Callum Codd: ‘They always say that the best music comes out of hardship and struggles’

Widnes-based Callum Codd has released his second solo single ‘Better Days’, an uplifting 60’s-infused track about better days being around the corner, inspired by The Beatles’ Rubber Soul period.

Codd is the former frontman of rock quartet The Racket, who disbanded last year: ‘It started fizzling out and I was the main creative person in the band so I went: “I’m not stopping doing this, I love music too much”,’ he said.

‘Better Days’ is a feel good, shimmery track that hits like a ray of sunshine: ‘I’m so glad you’ve said that because that is completely what I was trying to do with the song,’ he said. ‘I actually think it’s harder to write a happy song than it is a miserable, angry or political song because there’s that much ammunition out there to talk about. Writing something happy can be a challenge (laughs). I think the roots organic sound of it being acoustically led with the organ and guitars – keeping it to a band sound – is something I was definitely going for. I always wanted the organ at the start. I think I’ve ripped off ‘A Town Called Malice’ a little bit, with it coming in right at the beginning (laughs), although there’s definitely not the same melody.’

‘We’re trying to be like the Beatles, the 60’s and ‘Pet Sounds’ – we’re throwing it into one big pile and making a song out of it!’

It’s got a lovely vintage sound and could easily have been written in the 60’s: ‘I think it was just something I had to commit to, going into an old style recording,’ he said. I say I am so pleased he added some cowbell to it because it adds to the vintage feel. ‘It was in the studio, I think I was trying to get the drummer to hit the ride. We thought, let’s overdub it and put a cowbell on it. You don’t often hear a cowbell, do you, in songs now?’ The gang vocals on the chorus really pull the song along and it turns out that both Codd and Paul Higgins, who plays bass on the song, are sharing chorus duties. ‘He can hit the high notes, so I let him jump at all that stuff! It’s my favourite bit of the song, the thick backing vocals. And I love the end where it goes into a minor chord. We’re trying to be like the Beatles, the 60’s and ‘Pet Sounds’ (The Beach Boys) – we’re throwing it into one big pile and making a song out of it! I could definitely hear it on ‘Gavin And Stacey’, the happy indie charm – couldn’t you?!’

He jokes that he wishes he’d called it something else as there are already a lot of songs on Spotify called ‘Better Days’ and I ask him if he ever covers The Beatles: ‘No, but I know I probably should do because that’s what people want you to do,’ he said laughing. ‘Maybe I’m just being too musician-ey about it? I don’t want to play covers but do you know what, when you go to gigs and see other bands do them, you do actually really enjoy it. I’ve started doing TikToks and things like that, I’ve been doing covers as if they were out in the 60’s. So I do ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ but I used all the chords of ‘Yesterday’. Hang on, I’ll show you.’ He picks up one of the acoustic guitars behind him and starts playing it and it’s brilliant. ‘It’s done quite well, I put a little turtleneck on (laughs), and I’ve got a little candle in the car and I made it look retro. I like doing those, you can just have a bit of fun with it. I think it makes you come across as really genuine – I’m not fooling anyone, I’m not even fooling myself, because I enjoy doing that. To sit there and think of a song I’d listen to and then make it in the style of The Beatles, I think it’s a really fun way to do it.’

His debut solo single ‘Sold Down the River’ has a real Northern Soul vibe: ‘At the time, I was working a job I didn’t like doing, so it was just an easy target for my lyrics to go for that place and put my thoughts into a song in that way.’ Last time I chatted to him and his band mates in The Racket, they’d all recently started working as delivery drivers for ASDA and I ask if this was the job he is referring to and he laughs: ‘Actually, no, I was driving a forklift in a warehouse, I was not enjoying it but I think when you do really banal jobs, your mind’s somewhere else, it allows you to be more creative. I was still in the band at the time but it was coming towards the end. The main lyric that always hits me is: “I’ve sold my soul to work until I’m old”, it felt like a reality check. I’ve been doing music for years now, I’ve had little part-time jobs, I’ve been at university and I think most people in music have gone down this path. You get to a point where you’ve got to get a job. Things just don’t happen that quick. This is just reality now, isn’t it? This is the real world.’

‘I have to constantly remind myself to stop being so precious and to just enjoy it’

We chat for a bit about sad it is that so many young bands are calling it quits and how difficult it is to make a living from music, even when you’re doing it on the side. ‘I have to constantly remind myself to stop being so precious and to just enjoy it,’ he said. ‘Enjoying yourself is the whole reason you’re doing it. There’s always a job in a pub in the corner playing cover songs but I’m doing it originally with my own music because I want to make what I listen to and be creative. I think it’s important to constantly remind yourself of that and just go for it.’ I ask him if he has a go-to karaoke song: ‘I definitely try and avoid karaokes if I can but if I do, it’s usually an old song from the 90’s that reminds me of family holidays. Maybe ‘She’s the One’ by Robbie (Williams) or ‘Eternal Flame’, The Bangles’ version.’

