The Lounge Society guitarist Herbie May has unveiled his very own record label, Red Licorice, with the double-A sided single, Bleeding / Shoelaces. It’s been recorded by bandmate, Archie Dewis, alongside Gordon Raphael, renowned producer of the Strokes’ first two studio albums Is This It and Room On Fire.
The release also coincides with a solo tour. Herbie is supporting XGenerationX, the new punk-pop supergroup featuring Elizabeth (‘Sonic Boom Boy’) Westwood of 80s pop band Westworld, Spandau Ballet founding member Steve Norman and original Generation X drummer Mark Laff.
While The Lounge Society are still very much in tact, and the four as tight as ever, they are individually exploring new artistic realms. So what has Herbie learned from going it alone as a solo artist?
“To be honest, I’m not sure there’s much to learn about myself. At the moment, I’m feeling that we invent ourselves, mostly. And I totally burned who I was before. I threw it in the personality fire. Slowly, I’m picking up the pieces and building someone new. Whoever he is, he values his time alone, but I’m finding I need a little less solitude day by day. Hence these songs. Hence this tour. I want humanity again. I want my mates again. I want live music again.”
The track Bleeding is a bold-yet-thoughtful opening salvo. Herbie is a big fan of The The, Gram Parsons and PJ Harvey and you can hear such influences shine through. His solo sound is delicate and raw, stripped down but emotionally intelligent. Similarities to Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett have also been noted. The singular individuality of someone like Lou Reed is also in there.
His new sound shimmers with introspection but there’s also courage on display. Herbie is a deep thinker. A reader. His sound is, curiously, very literary. The words, you feel, are essential.
“My little inner garden is currently composed of writers such as Ursula Le Guin and Charles Bukowski. There’s also a great little collection of essays by GK Chesterton, which I discovered in a jumble sale by the ruined church in Heptonstall last year. That has given me a lot the think about. The collection of short stories For Esmé – with Love and Squalor by JD Salinger is also a favourite.”
So what’s next for the label?
“We have an incredible artist to announce. Someone I’m so glad we’ve got. I’m still pinching myself. News on that very soon. Some of you may know them. After that, we’re auditioning you all! Silently. Secretly. If you want to be involved, reach out. We don’t bite. In terms of live events, we’re going to do something every single month, at one of the best venues in the country. News on that soon as well.”
And finally, the name. Red Licorice?
“I can’t claim credit for that one. We were brainstorming long into the night. We had millions of names. ‘Cool’ names. Terrible names. Then someone just threw Red Licorice out there. The overwhelming response was ‘Oh, I don’t entirely hate that’. And it grew and it grew. It’s sweet. It’s Yorkshire. It’s meaningless enough for us to make our own meaning. It’s old England. It’s better days.”
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