CURRLS

Words by Willow Shields

Brighton three piece CURRLS, made up of lead vocalist, guitarist and founder Holly Deanna, bassist Jack Smith and drummer Hannah Websdale. With the two girls hailing from Norwich and Norfolk and Jack from Holmes Chapel in Cheshire, they all ended up in Brighton and found each other. Hence, the birth of CURRLS as we know it. I sat on the upper balcony of Kenny’s Rock and Soul Cafe in Brighton, surrounded by pigeons, to get to know them all a bit better.

If you had to describe your music in three-ish words what would they be?
Holly: Empowering, Garage-y and Fun. As boring as those three words are, I think that would encapsulate basically what it is. Because we just want to make people think that they can do anything they put their mind to, and have fun at the same time!

Hannah: Actually, fun did spring to my mind as well. A little bit grungy, a little bit punky, energetic. We say Garage-Rock is really the umbrella term for what we do.
Jack: Epic, Tubular, Rock-and-roll-fun-time, all one word.

Do you have a moment when you knew you wanted to do music?
Holly: There’s been quite a few moments, but it’s never felt like a thing that’s been an actual thing that I could do. My big prominent moment was when I was at Reading Festival. I think it was my first proper festival. I must’ve been seventeen or eighteen. We went to watch Dry The River. I was watching them and I got this overwhelming feeling that ‘this is what I have to do forever.’

Jack: The first rock song I ever got into was actually Hero by Chad Kroeger from the Spiderman soundtrack. My brother played guitar and I didn’t want to do the same because ‘that would be lame’ so I did drums, and then I somehow ended up on bass. I think in terms of a viable music career, my drum teacher really made it seem like it was possible. Ben Whin, shoutout! And my first drum teacher Ben Smallwood, who was in my brother’s band, Skinless Finger. They were a sick band.

Hannah: For me, I started drumming in school when I was in year four. Basically similar to Jack I followed in my siblings footsteps - well my sister played the violin. And much to my mothers disappointment, I said ‘nah violin’s way too boring for me, I’m doing drums.’ Because that looked like the most exciting instrument on the list. And I just stuck at it from there really. I was always really into sport and music and those were the two main veins of interest for me.

Leading me onto my next question: Were you good at sports at school?
Jack: [ laughs]

Hannah: Well, I did quite enjoy PE. I used to get really into it, I was very competitive. I love netball and i still play it now, did a few gymnastic bits and I did dance when i was really little. I’ve always been quite sporty.

Jack: I was awful. To preface how bad I was; my mates convinced me to join a rugby team, and I did nothing, just stood around. One time in a PE lesson I decided to actually try and tackle someone, it’ll be fun. The biggest lad came at me, I didnt move, he knocked me over, when I stood up I was so winded I passed out. I did other stuff though, snowboarding and skiing, basically just the middle class tick list. I even did fencing at one point.

Holly: Do you know what, I did actually enjoy some sport. I liked football, and then I got really bored of it. I used to love basketball, discus, and javelin. I loved all of that stuff, I was always good at throwing things. I was never a runner, probably never will be. As much as i want to live that dream.

Jack: Wait, I gotta shout out frisbee! Frisbee’s dope. I’m in a squad called the wildcats with my friends. Played it all through summer.

What’s been your favourite show to play this year?

Jack: My favourite show was probably Decolonise Fest, in London. That was really fun, it came around the time of a certain royal family member passing away. It was a packed crowd, really good energy of bigging up POC artists as well. It was a really great night with everybody interacting. I also told a royal family joke that landed really well so I was like hell yeah. It just shows how supportive people are of DIY artists, i love that sort of aspect.

Holly: It was run by the lead singer of Big Jonie so it’s nice to know that it was something that was run completely DIY. Everyone who was working there were all volunteers and it was just a really nice event. I wish we could relive that one.

Hannah: I’d probably have to say the last show we did, only because of the sentimental value to me in that it was the first headline show we played in Norwich. My dad, bless him, invited all the neighbourhood, all his mates, all the family. We almost sold it out, it was quite overwhelming. It was so lovely to see all my mates right down the front and my dad. They all started a mosh pit and stuff and we sold loads of merch, and just had a really good response. It really felt amazing.

Holly: There’ve been a few really good ones, because CURRLS has been my baby since uni. It’s been going since 2017, and I’ve been absolutely blessed to have Hannah and Jack on board with me. The struggle has been real, to find band members who are so passionate and reliable as them. We’ve done a lot of different shows over the years. Isle of White was a really big one, we got an offer to play out of nowhere. We got tagged in a tweet, we sent over out things you know ‘we’d love to be considered’ and all of a sudden we got an email saying ‘yeah would you guys be able to get here’. It was a nightmare to get to but we did it and headlined their up and coming stage, The River stage. We were playing while The Script were on and we didn’t think anyone would come. And people were coming to see us, it was really nice because we didn’t think anyone knew who we were but the crowd were getting proper involved. I’d also say both of these; both Decolonise and the Norwich show as well. Just because it was our first home-town headline show and Decolonise was such a good... especially with it celebrating People of colour, I actually felt heard, a little bit. Because on festival lineups or even local shows, you never see People of colour and it’s such an annoyance, because I know we’re out there but we don’t get a look in half the time.

If you were a sea creature what would you be?

Holly: I’d want to be an Orca, because they’re just the most beautiful animals. I can’t get over how they’ve been treated. I think on some levels, I can relate to an Orca. I think they should be free in the sea. And I want to be free in the sea. And they’ve got the cutest little patches.

Hannah: I’ve been thinking about it long and hard. The sea is a big, scary place and I think I’d feel quite vulnerable. So therefore I’d have to be the biggest shark there is. So, Megalodon. I’d also like to be a little starfish. But also I’d be scared so i’d want to feel like i dominate the ocean. I don’t want to get eaten, so Megalodon.

Jack: I’d want to be a Hammerhead Shark, but I think I’m more inclined to be a sea monkey if anything. If I went fictional sea creature: the Jack Black shark from Shark Tale. Actually, I’d be Plankton, specifically from Spongebob because I have a bit of an evil side.