by Tom Lanham
( Photo : Lewis Vorn )
Circa
Waves
Songs of Freedom
K
calm and carry on ’ was a mass-produced British poster from 1939 intended to help rally spirits in the face of a looming WWII and its attendant Blitz-strafing air raids . But it ’ s since become a much larger metaphor for the traditionally stoic , unflappable English constitution , in general , the type of personality that remains virtually unfazed in even the direst of circumstances . Liverpudlian Kieran Shudall reckons he comes from similarly brave genetic stock , which allowed him to pass one of his toughest personal tests , ever – he and his wife having their first child , Sonny , just as the pandemic constricted around not only home life for the guitarist / vocalist but his anthemic rock outfit Circa Waves and the touring world in which it could no longer freely operate . But he kept remarkably calm , carried on , and emerged with a healthy , well-adjusted kid and an incredibly uplifting , almost singalong album , Never Going Under , Circa Waves ’ fifth album and one of its best . Circa Waves also just released the Never Going Unplugged EP ; a selection of acoustic re-workings of four tracks from the recent album ,
“ It was three and a half years ago Sonny was born , and it was just something I really wanted to do , so I thought , ‘ Why not ?’,” says the personable Shudall , 35 , who exorcised his dark lockdown demons in roughly 200 songs he cathartically penned for the record . “ And he ’ s asleep in the next room , so that ’ s why I ’ m being relatively quiet . So he was a baby during the pandemic , and it was really hard , to be honest because my mum and my wife ’ s mother couldn ’ t hold him because you still weren ’ t allowed to crosspollinate families at that point . So we had a baby that his grandparents couldn ’ t hold or play with , and it was crazy – just raising a baby in this weird bubble . But it was cool for me because I wasn ’ t on tour , so I got to fully appreciate everything that goes into raising a small child .” When the vocalist – who ’ d launched Circa Waves in 2015 with its rollicking Young Chasers debut , after years playing in a plethora of other eclectic outfits – finally reviewed what he ’ d written he distilled it all down to the survivalist theme exemplified in the pulse-pounding title track , “ Never Going Under .” That kicks off the disc in grand defiant style , and it just keeps galloping , full tilt , dispensing witty social commentary along the way , as in the climate-change-nodding “ Hell on Earth ,” the social-media-empowered slams on selfentitlement “ Electric City ” and “ Want it All Today ,” and Oasis-monstrous anthems like “ Golden Days ” and a symphonic “ Living in the Grey .” Released late last year , with a backing world tour finally underway , “ Never Going Under ” should prove inspiring to all who hear it , giving fans some renewed post-Covid courage to keep calm and carry on themselves , wherever they happen to be . Shudall certainly hopes so . “ I ’ m just trying to write some decent songs that make people feel good ,” he summarizes , before delving into his process in greater detail .
IE : “ Carry You Home ” sounds like a warm wish for your son . But you also admit human frailty , as well . KS : I do , yeah . And I think it ’ s an English thing to be extremely self-deprecating whenever possible . I mean , in my own mind I might be a relatively confident person , so I think it ’ s just a very learned habit to be selfdeprecating as an English person . And I don ’ t know why that is .
IE : There ’ s a moment in “ Hell on Earth ,” though , when you shout in the chorus , “ Oh , my God !” And you can just picture a packed nightclub chanting along . KS : Yeah ! We just did five shows in three days , and we did The Cavern Club in Liverpool . And that song ? It was exactly what you just said – a whole sweaty room of people screaming , “ OH ! MY ! GOD !” It was fucking great , man . It was everything I wished that song would be , a proper singalong . So it was so cool to write that in a time when I didn ’ t know if there were ever going to be gigs again and to be in an actual gig where it feels that special .
Read our full interview at IllinoisEntertainer . com april 2023 illinoisentertainer . com 19