The Ages Q&A

Your name: 

Edward Brothwood (guitars, harmonica, vox).

Where are you from? 

We are from Borehamwood and St Albans in Hertfordshire.

Name of band: 

The Ages.

Who else is in your band? 

My brother Anthony Brothwood (bass, keys, guitars, vox), my cousin Nick Hill (guitars) and our very dear friend Michael Drury (drums/percussion).

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

We try to be as open-minded as possible and have written songs which cross over a variety of different genres, from gypsy jazz to electric folk and pub rock to prog.

Who are your main influences musically? 

I think everyone of us in the band have different influences which means we all have different musical ideas (although there are points of convergence). Our influences vary from bands such as Queen to artists like Billy Bragg. I think that recently also Belle and Sebastian have really taught us to appreciate the worth of the delicate indie pop song, and now we want to explore orchestration. However, again we try to keep an open mind, Michael is currently pushing us to pursue some acid jazz...

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

To play as many shows as possible and get better at writing songs. When we gig regularly there is an almost tangible improvement in us as a performing unit. I think we want to explore music free from the dreaded “industry”. With regard to our songs, we want to ensure that they reflect what we think and feel within both the music and the lyrics, being as honest or as wacky (depending on what the song is about) as we can and explore all the ideas that we have.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Working with the great guys and YouthPoint Studio One in Watford is just amazing. When you go there you are greeted by the some of the nicest, most patient and thoughtful people around, and a fantastic recording facility which as musicians we just fall headfirst into.

From a live point of view, it is hard to say as within a show that was generally very good, there will always be slight mishaps that we are not happy with. Indeed, a show that was really amazing for Anthony, Nick and I, might have been terrible for Michael. However, I think we have just learned to appreciate every gig we get. I suppose this has taught us that every opportunity to play to people is both a highlight and a privilege and should be cherished as such.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

There have been some embarrassing moments (as there no doubt will always be) like the time about four gigs ago when Anthony and I both forget the words to a song. There have also been many pedal issues with Nick and myself over the years. It is terrible when you press the distortion pedal and all of a sudden you’re way too loud or way too quiet. Straps have come loose from bass guitars mid-song, strings have broken, and one show, the inflatable stage started to collapse meaning we were cut off and hurried off and back on again. These were all embarrassing moments but rather than forgetting them, it’s the stuff we like to reminisce about very fondly!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

I think that we all have our own different opinions but I feel inclined to point people towards the song “Out Of Key”. It is a song about my brother Anthony playing old Beatles songs on his acoustic guitar in front of the mirror (as we all have done!), and a voice from down in the middle of the lamp lit street telling him “your singing out of key” and then proceeding to give him some pointers on how he should be singing. The reason why this song comes to mind is that, the musicianship on the recording represents us at our highest quality, with echoes of Pink Floyd and Billy Bragg flowing through the song.

Where can we listen to it?

I would then encourage you to listen to the album Based on Some Truth available to stream free from this address...http://www.theages.co.uk/

Where can we find out more about your music?

Website - www.theages.co.uk

Twitter - twitter.com/theagesband

Facebook - www.facebook.com/TheAges5

Youtube - www.youtube.com/user/bandtheages

Soundcloud - soundcloud.com/theages5

Email us at theages@live.co.uk

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

For the passed year we have been working on our second LP, we hope to have it released within the next couple of months. Also we have performed some Live Sessions at Grand Chapel Studios in Bedford, which are out now.