Pavey Ark Talk Second Album, Musical Influences And More

 Hull-based cinematic indie-folk outfit Pavey Ark return’ their forthcoming second album ‘More Time, More Speed’, due for release on Friday 21st November 2025. The band sat down to talk about the new record, musical influences and more:

 

Who is in Pavey Ark, how did you meet and what do you play?

I recorded an EP as solo artist (Breaking Out EP) and used to go down to a regular open mic night in Hull. I was looking to start a band to play the songs live and that’s where I met Johnny (Bass+Guitar). I met Sam (Drums) shortly afterwards he was a friend of my father in Law. So it was 3 of us to start. We were booked for a BBC Introducing session and I thought it would be amazing to have some string players. So emailed the Hull University music department. Chris Heron and Kathryn Queen were up for playing so we rehearsed 2 songs quite quickly and Chris wrote the score for them. That BBC session was our first ever performance as Pavey Ark and we have played with strings ever since, I was blown away by them. The lineup has expanded over recent years into a small pool of regular players. Because we play with strings and brass, having a number of players means we usually always have strings and horns available. These are not session players though. We are all Pavey Ark and also good friends. The horns are the most recent addition to the live shows and make their stamp on the new album also. Earlier members Neil Thomas Singer Songwriter / Acoustic guitar Sam Handley – Drums John Hamilton- Bass Guitar, lead guitar Chris Heron- Violin (Composed string arrangements on full album) Alex Simpson – Violin Vicky Berry- Violin

Kathryn Queen – Violin

Beth Nicholson – Cello

Expanded Horns lineup Kieren Iannidinardi – Trumpet Sophie – Iannidinardi- Saxaphone / backing vox

Simon Neligan – Trumpet

Rob Burgess – Electric Guitar, Percussion (Live) Christina Waldock – Cello (Recorded on album session)

 

 

What is your earliest musical memory?

I used to have a small Fisher Price record player, but I used to put my dads old 45 record on it. The Stylus was like nail, me and my brother scratched the hell out of lots of those records (Sorry Dad).

 

When did you begin songwriting?

I got my first guitar when I was 14 and I started writing songs the same week with my friend Paul who lived around the corner. I’ve never really been in to playing covers that much. I’ve always just noodled around creating stuff. We were into Heavy metal. I couldn’t play any chords but we recorded an EP. I’ve still got it:) It was called Dead Loss Bros EP. There was a song on it called Lugworms in Paradise 🙂

 

You have your second album “More Time, More Speed” released on 21st November 2025. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

A song called more time more speed was the the first song I wrote, followed by Your Sweet Time which I wrote in the first covid lockdown, both had a theme of time and I wanted continue the theme throughout the album. How our individual and collective experiences seem to stretch, contract and sometimes completely warp our perception of time. The future, the past, time wasted, time cherished, love, loss, new beginnings and the end of days. Knowing I had a theme for the album helped with writing the songs as at steered them in certain directions.

 

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

The album was almost entirely self recorded in a converted farm building near Hull in East Yorkshire. The changing seasons and landscape on the working farm around the make-shift studio weaving it’s way into the fabric of the album. We hired the space and acquired some microphones and a pre-amp so we could have time to record the album in our own time / pace. It was produced by myself mostly and by the rest of the band weaving their parts into the songs. We worked with Adrian McNally for a while. He’s the composer and producer from the English folk band The Unthanks. He co-produced and mixed 3 songs on the album and also ran the string recording session in Sheffield. He’s an incredibly talented and lovely guy but I struggled to get songs to him in time and he became busy with the Unthanks at certain times of the year.

Adrian was still fully committed to the album despite my slow pace, but an opportunity arose to work with Paul Butler who is the lead singer of the English Indie band The Bees. He produced and mixed one of my favourite albums of all time ‘My Finest Work Yet by Andrew Bird’. Paul didn’t produce for us but did an amazing job mixing the remaining album tracks using analogue outboard equipment to give the songs a real natural warm sound. Paul Mixed 8 of the album songs.

 

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

Recording on a working farm could be interesting, recording would always have to stop around 4pm-ish as the cows were being fed in the next building and their excited moos we’re very very loud. The string quartet recording session was very memorable. We recorded the quartet at a studio in Sheffield. We enlisted the help of Adrian McNally who ran the session. It was a really full on day but very productive. Chris Heron who writes the string scores had been up until 4am the night before finishing the sheet music and and played violin the whole day. So he was absolutely wrecked by the end of the session.

 

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

For recording it’s just a miss mash or stuff I’ve collected. For vocals I’ve used a AKG C414KLII. I have a Beyerdynamic M160 ribbon mic that I’ve used on lots of stuff like acoustic guitars and strings, horns. I have 1 x Warm Audio WA87 which are copies of the Neuman U87 mics which have been great for drum overheads and on string session also.

