FEVER DREAMS release debut single, but lament state of music industry: “There’s no denying that music has been devalued from art to content”
FROM the heart of the new Yorkshire indie music scene, comes the fresh, Blossoms tinged debut single, ‘SO NAÏVE,’ from five-piece FEVER DREAMS.
Formed in 2023, the band comprises Ryan Wheel (rhythm guitar/vocs), Beth Mroz (lead guitar) Jack Vickers (keys), Dan Birkill (bass) and George Lawley (drums).
But with a seemingly bright future ahead, how difficult are they finding the life of an accomplished, emerging, group in an industry where talent is overlooked in favour of hype?
“It’s difficult, is the consensus of ourselves and the other unsigned bands we network with,” said Birkill. “The devastating decline of grassroots music venues, the increasing ‘pay-to-play’ mentality of what remains, and the industry shift towards solo artists, results in any output being a blind labour of love – if any other perspective is taken, you stare down at the vast money pit that being a band is in 2024. The industry is geared against bands. There are few opportunities for original bands to play, so there’s immense competition. Venues want cover bands, because people only want to hear what they already know.
“Where opportunities do arise, we all expect to play to a near-empty room. Audiences are easily limited to the few friends who are happy to buy a pint, a ticket, and support. We’ve been lucky in this respect. We’ve not had issues booking gigs, we’ve picked up a few fans despite having no music out, and we have great friends. But there’s no denying that music has been devalued from art to content, with the expectation that it should be free. We know bands whose music heard live makes your whole body shiver, yet they struggle to get a thirty minute gig slot or a radio play.
“The present situation does appear bleak, but we can inject optimism into it. There still persists a community, even if it’s smaller. Bands will help each other out, graciously sharing contacts despite that the new hyper-individualisation of music expects them to be defensive of doing so. There are great local organisations too, and we can’t resist a shout-out to ‘Cloth Cat’ who helped us go from open-mic to booking gigs.”
FEVER DREAMS LIVE:
August 16 Northern Green Gathering Festival
August 23 Fulford Arms, York
October 04 Fox & Newt, Leeds
December 08 Double Denim All Dayer, Leeds Oporto
CONNECT: Fever Dreams Band – Yorkshire
