“Shiver” – an Interview with Chasing Kites

Bath-based indie-rock four-piece Chasing Kites are back with a brilliant new single ‘Shiver’. Released yesterday, the track explores the feelings of frustration and heartbreak at play when looking in on a loved one’s dysfunctional relationship. Musically, think Catfish & The Bottlemen; a growing verse leading to a memorable chorus topped with an anthemic guitar riff. It was recorded with Sam Winfield (Amber Run, Bring Me The Horizon) at Studio 91 and continues the band’s great run of singles.

We caught up with lead singer Matt to talk about “Shiver” and the band’s plans for 2023.

Hi Matt! How’s everything going right now?
Everything is going brilliantly thank you. We’ve been hitting live shows pretty solidly over the last few months and there really is no better feeling. We’re also super excited for the release of Shiver. The track has been a staple in our set for a long time so it’ll be great to finally share the studio version with our fans.

What classic album cover is your current mood?
It couldn’t be anything other than London Calling – The Clash. We love the energy and urgency that is captured in that timeless shot.

Your belting new single is out now. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Absolutely. The skeleton of the track was written by myself (Matt) in the summer of 2021 in the pouring rain. I then sent an acoustic demo over to Liam who brought the track to life with some enormous lead guitar lines. We now can’t imagine opening up our set with anything other than Shiver. Lyrically, the track explores the feelings of heartbreak that are at play when looking in on a loved one’s dysfunctional relationship. An intense feeling of helplessness.

This is the fourth single you’ve released (following up Slide from earlier this year.) Are you planning an EP or album any time soon?
Currently, we have a string of singles ready for release, with a very large batch of new songs written. We plan to release each of these tracks individually over the next year or so. However, with the momentum we are building, we hope the release of our debut album won’t be too far in the future.

If you could only listen to one record, what would it be?
Matt – Meat is Murder – The Smiths
Liam – Broken Machine – Nothing But Thieves
Nathan – In Rainbows – Radiohead
James – The Stone Roses (self titled)

How did the band get together and how did you decide on the band name? Are you avid birdwatchers or fans of flying fabric on a windy day?
The band originally started as a solo project while I was at University in Bath in 2016. That quickly became very lonely so I put out a series of ‘Musicians Wanted’ adverts and the band was slowly pieced together from there. The name symbolises the chase of a constantly moving target. It sometimes feels like this is the nature of the targets that musicians set for themselves.

Who did you listen to when you were growing up and how did they influence the band’s sound?
I (Matt) grew up listening to a lot of Stereophonics (Dad’s influence) and The Smiths (Mum’s influence). It wasn’t until my teens that I discovered Oasis and The Verve which certainly changed everything for me. Liam grew up on Kaiser Chiefs which has definitely provided a raucous influence to our instrumentation. 

You’re supporting Harmer Jays in Bath on release day. What can fans expect from a live show with Chasing Kites?
We are. The show has recently sold out which is very exciting. Fans can expect a lot of energy, loud guitars and enormous, euphoric choruses.

What would go on your signature pizza and what would it be called?
The majority of the band are quite partial to spicy food so we would go for chillies, jalapenos and spicy chorizo. It would have to be called  ‘Chasing Spice’. Horrendous, we know.

Sounds good to me! What doplanned for 2023?
So our plan for the new year is to keep hitting these live shows as hard as we can. We have a few headline gigs agreed for the new year so keep an eye out for those announcements soon. We also plan to release plenty of new music, building up to what should be a very successful festival season.

Chasing Kites are Matt Donnelly (Vocals, Guitar), James Hunt (Drums), Liam Hope (Guitar) and Nathan Price (Bass). The band started in 2016 as the solo project of vocalist Matt Donnelly, Chasing Kites arrived at their full and final lineup in June of 2022, thanks to a series of ‘Band Members Wanted’ advertisements and the miracles of social media. The band have since gone on to be chosen as BBC Bristol’s ‘Big New Sound’ in July with the release of their recent single ‘Slide’.

You can follow Chasing Kites on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with all the latest on the band.

Photo Credits – Luke Shadrick