There’s no doubt that there’s an immeasurable amount of creative strength in Hebden Bridge. It’s not often that a small area has such a collective of talented musicians and the privilege of that really rings true when you can see such a magnetic set on a Wednesday night. The memory of Herbie May opening for The Primitives has lingered with me for days and I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen something rather special.
Herbie, guitarist and lyricist in The Lounge Society, is now releasing and performing as a solo act. The concept of moving inwards and standing on stage alone after being a moving part in a band for so long can often backfire on many musicians – the opposite has occurred with Herbie May. His solo work revels in its own intimacy and lonesomeness.
The Calder connection runs deep, with The Lounge Society played their first gig at Todmorden’s Golden Lion. The band had a tumultuous beginning with the pandemic hitting soon after their debut single Generation Game. But despite this, they had a great run with label Speedy Wunderground. And a new EP, released on Golden Lion Sounds, is in the offing.
Herbie also runs his own local record label in Red Licorice Records. He released his latest single Shoelaces under the label, produced by [Lounge Society drummer] Archie Dewis and Gordon Raphael, who most famously worked with The Strokes.
This archetype of musician is creeping into the zeitgeist rather quickly: someone who possesses multiple roles within their own artistry. There’s an increase in self-led labels and publications, which I’m sure has something to do with the crushing financial burden of being a self-sufficient musician nowadays, but let’s not focus on the struggle. This type of development in the industry is crucial and is a move towards placing the actual bands back into the spotlight. So, maybe we should all take a page out of Herbie’s book.
Here I am, in The Trades Club as Herbie stands in a rather soporific stage light with his electric guitar. He’s in a suit, the room is dense with smoke and the whole ordeal is poetic. When the first strum rings out, a thick strangeness washes over the room like a tidal wave. There’s a closeness in the music and it’s packed with emotion. You can sense Herbie’s solo work is anchored in personal experience.
The sound leans heavily on styled out chords, the bare bones of the playing is rather simple yet executed with perfection. It’s almost a sort of lo-fi experiment with moments of heaviness and lightness. It is heavily reminiscent of Bob Dylan – as Herbie sings with such huskiness and power – possibly with a bit more melody.
Herbie comes across as a gentle poet through his music, citing certain literary and film pieces as inspiration, as well as various transitions and bouts of emotional growth throughout his life. Shoelaces is probably the most obvious example of his retrospection. The vocals feel very physically close, making it hard to ignore the message. The guitar could even call back to Led Zeppelin at their most mellow with the wistful folk-country opening. It’s a pleasure to hear live.
I can’t help but feel it’s rather unfortunate that Herbie is performing to such a transient crowd, moving back and forth between the bar and the back walls of the room. But it’s a universal and necessary stage in beginning a new project and it may take time to stick. I can envision Herbie playing packed out venues very soon. Music so personal can, curiously, be very unifying for strangers.
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