SHIP ’ S CAT ROBYN HART
Laura Carr : Vocals , Violin , Mandolin and Guitar Andy Carr : Vocals , Guitar , Bass , Keyboard and Percussion
After gigging up and down the country throughout the nineties in various rock outfits , Andy decided to throw his hand in to look for a more stable income . During this downtime he became mesmerised by a local girl who had appeared on ‘ Stars in their eyes ’ as Carol King . Through an act of fate , the two were brought together at a Charity gig that Laura performed at . Desperate to talk to her , Andy plucked up the courage and asked her if she was looking for a band to back her and said he and some friends were looking for a singer … this was nonsense , but sounded better than “ Do you come here often ?”
To his surprise Laura requested a meeting to discuss the idea ! This left two problems ; Andy had no equipment and no friends to form a band !
Never one to turn down a challenge , Andy went out and bought a bass and an amp and set to work contacting some old pals . Within weeks their first musical collaboration ‘ Sneaker ’ was formed . This wasn ’ t to last and after 12 months the band split . Andy and Laura started rehearsing acoustically together . It wasn ’ t long after , guitar strings became heart strings and the music led to wedding bells .
Now fifteen years later , after raising two wonderful daughters , they have returned to the thing that brought them together … music . With a shared love of folk and alternative music they formed ‘ Ship ’ s Cat .’
Inspired by tales of the sea , shipwrecks , smuggling , piracy and just about anything that involves our beautiful coastline , they are ready to set sail again with a set of self-penned songs . Pleasant melodies with haunting undertones . Tales of voyages , murder , debauchery , and the odd love song thrown in ! Ship ’ s Cat are ready once again to play live .
With the album ‘ Everything happened at Black Rock ’ due out later this year , 2023 will definitely be a year to look forward to for those who enjoy and follow the duo .
Twitter : @ shipscatlive
When did you start singing ? I ’ ve been singing for several years now ! I have quite a musical family so I guess I can give them some credit for my singing ! I ’ d say I ’ ve been singing from around the age of 5 but was always a lot more interested in the musical theatre side of things than I was just music . But as I ’ ve become older , I always felt my voice was the one thing I wanted to focus on a lot more rather than the acting , singing and the dancing .
Tell me about your single “ Gotta Let You Go ” Social media was a huge part of how my collaboration came about for my brand new single , I came across Newcastle based producer “ Josh Goodwill ” over Instagram and that ’ s where everything began . Josh recorded a track with us both on in Leeds and after called to say the opportunity had come about for me to collaborate not only with him but also Ricci . That ’ s when I made the journey up to Newcastle for an 8 hour studio session where “ Gotta Let You Go ” was professionally recorded ! Something that I will never forget and am so grateful for having the opportunity to have done !!
How did the Liverpool FC advert come about ? I was lucky enough be chosen to take part in Liverpool football clubs Christmas advert in 2020 from being part of a local small group of singers from my area , there was around 7 of us who took part in total , and it was an incredible experience !
Do you prefer singing with a choir or solo ? This is a very tricky question for me because I love singing with others as I always find it a lot easier to bounce of others ’ energy around me when singing in a choir however , I do love being able to perform solo and knowing that the audience are there to watch you for your music and your vibe !
Do you play any instruments ? So other than singing , I play piano and I used to play the violin but I also like to think I can play the guitar as well , however , I ’ m not very good !
Do you write your own music ? So just recently I have gotten into song writing this is something I used to absolutely hate as I was always so critical about the lyrics that I was writing ! However only recently have I actually been able to write lyrics that I am happy with and feel like people would enjoy listening too !
Who are your influences ? I ’ m very heavily influenced by R & B artists such as Jorja Smith , Jazmine Sullivan and H . E . R these are all current R & B artists who I take great inspiration from , their music and lyric writing is just incredible !
Who are you listening to at the moment ? I enjoy listening to a lot of genres of music ! But at the moment I ’ d say Erykah Badu and also Becky Hill ( Becky hill is another big inspiration of mine as well .)
What is next musically ? Myself and Josh have a couple more tracks up our sleeves that we are hoping to release at some point this year and hopefully some of this will be original material as well , I also have some headline shows coming up in the Leeds area to promote my music in December and February which is really exciting for me !
What is the end goal ? The end goal has always been a really big one for me , I ’ m really hoping to be releasing tracks with well-known producers and collaborating with other incredible artists and singing in some of my favourite venues across the world in time If all goes to plan , I always say that no dream is ever too big and what will be will be ! So I will just have to wait and see what the future has in store !
What are you studying at uni ? At university I am studying popular music where I just study vocals ! So , I literally get to sing every day for 3 years which is amazing for me ! I ’ m studying at Leeds Conservatoire , and I would highly recommend it for any musicians out there who are wanting to take the musical path for their career !
https :// www . instagram . com / robynhartmusic / merseylife . com 65