INTERVIEW: Dane Lloyd from The Voice duo INTO THE ARK

INTERVIEW: Dane Lloyd from The Voice duo INTO THE ARK 2

Into The Ark announce the release of a brand new acoustic single – recorded live at the world famous RAK Studios in London. Their cover of Elvis Presley’s ‘Burning Love’ is the second single concluding their double A-side following on from. The duo has also announced a UK Headline Tour this February & March 2018. Mark Millar caught up with Dane Lloyd for a chat.

 

INTERVIEW: Dane Lloyd from The Voice duo INTO THE ARK


So who are Into the Ark and how did the band get together?

We are a two piece soul/folk acoustic duo. We got together about 3 years ago. It was after Travelling together first playing covers trying to make a living that we decided to really give our original music a shot.

Where did the name come from?

We were in Tunisia at the time just spitballing some names and Into The Ark just kind of stuck with us. It was only till Taylors Mam said “oh, two by two I get it” that we realised what had happened. Pure coincidence though!

What was the first record that turned you on to music?

I know for Taylor it was Paolo Nutini’s These Streets and for me, it has to be Songs about Jane by Maroon 5.

You come from the same place in Wales as the Manic Street Preachers. Where they an inspiration?

Yes 100%, it wasn’t until we were a lot older that we realised how good they are and what they have accomplished. I remember they gave a guitar to my school to inspire the kids to keep up the music and show them it can happen to anyone, proper dudes!

You did incredibly well in The Voice. What advice would you give to other singers/bands who decide to enter the competition?

Probably the same advice Tom Jones gave us – don’t let anything change you when you are on there, ignore the gimmicks – do what’s in your heart and do what you’ve always done!

You have toured with your mentor Sir Tom Jones. What is the best advice he has given you?

When we were on tour we realised how much he really looks after himself. Constantly drinking water, resting his voice, eating properly. So It made sense as to how he’s still rocking it! He saves the partying till the last night of the tour. That’s probably something that really helped with our voices on a massive tour, can’t say we always stuck to it though!

The band recently announced a UK Headline Tour in February & March 2018. What can fans expect?

Well we should have the album recorded by then and our EP will be out, so this tour will be full of new songs for the fans to learn, the venues will be pretty rad too. Many of them are churches that have been turned into venues, so we should be able to create that really intimate setting. We really can’t wait to see what people think of the EP.

Does songwriting come easily to you?

We write a lot of music but they don’t all make the cut. It’s hard to know what ones are the best when you’ve written it yourself. We can normally tell if one of us has written something half decent because the other one is eager to play it live and it normally takes about 20 minutes to write. It kind of just flows out of you … and playing live is always the best way of finding out – the response from the audience is the ultimate leveller!

What would you like people to take away from listening to your music?

I’m not too sure, Id like to think they find a way to relate themselves to the lyrics and really understand what they are about. We record everything live, so we can capture whats going on in the room. All the flaws and imperfections keep it as human as we can. Hopefully, they can hear and feel something in our performance too.

Will there be an album soon?

Yes, there will. I’m not sure on the release date right now – maybe Summertime – but we start recording in January & February. Can’t wait!

The band has had a hectic year in 2017 travelling around the country doing loads of gigs. What has been your highlight?

I think the biggest highlights have been selling out our U.K tour. It was pretty crazy to see so many fans in places we have never been to before, hearing them sing all the songs back at us and just how dedicated they are to support us. It honestly means the world. Also supporting Tom Jones across the UK. That just doesn’t sound real every time we say it! He’s a living breathing music legend AND, it doesn’t stop there either – we get to go to the USA with him. SO stoked!

How do you listen to music nowadays? CD, Vinyl, Download?

We stream a lot of music – especially if we are touring in the van. At home, it has to be vinyl though!

Do you have an album that you always return to?

Yeah, there’s one album we can never get enough of … This Empty Northern Hemisphere by Gregory Alan Isakov. The lyrics in this are insane!

What have you been listening to recently that you could recommend?

Most recently, we have fallen in love with Flyte or Theo Katzman. Some awesome tunes out there by these guys, definitely give them a listen.

Into The Ark UK Tour Dates 2017

16 Feb – Live Rooms, CHESTER

17 Feb – Unitarian Church, DUBLIN

18 Feb – The MAC, BELFAST

20 Feb – Mining Institute, NEWCASTLE

21 Feb – Saint Lukes, GLASGOW

23 Feb – St Michaels, MANCHESTER

25 Feb – The Chapel, LEEDS

26 Feb – The Tin Music & Arts (Cool Vaults), COVENTRY

28 Feb – Unitarian Church, BRIGHTON

01 March – St Pancras Old Church, LONDON

08 March – The Hafren, NEWTOWN

10 March – Miners Institute, BLACKWOOD

Xsnoize Author
Mark Millar is the founder of XS Noize and looks after the daily running of the website as well as hosting interviews for the weekly XS Noize Podcast. Mark's favourite album is Achtung Baby by U2.

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