The Great Leslie: Full Circle
Photo credit: Chris Lombardi
Fresh off the release of “Sindre,” the latest single from their upcoming debut album, we caught up with The Great Leslie's drummer, Ryan Lavender. Ryan reflects on the band's journey from releasing a steady stream of singles to crowdfunding an album at Abbey Road, shares the story behind one of their most personal songs, and looks back on some unforgettable moments from the road.
One of the first things we like to ask indies: in a world that seems to be obsessed with singles and streams, what motivated you to release a record?
Since Covid, we’ve been doing exactly that, almost consistently. We’ve released 30 singles since January 2020, averaging one song every 12 weeks. That’s how we've grown and kept the momentum up.
There's a golden rule these days that you need at least 30 songs out before you build a decent following, so we did exactly that. Then, as we approached that number, we launched a crowdfunding campaign with the fans we'd built up over five to six years. The whole album was paid for by the fans.
Writing a song like “Sindre” sounds excruciatingly difficult. At what point did you realize you wanted to share that story?
The whole album explores different stories that have touched each of our lives. “Sindre” pays homage to Sindre's life, while also carrying the message that when people are feeling suicidal, they should know others are there for them.
There are actually two songs about suicide on the new album. We also have a song about a friend of Ollie's who died fighting in the Ukraine war. There are other songs on the album too, like the single “King Beard Man,” which is about us being rejected by people in the music industry.
So you see, the album explores our collective journey through life. We always want to share messages that resonate with people in all walks of life. Of course, it’s a rollercoaster, there are ups and downs, love and trauma.
You've been out on the road with some big names lately. Has there been one gig that you'll still be talking about years from now?
For me, last year we were asked to support The Beach Boys at a festival in Germany. That was a very special concert for me personally. My father’s first ever concert was The Beach Boys, when he was 14, so being able to take my dad to watch me support them was a full circle, wholesome moment.
Watching him get his original ticket from the ‘60s signed, and meet them, was something really special to me. We were also invited to join The Beach Boys on stage for a song, just to dance around and have fun. We certainly did, and I’d managed to convince my dad we were only going to watch from the side of the stage.
But when the moment came, the whole band dragged him up on stage too. That was pretty special for me.
I'm sure if anyone else on the team answered this, they’d say Forest National in Brussels, our biggest show ever, playing to 20,000 people. A sea of bobbing heads! That was a crazy feeling.
Photo credit: Chris Lombardi
Your fans helped fund the album, which is quite spectacular in today’s musical climate, but did that make you feel any extra pressure when you finally got into the studio?
Honestly, no.
What has happened, though, is that, like with all things, it’s taken longer than we expected. It’s not just about writing the songs and recording, it’s got to be mixed, mastered, and the artwork created. Then you can’t just release it once it’s ready, you have to pick a time when you’ll get the most exposure, plan the marketing, work out a tour to support the release, book venues, and so on.
So, I’d say the hardest part has been keeping everyone happy. Luckily, most of our fans are patient, but there have been a few moments where we’ve had messages of frustration (understandably), almost like they think we’ve ripped them off because they contributed over a year ago.
So while the album might be done and dusted, there are so many moving parts, it’s all about being transparent. That’s where we really feel the pressure.
Photo credit Damianos Aslichanidis
Lots of bands dream about recording at Abbey Road. What was the first thing that went through your mind when you walked in?
I’m going to answer this honestly, because I know you’re asking with the album in mind, but we were actually incredibly lucky a few years earlier.
There was a film being made at Abbey Road about The Beatles, and we knew the owner of the production company behind it. Due to a clerical scheduling error, the actors weren’t available for three days that had been booked in Studio 2 (The Beatles’ studio). Since it was such short notice, those days would otherwise have gone to waste, so we were offered them instead.
We brought in a team of videographers and recorded a whole live album there. The whole thing was filmed, and you can listen to it on Spotify.
So, what did it feel like? Unbelievable. That place is magical.
On the second day, we basically ended up using it as a practice studio and wrote four or five songs in a single day. There's something about that place that sparks inspiration.
That’s why we went back there for the album, we already knew the producer, and we worked our asses off to crowdfund the rest. If it weren’t for our fans, we would never have been able to do the whole album there.
Photo credit Raab Entertainment - Willi Weber
If someone had secretly filmed the recording process (or recent tour), what’s the moment you'd be most worried about ending up in the documentary?
I’d probably say the moments before we played on TV for Eurovision Germany’s pre-selection. We literally had to wait four hours for our three-minute live TV performance debut. No joke, I was on the verge of a panic attack for four hours, pacing the room, time drifting by like everything was in slow motion.
The nerves of playing live on TV to what turned out to be nearly 4 million people, jumping straight from playing small 100-200 capacity venues... I will never forget it!
On the other hand, because of that, when you hit the stage to 20,000 people, you can tell yourself “this is nothing” and not feel so nervous, haha.