The Great Leslie

The band is an alt-rock powerhouse, taking influence from every major artist and genre out there. We want to be a band that’s clearly rockin, yet without genre. They do a lot to make sure that anyone who likes to dance and have a good time to any type of music, can find something in our sound that they could get behind. As for where they are from, a little bit all over. Mostly the UK but no one location. But they all migrated to the music Mecca that is London, and that’s their base of operations.

I got a chance to ask Ollie some questions, here’s what he had to say.

How did you all meet?

“Well that’s a bit of a long story. I actually met G (Guitar) when I was studying for my masters in song writing and composition. At the time I wanted to set up a solo project with a band backing me up. We had band then, but the drummer wasn’t really committed enough, so our manager started looking for a replacement and he found Ryan, (result!). As for Jason (Bass) we actually went through a few of bass players until we found him early this year. He always jokes he’s our current bass player.”

Who were your musical influences growing up?

“The King, of course (Elvis Presley), Paolo Nutini, Queen (Freddy was a God), The Clash, Franz Ferdinand, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, so many. Too many to list.”

What made you want to be in a band?

“I always wanted to perform in some way or other When I knew I wanted to be a singer and play guitar I knew I needed a band.”

What has been your best gig?

“Our best gigs have been at the Camden Assembly, we’ve had the biggest crowds there, packed the place out, it was great. The sound is really good quality for a small venue and the engineers are so on it. Also, we can bring our lighting engineer and it takes our shows to the next level.”

Can you tell us a bit about your music?

“Well, we have just had a new single come out called ‘Out of my Hands’ which is doing really well. Its deals with my own personal struggles, and belief that, though I am far from perfect, I shouldn’t beat myself up about my imperfections. We are all struggling to do what we feel is write according to our own moral codes but it’s not easy, and those codes change all the time. We try to do better, try to do the best we can, but just because we are not perfect, it certainly doesn’t mean we should punish ourselves. Love yourself, accept who you are.”

Can you describe your music in 3 words?

“Energetic, Powerful, Interesting.”

What makes your band stand out from others?

“Our band stand out from others through our sound and performance. Our sound is constantly developing, and it holds familiarity, but I don’t think you could rightly compare us to anyone we are unique. Our performance is as good as any of the best bands you’ve ever seen, and this really sets us apart as well. We spent a lot of time working on making sure we can always bring the house down, whether it was Wembley stadium or a dark room in a Camden pub.”

What are your plans for the rest of 2020?

“For the rest of 2020, well we have a lot of writing going on right now. We are working on so much new music; we’ve recording something already that will be released next year and are planning to get into the studio for a full week early next year to power through and make a whole lot of magic. We’ve also got a rerelease of as well as some more music coming across December.”

By Siân Parker