This Middlesbrough Musician is the First Signing for a New Newcastle Label
Middlesbrough's rising star Finn Forster is the first signing for Newcastle-based music label Interval Records
Singer-songwriter Finn was surrounded by music growing up. His family members including his mum are all musicians and part of The Shea Family Band, and Finn recalls early memories of them singing Irish folk covers. ‘That’s how I got my start in music, by watching them in rehearsals, seeing them at festivals and eventually joining them, playing a little bit of guitar,’ he tells us. ‘I eventually went off and did my own thing, and was the first out of all of us to want to pursue [music] as a career rather than just for fun.’
In lockdown Finn started writing and releasing music from home, which is when he met his manager Chelsea Wood. ‘Things have just gone from strength to strength,’ he says. ‘I recently released my EP and I’ve supported the likes of UB40, The Reytons and Bastille. This summer marks a busy festival run too.’ Finn has been on the line-up of countless festivals across the region and further afield this year, including In the Park, NOVUM, A Stone’s Throw, Mouth of The Tyne and Hardwick Festival.
Finn describes his sound as ‘soulful indie’ but says he takes inspiration from country music too. His new EP is titled Grey Skies, and BBC Music Introducing in the North East recently made the title track their Track Of The Week.
‘It’s very fitting to where I’m from, where it rains quite a lot,’ he laughs. ‘It includes five tracks – Can’t Back Down, On My Mind, Stay Right Til The End, Grey Skies (the title track) and a sort of acoustic love ballad called Always. The whole EP is written from personal experience and personal scenarios. I write a lot about perseverance and continuing to push through difficult times, especially with the song Grey Skies. Although you might not have a giant abundance of opportunity it just means you’ve got to dig your feet in a little bit more and work that little bit harder to rise to the top. The general theme of the EP is about persevering with whatever is thrown at you.
‘One of the main things that keeps me going and motivated is to show others that you can break out of the mould. The North isn’t rife with opportunities compared to major cities or down South – it seems that’s where the opportunities gravitate to – but that’s just been an extra spark of motivation for me. I want to be able to prove to people in 10 years time, who might want to come through the grassroots way, that it can be done.’
Finn sees his signing to Interval Records as a good step in the right direction. Operating from Generator’s offices on Newcastle Quayside, the label is led by acclaimed Teesside-born recording artist and entrepreneur, Josh Daniel. Josh hopes Interval Records will offer fresh opportunities for artists in the region and he speaks highly of Finn, describing him as ‘a stand-out local talent and the full package’ and ‘one of the most hard-working and grounded artists [he’s] come across in a long time’.
‘Being able to keep the same team has been a perfect package deal for me as a Northern artist,’ Finn says. ‘Josh and the team at Interval Records and EMI North are paving the way for people like me. I’m hoping that moving forward we can be the pioneers of music up North.
‘It’s all about taking things up a level. I’m really excited to start working with Interval Records and putting our heads together to put a release plan together going forward for new music. I’m writing more than ever now and not taking my foot off the gas. I also want to get out there and play live as much as possible. I’ll be getting to work in this confined creative space with Josh and Chelsea and the team and taking things up a notch. It’s really exciting! It’s just about making a plan and making this second half of the year even busier than the first.’
Where’s your happy place in the North East?
Guisborough Walkway. It’s a walking trail surrounded by forest, and a nice place to go if you want to clear your head, get a bit of fresh air or to get away from every day life. I’ve got a dog so it’s good for walks, which you can make as short or as long as possible along the trail.
Where’s the place you love to perform in the North East?
I’ve come to build a really cool and really nice relationship with the team at Middlesbrough Town Hall and they’ve really looked after me from the very beginning. I think I’m one room away from playing every room in the building as well, so that’ll be a nice gig when I get to do that. It’s got a lot of history and I played in the Courtroom recently which was really cool. I’ve got a lot of memories there and a lot of nostalgia comes from that building.
Name a North East musician we should listen to.
I’m really loving Imogen and the Knife. She’s just brought out her debut EP which is right up my street. She’s really lovely as well. We met a while back in London at a showcase I was playing. She’s from Newcastle, and a good musician to check out.
For more information about Interval Records, visit intervalrecords.com and find Finn’s latest live dates at linktr.ee/finnforster. Stream Grey Skies now.