Q&A with W. H. Lung (#airwaves19)

Filed Under: Iceland Airwaves, Q&A with... — By: Elke Nominikat

You might have come across W. H. Lung on glamglare (or elsewhere) before, because we truly dig the Manchester three-piece,  whose sound is a mix of krautrock, post-punk and synthpop. Much to our delight, they are scheduled to perform at this year’s Iceland Airwaves and hence we reached out to Joseph E (vocals, synths), Tom S (guitar) and Tom P (bass) to learn a bit more of the band before we will see them live and in color! Big THANKs for taking the time out of your super busy schedule and answering our questions.

Listen to W. H. Lung on Spotify or Apple Music while reading on:

Q: Have you been to Iceland before, as a band or private?

No never, very excited to visit. We were discussing recently the utter joy it is to be able to see the world by virtue of our music. Reykjavik appears to be a very beautiful place. We’re staying on for a few days after the show to properly explore.

Q: What are you looking forward to the most in Iceland aside from experiencing live music during the festival? 

It looks to be a good environment for photography and Tom recently acquired a very nice portable film camera. I actually don’t know lot about Iceland aside from the Northern Lights which might be distressingly uncultured to admit. Hopefully we can find a helpful guide in exchange for merch and gratitude.

Q: Will you play “Nothing Is” live? I love your incredibly atmospheric live video for this track. Who had the idea to perform in an empty pool and was this place hard to find?

If the set time’s long enough! Thank you. The video was made relatively early on in our adventures as W. H. Lung. We wanted to develop some kind of aesthetic originality from the start; the first gig we played was in a museum for the Manchester writer Anthony Burgess and the decision to shoot a video in an empty Victorian bathhouse might be seen to follow a similar drive for novelty. Tom P. directed and shot (and played in!) the video; we’re very fortunate to be able to call on his skills in that area. It was a fun project, we were on a budget and we called our mates in to play with us, bring their furniture and man the cameras, lights and sound.

Q: Who are you looking forward to seeing at Iceland Airwaves? 

AE MAK are great live and I’ve not yet managed to catch a whole set, she has an amazing energy and I’m told is a lovely person too. Self Esteem is fabulous, of course. Whitney warm the heart. Looking forward to having a wander and checking out the local offerings too.

Q: As fans of the British indie rock scene, we get the impression that aside from London, Manchester seems to be THE place for cool bands. Hardly one week passes by that we’re not featuring a band from there. Is there something in the water in Manchester?

It’s a city built on staunch musical arrogance so I’ll say yes, very much so.

Q: Upon discovering W.H. Lung and featuring your song “Inspiration!”, your press photo sported three people with plastic bags over their heads. Marketing gimmick or message behind?

Marketing gimmick is probably more palatable! We were keen to obscure the personality; we wanted the music at the forefront. Such a ploy is very much impossible because ‘mysterious’ is perceived to be a personality type. We’ve sacked all that off now and prefer high quality close up portraits.

Q: If you could choose to live in a decade (music, style, etc.) which one would it be? 

Right now. Midnight In Paris makes a very good case against yearning for times past. (If pushed, 90s. We were so close.)

Q: What’s up next for W.H. Lung? What can your fans expect?

Songcraft, album 2, more shows, the moon.

We loved getting your insights and feedback and are very much looking forward to your set on Saturday, November 9th at 10pm at the intimate rock club Gaukurinn in Reykjavik! Definitely, have a walk and check out local band  as well and we might run into each other at AE Mak‘s or Self Esteem‘s set. Thanks again for your time.

Connect with W. H. Lung on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and listen to their album “Incidental Music”:

Photo Credit: Rosie Butcher

Check out our Iceland Airwaves playlist: