On Saturday night an event called This Feeling happened at The Cookie in Leicester where a handful of bands came together to put on a show. Leicester locals, Gazelle, invited me along to have a fun night and meet them before hand. I think it's so important to support your local music scene so I said yes and here we are.

Four bands played throughout the night, Gazelle were the headlining act and boy, did they prove it! The rock and roll group get everyone on their feet dancing, singing and even crowd surfing. The sellout show was really something.

I'd brought a few friends with me who had never been to The Cookie prior to this gig and I kept telling them "This is nothing - a sellout show usually has this place bursting at the seams!". They didn't seem to believe me. When 9pm came around, I could barely see above people's heads.

When Gazelle came on stage, the crowed cheered, sang their songs and danced like their lives depended on it - it was amazing to see.

All photo credits: Emily Cotterilli

Made up of Ryan (lead vocals and guitar), Ben (guitar), Richard (bass) and Danny (drums), Gazelle have been building and building their fanbase and could potentially be the next big name from Leicester. Kasabian - watch out.

I got chatting to the lads before their show:

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Who are Gazelle, what do you represent?

Ben
That's a really hard question, we've never been asked that before.

Danny
Threw us off

Ryan
I think we just represent the state of music at the minute, the whole music scene - I think it just needs a bit of a freshen up, there's nothing interesting happening.

Ben
Classic British music

Richard
That people can relate to

You're all from different ends of Leicester, how did you meet?

Ryan
I've always been a city boy really, I've always lived close to the centre, always been in and around town. Danny's been, we met in and around town in pubs in Leicester. We got together. Danny used to follow me around asking to be my drummer for about -

Danny
He asked me to be his drummer.

Ben
We were in a band before and Ryan was in a band and that band came to an end, my band came to an end.

Ryan
It was fate.

What made you want to start a band?

Ryan
Our love for music

You had Stephen Graham support you with your single Finger on the Trigger, how did it come about?

Ryan
I went to see Noel Gallagher in Nottingham, had a few beers in the pub before, met this lad called Pete. We got talking and he said that he knew Stephen Graham, forgot about it, didn't really think much of it. Then a few months later we got an email from Hannah, Stephen's Mrs, they loved the tunes, all over them. They wanted to help out with a video, it just went from there. A few emails were exchanged, turned up on the day, even we didn't really think much of it.

Ben
I think we expected, because he's a massive star, I don't know what we expected but he's just a normal bloke.

Richard
Mrs dropped him off with a packed lunch and that.

Ryan
"Pick you up at five!"

Ben
He was just a normal bloke, I don't really know what we were expecting, wasn't expecting him to be a normal bloke rocking up

Rich
"Right let's do it!"

Ben
We did one scene then jumped in one of our cars, wen't off to do the next scene, jumped in another.

Ryan
Had a chat about football.

Ben
Then we sat in The Queen of Bradgate (local pub), had a drink, did the next scene...

Richard 
Genuinely interested as well.

Ben
With the next video (Guilt Trip Gun), he kind of - not instigated it but

Ryan
Gave us an idea

Ben
Ryan threw out an idea that he had about the video and Stephen Graham had done a film in these trenches. It sparked a conversation.

Richard
Giving us a bit of advice really

Ben
He was just genuinely interested and wanted to help - and he did say that we were the best band to walk the planet but that's his words!

So what inspired Guilt Trip Gun?

Ryan
The song is just about doing something you shouldn't really. There's a few references to the First World War which I put in there so I thought it would be fitting to do the video in a place to do with he First World War as it's something close to my heart. The idea came about, we did the video and then we thought, we don't we dedicate it to the Royal British Legion? It just came naturally.

You've been touring quite a bit, making your rounds. How have the other cities been treating you?

Danny
Good, quite well!

Richard
The responses and the reactions have been really good. We've had a few sold out shows. It's gone really well, everyone seems to be going mad for it.

Ryan
It's like a Thursday night in a place like Lincoln that you've never played before, the whole place was buzzing - beer going everywhere.

What's been your favourite place to play so far?

Ben
Leicester's got to be good! Other than that, probably Lincoln.

Ryan
Coventry's venue

Ben
Nice wasn't it?

Danny
I think the Lincoln lot, the crowd there were brilliant. For a Thursday night!

Richard
Stanford was good.

Ryan
Crowd surfing and all sorts.

Ben
All the gigs that we've never been to, we just have a wonder around the city.

What are your aspirations for the next couple of years?

Ben
Keep going

Ryan
Wembley Stadium

Ben
Just got to keep progressing. If we look back in a years time and we've got a bit further than where we are now, then we're winning aren't we?

Ryan
Keep going up a level.

Ben
We've been grafting for however long. We got together, do al the gigs, make the money, record out tunes and put them out there. Now we're starting to get a bit of backing, other people are listening. Now we're getting a bit of support from elsewhere.

Richard
We know the tunes are there so it's nice to have a bit of support.

Ryan
Speaks for itself really, doesn't it?

If you could tour with one band/person, who would you tour with?

Ben
Gazelle, definitely.

Danny
That's a really good question actually, I don't know.

Ryan
I think it's about time that some new people get involved. I think we've had enough of the older bands that are big already.

Ben
It would be exciting to tour with another band that are on the up like us, that would be more exciting than touring with someone else.

Ryan
Kasabian and stuff, as much as you love them, you never see them bring a Leicester band on tour with them.

Ben
For us and the people watching, there is something a bit more special playing somewhere like here and having an amazing gig, an amazing time, than going for a big venue. Every gig we have, they're knocking around having a beer as well. Don't get me wrong, when we're playing Wembley we won't be anywhere to be seen.

Ryan
We'll have turned into divas backstage.

You're playing at the Leicester O2 Academy, how are you feeling about that?

Ryan
We sold out the Dryden Street Social over Christmas so I think it's just a natural progression really. Similar sized venue really, maybe just a bit bigger. We've gained a new fanbase now, so I think it's just a natural progression to play there now. We'll hit Leicester hard, word's travelling so we've got a lot more people travelling to see us from all over.

You'll be doing a massive tour next - Brixton Academy!

Ben
That is the venue I want to play at. The first massive venue I ever went to. I want to headline Brixton Academy.

Do you have a message for your fans?

Richard
Keep spreading the word.

Danny
Keep coming, it's good fun!

Ryan
Stop downloading them off of YouTube and actually pay for them.

Ben
And buy a t-shirt!

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You can listen to Gazelle on Spotify and support them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Until next time...









I was invited to this event for reviewing purposes, I did make a contribution to the charity.


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