Aurora-Project is a band from Manchester, UK, with only a couple of singles out, but plenty of potential that can be deduced from these two singles. We had the pleasure to chat with the band’s vocalist, Rachel Leigh, about their new single ‘Spots to Stripes’ among other topics, and wrote a short review for the December 2020-single.
Review
‘Spots to Stripes’ begins with an interesting melody interrupted with pauses that build up a wonderful mood with Rachel’s vocals brilliantly and passionately bringing lyrics very lively to live. The song is generally powerful with multiple instruments creating parallel melodies at times, and a wonderful stress on the vocals from Rachel making the song even more attractive. Great song from an aspiring band.
Interview
And now here’s our interview with Rachel Leigh. Hope you enjoy!
Hello Rachel! Really happy to be able to chat with you. How is 2021 treating you so far?
Hey there, really pleased to chat! Thanks so much for having me. Not bad thank you, just getting back into it and getting our heads round another UK lockdown. But generally, busy setting things up for the year!
Would you like to introduce your band, Aurora-Project, for our readers learning about you for the first time?
Hmmm, it’s a tricky one haha. We don’t fit comfortably into one genre. We’re a 5-piece alt metal band but with influences from all sorts of genres, including classical, folk, darkwave and shoegaze, and I guess I’m big into electro. We’re also unafraid to be experimental with timings and instruments. Most of the band are extremely talented trained musicians, then there’s me, the intuitive musician, with the emotive, always meaningful lyrics. But it all seems to work to make something a bit different. We have a spread in the UK called marmite, which people either love or hate, we guess that’s going to be us! Haha.
Your band is from Manchester, a city that I love because of a certain football team with a devil on its crest, and the UK, like many other countries, just went into a new lockdown. How has the current pandemic affected you, as a person or as a band?
To be honest, if it wasn’t for lockdown, we’d definitely be on a different path. The guys have been together for years but I only joined 2 years ago. They had a lot of material but no lyrics or melodies, so we worked that first year on writing the new songs and rehearsing with a view to mainly hitting the local live scene hard. But obviously, lockdown stopped this. In fact, our debut single, No Hiding, was an experiment born out of us all being on furlough (paid but not working). Rob, our mandolin/viola player had written something totally new and for fun, we all did our part electronically. I wrote lyrics about lockdown, which is essentially, what it’s about. Then Gaz, our bass player and I got interested in band promo and building socials and we saw what was possible and got a better reception then we could have dreamed of. So lockdown made us really. A positive out of a negative.
You released your new single ‘Spots to Stripes’ recently. How are you feeling about the reception this song got from the fans?
We were really excited for this one as it’s one of our faves. We were glad our fans really enjoyed it. People have said they identify with the powerful lyrics which are all about self-respect and standing up for yourself if you feel devalued. And the energy. And they’re loving the video, and the track’s already done twice as well as our debut, so yeah, we just can’t wait for people to sing along live!
Are you planning for a big release, like an album, soon?
Before lockdown our focus was absolutely a 5-song EP, but we’re doing it a bit differently now, releasing a few singles first and getting the fans to know what we’re about slowly. But there’s plenty in the pipeline, we’re working on single 3 and have a general plan of what we want to bring out for the listeners, as well as added value bits for our fans, so really it’s about the whole package. Watch this space!
To get our readers to know our interviewees from a different point of view, we have a tradition to play a game of imagination. I’ll give you a certain scenario in an alternate universe and you have to react. Ready for my nerdy questions?
Ooh fun! Absolutely, I’m a bit of a nerd myself haha. And, I’ve def got a vivid imagination, go for it!
In a universe where you’re a superhero, what would your superpower be?
I’d like to be able to make everyone dance at will. Haha. Like for a happier world and for comedy value. Because dancing’s one of my fave things in the world ever, apart from music, and I just think no one can be angry or nasty when they’re all dancing together. So it would diffuse arguments and stop wars. It’s the answer to world peace for sure haha.
Well, that’s an interesting answer! In a universe where the senses of taste and hearing are mixed up, what would Aurora Project’s music taste like?
Like Asian Drunken noodles (sprinkle of everything) with extra jalapenos for a heavy kick. With a flagon of medieval mead on the side.
Sounds delicious! In a universe where you’re the queen of a kingdom, what interesting law would you make?
I’d make it Mandatory Marshmallow Monday – not sure what it means, but i’m pretty sure it would improve Mondays!
In a universe where the currency is a person’s sense of humour, how rich would you be?
A pauper, low in the gutter. Well hopefully from this interview alone, you can see I don’t take myself too seriously, though I’m serious about what I do. So, I’d be a goddamn billionaire…
In a universe where you’re not a musician, but a stand up comedian, what would be a joke you’d tell?
I ate a clock yesterday. It was very time-consuming…
😂😂😂 Thank you for playing Rachel! Have you ever been treated in a sexist manner? How would you react to sexism, and what advice would you give young people who face any form of discrimination?
Thankfully not yet. The guys in the band all treat me as an equal. But I’m sure somewhere along the line people will think I’m less intelligent, less talented because of who I am, how I look or how I dress. My advice? Speak up for yourself sure, but actions speak louder than words. You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone, but just keep strong and keep on. And if anyone does anything illegal or makes you uncomfortable, hold them responsible, and if they don’t take responsibility, don’t stand for it.
Thank you for the interview Rachel! It has been a pleasure!
Thank YOU, it’s been a really fun interview! And, remember, everyone check us out…well… if you don’t ask you don’t get, right!
