by Will Nox
THE Lunar Youth is a Warrington-based indie rock band calling it their home, whose music is comparable to The Cure.
They had their first gig as The Lunar Youth on the 7th of May, 2021. So who are the musicians behind The Lunar Youth? Owen is the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Billy is their lead guitarist, Callum is the band’s drummer and most recent member of the band, and Django is their bassist, who followed the shift over to bass guitar out of necessity.
Meeting in high school, Owen, Django and Billy attended an after-school rock club. They went to make both noise and music and to have fun. They then started playing together in 2019 and first played as The Lunar Youth in 2021. They eventually met Callum and integrated him into the band, leading to the current line-up of The Lunar Youth, which has remained for two years. However, each member has been playing their respective instruments for at least six years, and it makes sense based on how talented they are.
As with all bands, their name has to have come from somewhere, so that begs the question, where did the name ‘The Lunar Youth’ come from? Well, after seeing a piece of graffiti, during an early band photoshoot, that said ‘cursed youth’, the group mutually agreed that it could be turned into something. So while devising names, there became a list of three names that everyone liked, one of which was ‘The Lunar Youth’, inspired by Billy’s interest in space. But how was this name chosen? They decided to ask their physics teacher for the ultimate decision, who selected the iconic name.
While on the topic of space, the covers to all of their releases are pictures from NASA, tying really well into their name.
When asking The Lunar Youth if there’s anything they want to be communicated to fans and anyone reading, they emphasised the importance of art as a form of expression. Arts such as writing, acting, singing, and creativity in general are so important. Collectively, they criticised the common use of AI, how it cheapens art and how the issue of art’s appreciation is becoming less common. They went on to discuss the importance of consuming art from those who have worked hard to perfect their craft. The Lunar Youth really want to emphasise the importance of understanding the context behind the art.
Sadly, in the pursuit of an art-based career, especially in music, challenges do arise. These are mainly due to the shift in content and promotion. The Lunar Youth have found development hard, despite the amazing support of the music community and the amazing events they’ve done, as a result of social media demands. In the modern day, consistency in social media posting is the only way to have a decent chance at growth; however, this can be difficult and momentum can’t be built if posts are inconsistent. Music is worth more than the brief attention given and that’s another message to take away from The Lunar Youth.
Why do they make music? Behind every band is a reason, a motivation, a purpose to why they create masterpieces. And The Lunar Youth are no different. Beyond a mutual love and care for music and its power, they each have their own reasons.
Owen considers music to be everything, being committed to it and adoring it. He also values it as an outlet for creativity. Callum appreciates the passion and feelings behind music and how instrumentals in music can portray their own message along with lyrics. Loving his instrument and playing alongside his bandmates, Django loves the connection created through music. And Billy marks music’s fulfilling power and how self-fulfilling creating it is. All members of The Lunar Youth agree that human connection is one of the most important things that is facilitated through music.
Now, how can you best support this widely-admired band? Getting to gigs, streaming their music and of course, following their socials. For The Lunar Youth, they consider live music to be the most important part of their music and report that, while amazing recorded, they’re incredible live. And I can fully back that up, being lucky enough to see them live at Warrington Music Fest (to read about them there, click here). Stream their music and get yourself to a gig when and if you can.
Happy Listening!
Lunar Youth
