, The Railway Inn
Thu 24 Apr – Oxford, The Jericho
Fri 25 Apr – Bristol, Thekla
Sat 26 Apr – London, Omeara