By Megan Foulk, Co-Deputy Music Editor
Mixing folk, indie and slowcore, Bristol seven-piece LIFTER were born out of a summer of jamming in late 2021, when friends Harry Fanshawe and Miles Ward were looking for a new project. Having rearranged their lineup significantly since then, Harry talks to Epigram about the collective efforts behind debut album Clasping Hands with the Moribund and the supportive community that is Bristol's music scene.
Sandwiched between couples sharing tacos and reuniting friends toasting tequila shots, I watch LIFTER prepare for soundcheck in the corner of The Ill Repute - Old Market’s favourite destination for live music and homemade Mexican food. The bar’s aesthetic is somewhere between 80s dive bar and your grandma's living room, and as cornet player Harry Furniss wrestles a velvet tasselled lampshade from the stage, I wonder how the seven-piece are ever going to fit.
Although eager not to make the band’s varying lineup the headline of our conversation, I can’t help but ask how the changing group dynamic has influenced the album. Inquiring after the dark title, Clasping Hands with the Moribund, Harry explains: ‘working with new people, figuring out our new context, by the end the name reflected this idea of getting hold of what you’ve got, looking at what you’ve got to work with and making the best of it’ … ‘not that we’re in any perilous situations ourselves, but it’s been a useful life philosophy for us, it’s a good way of being productive I think’.
Self-produced by bassist Miles Ward, the album patchworks LIFTER’s history, featuring old members of the band as well as guest musicians. ‘You get different things out of different people’ says Harry, ‘the way we sound live now has been informed by the recording – it’s a funny way around … [LIFTER] isn’t really a band in a way, Miles and I write the songs and then we get everybody together’.
Celebrating the collective creativity of Bristol’s musicians, single ‘I Have Done My Waiting’ perfectly exemplifies the fruitfulness of this initiative. Featuring cellist Anna Strudwick and cornet player Harry Furniss, the rich strings and warm brass gift the twinkly folk tune depth and resonance, elevating its impact.
Whilst the majority of the album was recorded from Harry's purpose-built garden shed, the band also returned to their old practise venue, St Dunstan’s Church in South Bristol, to maximise on acoustics. ‘[St Dunstan’s] is really nice for recording when there’s lots of us, it was really great for tracking acoustic guitar … you have to have a really specific thing in mind if you’re going to point all the mics at the walls to catch reverb etc., but it created a cool slapping effect to the guitar that felt very powerful’.
Both graduates of UWE, Harry and Miles met through Bristol’s music scene and have performed in countless of the city’s independent venues. When pressed for a favourite, Harry hesitates, ‘I used to really like Crofters Rights - it’s a shame its gone now – but I like Strange Brew too, I haven’t played there before but we will be playing next January’.
One of the organisers behind Improv’s Greatest Hits ‘No Clique’, a monthly improvisation night for musicians, Harry is an advocate for Bristol’s music scene. ‘I don’t have a bad word to say about it. Everybody that’s involved is incredibly supportive and keen to give people a chance – I think it’s great.’
Connecting groups of musicians for one-night-only performances once a month, ‘No Clique’ embraces the same ‘make the best of what you’ve got’ attitude that LIFTER encompass, encouraging musicians to ditch the rule book and meet other performers to create something new in a one-off showcase.
This strong sense of community is at the foundation of Clasping Hands with the Moribund. Written, recorded and produced in Bristol by Harry and Miles, contradictory to the bleakness of the title, the album’s very existence is a testament to the city’s music scene and the relationships it facilitates.
As members of Swelt, another band sharing tonight’s bill, start to collect outside the bar for soundcheck, I decide to bring our conversation to an end with a few questions that I had imagined would warrant easy, one-word answers. Yet, contorting at the proposal of naming his favourite place in the city for a pint, Harry dashes inside to recruit Miles for advice, insisting, ‘he’s much better at this kind of thing I promise’.
Best gig you’ve seen in Bristol and where? Destroyer at The Lantern.
What other local band would you recommend right now? The Evil Usses.
Where’s the best place to go for a pint in Bristol? The Lime Kiln.
Sure enough, closing with a crowd pleaser for all Park Street residents, Miles certainly knows his student audience when it comes to choosing a location for a pint.
Resuming my seat in the corner of The Ill Repute and befriending some locals whilst I spectate for the rest of the soundcheck, it's obvious to me why Harry loves Bristol's music scene. Whether it was the exceptional margaritas and black bean burritos that brought you in the door, or LIFTER's latest folky offering, the atmosphere is vibrant and inspiring and conjures the feeling that everyone's exactly where they're meant to be.
Featured Image: Jessica PrattenWhat's your favourite independent venue in Bristol?
