As I watch the The New Union‘s soundcheck at the Macbeth, it is evident that all the members of the band are very much on the same wavelength when it comes to gigs: it’s all about having fun on stage and, in their words, ‘smashing it’. As they barter with the sound engineer they don’t forget the banter, with a lighthearted spirit that music bands should never abandon.
Even though the name ‘New Union’ came about without the band thinking too much about it, the more I chat to them, the more I realise how much it actually fits them: the guys got together in Brighton, as they lived on the same ‘party street’ and knew friends of friends. When they started practicing, they simply realised ‘New Union’ had been formed.

Brighton was arguably the best place for them to meet and progress as a band, as James, the guitarist, explains when saying: ‘Brighton has got an amazing music scene, and still it’s just an hour away from London, but not as big as London, where it’s easy to get lost – musically speaking’.

When I ask them how would they describe their music they laugh and answer that each one of them has got a different opinion, but they all seem to agree on this one: it’s old school indie, with some pop in it – or it could be considered pop if loads of people listened to it, says Richard, the lead singer.

Trying to reach that end, they’ve spent their summer working hard, playing festivals (Great Escape included), writing and recording their first EP. The first extract from it, debut single ‘Without you’, will in fact be released on October 8th.