Next up is a pre-Christmas gig at The Jacaranda in Liverpool on 13 December about which he is clearly very excited. ‘Going into the new year, I’m going to try and release music as often as I can,’ he said enthusiastically. ‘I know it’s expensive to go in a studio. I might have to produce some myself or go about it other ways, where I make an acoustic or live EP.’

Codd’s musical journey began via his brother, who is six years older. ‘It was around 2005, he was 14 and it was all about Arctic Monkeys,’ he said. ‘You always look up to your brother in every sense. You always want to do what he wants to do. It was just the young naivety of a kid wanting to copy his brother. I took it one step further by asking for a guitar that Christmas (laughs) and since then I’ve constantly been obsessed with it. I had some lessons at the very beginning. Now, I can sit for hours just holding the guitar, not even thinking about anything, just making little things up. Every now and then you go: “Oh, that was good” (laughs). And you go back and songs just naturally form. I feel like you’re never alone when your guitar is in the corner. I know it’s a very cheesy thing to say but time can just pass so fast when you’re on your guitar. For me, anyway. It’s just there, it’s comforting to have it close by. I find that I can’t even watch the telly without having the guitar in my hand. I’m muting the strings, playing something (laughs).’ I tell him I have a friend who watches TV with his guitar on his lap like a pet and he laughs: ‘Exactly! I totally get that.’

‘I met him a couple of times, he’s so lovely, he’s a proper legend’

In addition to The Beatles, he cites The Kinks, The Jam, Ray Davies and Paul Weller as his favourite songwriters. One of his biggest musical heroes turns out to be Sheffield’s Reverend And The Makers and we get chatting about what a lovely man their frontman Jon McClure is and about their moving Christmas charity single ‘Late Night Phone Call’ to raise money for The Samaritans: ‘I met him a couple of times, he’s so lovely, he’s a proper legend,’ he said enthusiastically. ‘He’s got all the time in the world for you. I actually told him last year that I was going to start my own thing and he was really encouraging. He said: “Have you got your phone on you?” I said “Yeah” and he went: “Pass it to your brother”. He started filming, I didn’t even ask him to. He said: “This is Callum, he’s going to be the next superstar”. And he filmed the video for me, I didn’t even think of that!’ Codd is hoping supermarkets get involved to sell the apple crumble McClure mentions in the song, donating some of the profits to The Samaritans: ‘He’s got so much momentum. I hope it keeps going, I hope it doesn’t stop. He’s really busy. He’s always touring. If he’s not doing that, he’s releasing something! We ran a tour with the Lottery Winners, they’re the same, just lovely people.’

If he could go drinking with anyone, he is quick to pick Paul McCartney: ‘I’d just go straight up and quiz him on his Beatles sessions,’ he said happily. ‘And even though I prefer John, I think I’d rather have a drink with Paul because I feel like he’d know more. I’d say: “When you recorded this song, how did this go?” And he’d just tell me off (laughs) and I think he’d be really happy to tell me as well. I reckon if you got John Lennon on a bad day, he wouldn’t give a party. Paul is the biggest Beatles fan out there. No matter all these super fans who collect all his stuff, he’s like: “No, I’m a bigger Beatles fan than you!” So, yeah, I’d love to just quiz him on stuff.’

I tell him the story Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith once told me of turning up to McCartney’s house, who ushered him in, still in pyjamas. Sexsmith was too nervous to play one of his own songs, so played a McCartney one instead, with the great man himself coming over to gently correct the chord he was playing wrong: ‘That’s funny, isn’t it?! There’s no chance I’d be playing one of his songs in front of him, my fingers would shake too much! I’m going to see him next month. He’s playing the Co-Op in Manchester, the new arena. It’s expensive but I don’t care. It’s worth it, it’s my first time. He’s doing the tour now, so I thought I’d go and look at his set list. He plays 30 songs. I bet he can do more! He doesn’t have a support act, it’s just him. He goes on and plays for two hours.’

We get talking about how good the music scene is in the North West of England and he gets very animated: ‘Maybe it’s going back to that thing from before when I said when you’re working with bands in other places because the North West of England is very much where all the factories are,’ he said. ‘They always say that the best music comes out of hardship and struggles. I always think if you can train someone to be a musician, they’re always just going to copy something. Do you know what I mean? Or read out the textbook and do it like that. When someone’s a little bit not knowing what they’re doing, just making it up as they go along, they’re creating something original, aren’t they? I think that shows in the music every single time.’

Codd has had some entertaining moments along the way: ‘I played a festival last year where the promotor was a guy called James. I went looking for him backstage and the security kept sending me on a quest of different places to find him. Eventually, they got me to ‘James’, however, it was the band James (laughs). They really didn’t find it funny, they had an “Oh, we’ve heard that one before” kind of vibe but I found it funny!’