Words: Darci Jackson
Photography: Izzi Glover
It’s the start of a new year, which means a refresh in the music scene. We’ve all had some time off, but it’s about time everyone comes back out to play, don’t you think? Enter stage left, The North.
As we sat in a room all too reminiscent of a pre-2010s university Students Union, the 3-piece couldn’t have appeared to have been more different from one another, but it was instantly clear from their shy albeit youthful exuberance and respectful manner that the three of them were humbled to have a chance at making it big.
Despite being named after the top end of the country, Billy Memphis (vocals, guitar), Kobi Griggs (lead guitar) and Sian Keates (drummer) didn’t start out life in the arms of their namesake.
‘Me and Sian were born down South. Kobi was born in the Midlands. But I grew up in Scarborough, Sian grew up in Portsmouth, and then Kobi grew up in Derby, and we all just moved here on our own. These two for uni, I just wanted to start a band when I was like, 15, 16,’ starts Memphis.
He goes on to explain how he met his two bandmates, seeing Griggs’ TikTok videos and meeting Keates at Leeds bar Northern Guitars before inviting them both to join the band.
‘I got quite heavily into the Leeds jamming scene, where you go to bars and just jam with random people. My New Year's resolution was to do one gig, so I did that gig and that’s when I met Billy,’ added Keates.
Leeds has an incredibly vibrant and diverse music scene, something which The North have discovered since living there.
‘Any day of the week you can go into the city centre and there's always live music. You can go into a random bar and see someone playing,’ said Keates.
‘You might see your new favourite band,’ added Memphis. ‘I just think you've got a lot of opportunity that I think people choose to ignore, especially because the majority of the industry is in London, which is cool. That's fine. But it’s an underdog. Leeds has got eyes on it.’
The North released their debut single Soundtrack Your Soul at the end of 2024; a number reminiscent of the early 2000s indie sleaze era with Bloc Party melodies and a hint of early The Kooks.
When asked how the idea for the tune came to him, Memphis starts:
‘I was in Leeds station, and I just saw that literally everyone had headphones on, and I just came up with the line soundtrack your soul. But then I went on the train to Wakefield, and I just wrote the whole song there.’
‘I think it was like one of our first songs where me and Kobi joined. Billy normally has the lyrics, has the melody, and we listen to it and come up with our own parts. I think it was the first song where we made our sound I guess,’ added Keates.
As well as grinding hard on social media to put the song on the radar, The North also resorted to the old fashioned way of turning up to gigs to chat to people (with the help of a QR code or two).
Targeting gigs in Leeds from current hot topics Blossoms and Wunderhorse led to some positive and negative experiences for the band.
‘At Blossoms, we were getting called wankers and all that, by at least 10 people, but then the rest were all sound. Actually, when we went on tour, there were like, two or three people that were outside the Blossoms gig that came and watched us in Manchester. So yeah, we were pretty happy with that!’ a cheerful Memphis remarked.
Now The North talk about soundtracking your soul, but we wanted to know what soundtracked their souls.
And straight away, without hesitation, Griggs jumped in with:
‘You know what mine is, mine’s The Stone Roses debut album,’ and when we asked what song, he continued with ‘I Am the Resurrection. That would be the soundtrack to my soul.’
‘King Krule’s first album 6 Feet Beneath the Moon,’ followed Memphis before Keates finished with ‘I think it's very different from our genre but the Lumineers because of more like, the nostalgia of it.’
Three very different bands from our band in question, made all the more surprising when at Keates’ mention of The Lumineers, Memphis exclaimed:
‘Oh shit, really? That was the first time I’ve heard you mention that band.’ But they go on to describe how their differences make them tighter as a band, with Keates explaining:
‘We all have different kind of taste of genre and stuff, but then it does kind of come together when we’re in the practice room.’
The North ended 2024 with their first headline tour across England, selling out three shows in Nottingham, London and Sheffield.
‘The first two days me and [Kobi] were like, ‘what the fuck is going on,’’ Memphis professed in regard to their sold-out shows. ‘It was more just like trying to cut our teeth for hopefully what's to come, but in a bigger capacity and I think that's what we did.’
When asked about any stories from their tour to share with the Dizzy Magazine readers, Memphis could hardly get through the story without laughing between every word. We could’ve sworn a tear rolled down his cheek.
Griggs helped to tell part of the story by reminiscing on the night they played at The Jacaranda:
‘I’d ended up in Cavern Club at like, 3am listening to a guy singing Christmas songs on the stage and I ended up, like, backstage and everything. I got a free T shirt as well. And I met the Beatles tribute band, they were all back there and they were like, ‘What are you doing here?’’
Only in Liverpool, right?
And straight off the back of their debut tour is new music quite literally within touching distance. Their sophomore single Blood Orange will grace our ears at the start of February, with a five-track EP coming later in the year which they recorded with Elton John’s and the Bee Gee’s producer.
‘We went down to Devon and that was actually one of the best times of my life. We were down there for nearly a week, and every night it was just like, go do the recording, go back, just get pissed and watch shit films. We'd only been a band for like, two months, and that's when we just became more mates than anything,’ Memphis divulged.
The North also spoke about the importance of community within the industry and helping each other along. They cited Keo, Arkayla, and Cardinals as bands who are inspiring them currently. Memphis mentioned:
‘As a band, we're all more inspired by new, upcoming bands that are a similar, slightly bigger level.
‘I think everyone kind of wants everyone to do well, at least we do.’
And although they’re still at the start of their journey, the band are keeping their feet firmly on the ground.
‘The main thing is being genuinely proud and in love with what we're putting out and writing.’
The North have a busy month ahead of them, playing Notting Hill Arts Club in London on February 6th, releasing their second single Blood Orange on February 7th and playing their first hometown show of the year in Leeds at Brudenell Social Club on February 8th.
And as Memphis stated: ‘It’s a nice little three days in a row there for you!’