Hacing cut their live teeth in one of Brighton’s best-loved intimate venues, The Melodic released their debut album Effra Parade on independent label Anti in March.

As they prepare to return to the city, co-songwriter Huw Williams talks about the influences Brighton and Bolivia have had on their sound.

“We’ve always had strong ties with Brighton. Lydia [Samuels] and [co-songwriter] Rudi Schmidt have both lived there and Rudi’s mum [Jane Bom-Bane] runs a cafe on George Street that was the location of some of our first gigs and our spiritual home in many ways.”

“[Brighton-based] Nick Pynn is an incredible musician. He was a big factor in inspiring me and Rudi to learn less conventional acoustic instruments in the first place and to explore more experimental arrangements. He appears on the fiddle on our track Come Outside.

“We shared a love for some of the 1960s folk revival artists when we first started out. It coincided with a love of dub and reggae artists and we tried to combine those two sounds from the start. A couple of years ago Rudi spent a couple of months in Bolivia studying with the best charango players in the region and touring with the Bolivian Folk Orchestra. I remember being amazed by how much it benefited the band.

“We’re looking forward to writing and recording the new album. We hope to have it out within the year so can’t wait to get stuck in to that.”

Find out more...

  • The Melodic play The Hope in Brighton on Monday, May 12 supporting Robert Francis. Doors 8pm, tickets £13.50. Call 01273 606312.
  • Visit facebook.com/themelodic, and twitter and instagram @themelodicband