SCARLET REBELS – AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNE ESTELLA
Welsh sensations Scarlet Rebels are the ‘New Wave of Classic Rock’ band on everybody’s lips (and turntables) right now. The release of their politically charged album See Through Blue arguably couldn’t have come at a better time, earning them top ten rankings in the all-important album charts. As the band goes from strength to strength, they continue to raise much needed funds for food banks and promise to stay at the top of their game with a brand-new multi-record deal, and an upcoming tour that won’t leave any UK city unrocked. I chat to front man Wayne Doyle about the band’s success and future plans, and how maybe one day we’ll get to see them perform on ‘rebel road’ in Llanelli….
Scarlet Rebels Album Chart Rankings:
#7 UK Official Album Chart Feb 2022
#2 UK Official Rock Album Chart Feb 2022
#1 Welsh Official Album Chart Feb 2022
#2 UK Official Album Downloads Chart Feb 2022
#3 UK Official Indie Album Chart Feb 2022
#4 UK Official Album Vinyl Chart Feb 2022
#5 UK Official Album Physical Sales Chart Feb 2022
[Anne] First of all, huge congratulations on ‘See Through Blue’ reaching no. 7 in the UK’s Official Album Chart! Where were you and what were you doing when you found out? More importantly… How did you celebrate?
[Wayne] Thank you so much! It’s massively overwhelming, we didn’t expect it at all. We decided we wanted to be together when we found out so we went to the pub for the afternoon and sat waiting for the results to come through… and then we had a few (just a few!) beers to celebrate!
[Anne] Well done also on raising over £2,000 for Tressell Trust Foodbanks, through a sponsored virtual cycle across Wales! Are you planning any further charity events?
[Wayne] Thank you! It was fun, we were all sore the next day mind, ha ha! Yes, we’re still doing foodbank donations at gigs and will do our best to make sure we’re doing what we can to support the causes we believe in.
[Anne] How does it feel to be the first band from Llanelli to break the top 40? Will they be naming a road after you? ‘Scarlet Street’, Or ‘Rebels Road’, perhaps?!
[Wayne] It feels amazing. Genuinely amazing. It’s something that people can’t ever take away from us so yeah, it’s not quite sunk in yet. That would be amazing! Rebel Road – that sounds cool!
[Anne] Can you give us one of your favorite lines from the new album? Which song is it from and what does it mean to you?
[Wayne] My favorite lyric is from the song ‘I Can Sleep Now’: “maybe I could count all of your tears, but I’ll never heal the scars, when the only thing you wanted was a place for your heart”. It’s quite personal so I don’t want to go into the meaning…however, one I can go into that I like is: “do as I say, not as I do”, which is from the song ‘See Through Blue’. Which reflects on the government doing exactly that.
[Anne] tell us about the launch show you’d planned on a boat on The Thames… why was it cancelled?
[Wayne] Well, to promote the album we hired a boat to float down The Thames and to play some new songs from the album… we invited people first come first served, capped at 50 people. Entry to the boat was a foodbank donation… we had all the licenses, etc., That we needed, then the boat company had a nosey at our Instagram and saw the artwork for the album and pulled the event. Free speech, eh?!
[Anne] What do you say to people who think that artists should keep their political views to themselves?
[Wayne] I’d tell them to keep their views to themselves as well.
[Anne] You received the support of ‘The Who’ in the run-up to your album release… what is their connection to the band and have they been a big Influence on your journey?
[Wayne] Our Josh’s dad is Simon Townshend and his uncle is Pete Townshend. The only influence they’ve been, is the obvious influence they’ve had on Josh growing up, as he’s an amazing musician. We’ve never asked them to help or anything but when the album was officially out, they were kind enough to tweet about us, which was mind blowing and of course must have helped… we didn’t expect it, but it was amazing to see!
[Anne] ‘See Through Blue’ is your second album, but your first release via Earache Records. What sort of advice and direction have you received from the label since signing your record deal?
[Wayne] Honestly, they’ve been invaluable. From major things to tiny details that never occurred to me would be an issue or hinderance. Their track record speaks for itself, so when we agreed to work together, we said we’d be happy to follow their advice and work as hard as we could to make it successful. We’ve now signed a long-term deal with them so it’s worked out well for all parties.
[Anne] You are due to tour the UK from march onwards and will be appearing at a multitude of festivals this year – where can we see you and which ones are you most looking forward to playing?
[Wayne] Yes, we can’t wait to see everyone! The festivals we’re doing this year are Planet Rock Winter’s End, Soundbay Festival, Primoardial General Mayhem Festival, Loverocks Festival, and we’re headlining Wildfire Festival! We’re also playing Steelhouse Festival, Kendal Calling, Nozfest, Rockmantic Weekender In Lincoln, Rockin the Bowl, Cornwall Rocks and Hrh 15. They’re the confirmed public ones. They’re all going to be great! Wildfire is our first headliner and we can’t wait to do Steelhouse as we’ve wanted to do that for years, being Welsh…
[Anne] What one piece of advice would you give to bands who are just starting out?
[Wayne] Be friendly to everyone, play as much as possible and make sure you’re accessible on social media and streaming sites. Honestly, it’s absolutely key.
[Anne] So… what’s next for Scarlet Rebels?
[Wayne] Well, we’re going to be touring as much as we can this year and we’re going to start writing the follow up to ‘See Through Blue’! It never stops.
Scarlet Rebels Are:
Wayne Doyle – Vox
Chris Jones – Lead Guitar
Josh Townsend – Guitar/Piano
Wayne ‘Pricey’ Esmonde – Bass
Gary Doyle – Drums
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To learn more about Scarlet Rebels, Check out their Website!
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Stream music: Spotify / Apple Music
Purchase: Amazon
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