 

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

Happiest is Your Sweet Time. Angriest is perhaps The Devil’s Time, Most Reflective would be Atoms or Time Is A Burning Wheel.

 

Was it a difficult album to write?

It wasn’t difficult to write, writing comes quite easy and the rest of the band are very talented at adding their parts. But it was very difficult to record, I struggle with the recording process as I’m a bit of a perfectionist. Which is good and bad… but always very time consuming.

 

 

Who designed the album artwork?

I had the idea for the album artwork as there was a bright yellow rape seed field on the farm where we recorded the album. A Facebook friend called Davey Robinson (Timothy’s Travels) had bought a drone and had been posting really cool pics and videos on Facebook. The theme of the album is time so I had the idea of us carrying a grandfather clock through the field. I bought the clock off eBay the day before the shoot and the white overalls so we would stand out against the green/yellow of the field. I had to drive all the way to Thirsk in North Yorkshire to collect the clock. I wasn’t really sure how it would come out but the shot looks fantastic so really happy with the album artwork.

 

Does the album’s title have any significance/special meaning?

It’s named after the song of the same name. More Time. More Speed was was kind of an apology to my wife, for the time I lost recoding the first album and the guilt I felt dedicating all the time to something that kept me away from my family lots. Unfortunately I’ve probably spent more time on album 2 so I’m definitely in the dog house 🙂

 

One of the tracks is ‘The Go Slow’. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

Its a song about waking-up, time returning to its normal pace. The thaw at the end of a long winter. The song was written following the long time-warped period of the pandemic. A reassurance that when things seem at their darkest and coldest. A new day is just over the horizon. “The sun is always rising somewhere”.

 

Do you have any visualisers to accompany the album?

We have some live videos we recorded at BBC Radio over the summer and an official video for Yesterday Is Done. See below.

Epoch live at The BBC https://youtu.be/eBAvE22TdFg

Yesterday Is Done, official Video https://youtu.be/xQJ24CZ_CI4

 

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

My hometown is Hull. That’s where the band was formed. 5 words. Quirky, Creative, Underdog, Friendly, Home.

 

How do you look after your voice?

Lots and lots of water the day leading up to a gig. My pre-gig tipple to calm the nerves is Port. It doesn’t dry you vocal chords like wine, beer and soft drinks do. It lubricates… both the throat and the mind 😉

 

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025/2026?

We’re in the process of booking more shows in. We have an album launch in Hull on Sunday 30th November and a London show at Aces & Eights in Tufnell Green on Monday 8th December but there will be more UK shows being added very soon, London show tickets…https://folkandroots.co.uk/pavey-ark/

 

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

I love the experiences that music provides, it’s unlikely we will make money. It’s difficult to break even to be honest but we have had some amazing experiences like playing at SXSW in Texas and The Glastonbury Acoustic Stage. I wouldn’t have believe that was possible when playing open mics as a solo artist a few years earlier. So I would like some more experiences like that and just to know I did everything I could with no regrets. It’s also an amazing feeling when people buy a record especially when it makes its way to another country. It’s a nice feeling to know you are a part of someone’s music collection.

 

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

My favourite guitar is a Martin OM-21special. I love that guitar, I managed to find one at a great price on eBay.

 

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?

Ooh that’s a tough one, I don’t read a great deal these days. The last book I read was ‘Getting To The Other Side’ by K.D. Cross. My friend wrote it, about his trip across the country on a coast to coast walk but also about his struggle with mental health. It’s dark in places but has a very happy ending. I think our music would suit the landscape that lot’s of the book is set in.

 

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

I’ll recommend some of my favourite albums that influenced the new album. Andrew Bird – My Finest Work Yet Aldous Harding – Party Michael Chapman – Fully qualified survivor Laura Marling – Song For Our Daughter Rodriguez – Coming From Reality

 

What makes Pavey Ark happy and what makes you unhappy?

Festivals make us happy, when we get to perform together then hang out with our friends and family, have a beer and soak up the sun and music. What makes me unhappy is spending much more time emailing people and updating spreadsheets than I do playing my guitar. The life of an independent artist

Feature Image Photo Credit:  Timothy’s Travels

Pavey Ark’s second album ‘More Time, More Speed’ will be released on Friday 21st November 2025.

Pre-order the album here: https://store.paveyark.co.uk/

Live Dates:

Sunday 30th November 2025 – Hull
Monday 8th December 2025 – London, Tufnell Park (Aces & Eights)

Buy tickets for the London show HERE

Bandcamp: https://paveyark.bandcamp.com/track/yesterday-is-done