Interview with Alba Rosa: ‘Jekyll and Hyde in the song stands for order and chaos and the thin line between them’

Sheffield-based indie band Alba Rosa have released a jangly, summery bluesy/rock track ‘5 Days (Til the Weekend)’, a song that reminds us of the carefree summer we could have been enjoying in the absence of a pandemic.

Written and recorded before lockdown and following on from earlier releases ’Jekyll Vs Hyde’, and a cover of Rusted Root’s ‘Send Me On My Way’, ‘5 Days’ is all about hot summer gatherings.

‘We actually wrote it before the last EP (It’s Not That Deep, released in November last year) but obviously all this happened,’ said Joe Ward, frontman and guitarist. ‘We share the songwriting, whoever wants to write one, writes one!’

The lyrics of ‘5 Days’ evoke long summer nights: ‘There’s a rumour going ‘round that your parents aren’t here, sun is blazing out an’ there’s plenty of beer, tues are on the speaker, someone’s throwing a fit, ‘cos the girl who’s connected’s really hogging it…chilling in the dusk watching sparks from the fire, g down, but I’m getting by…’

Alba Rosa – a reference to Yorkshire’s white rose – was formed in late 2016 by cousins Joe Ward and Oliver Marsh (bass guitarist), who were starting out on the local ‘Open Mic’ circuit playing covers of rock ’n’ roll tracks from the 60’s and 70’s, with some modern tracks thrown in. Having secured gigs in pubs and clubs performing covers, they eventually started writing their own original compositions, dropping the odd track into their sets. They were joined by drummer Luke Davies, who was looking to join a band and who lived nearby. Alex (Ward’s brother) joined the band to play sax earlier this year and Davies has since been replaced by a new drummer who has yet to make his live debut.

Their last single, ‘Jekyll Vs. Hyde’, which came out in March, is actually a song born out of lockdown that they recorded at home. ‘To be fair, it was when it was all kicking off,’ said Ward. ‘The Jekyll and Hyde in the song stands for order and chaos and the thin line between them because chaos can erupt at any time.’

Alba Rosa intends to release another single this year, along with another EP around February next year. ‘We’ve not been able to get up to much in lockdown because we couldn’t meet up to practice until now. But we’ve all been writing bits and pieces, so we’ll definitely release another single this year,’ he said.

Alba Rosa released their second EP, ‘It’s Not That Deep’ in November. The three track EP was recorded at Sheffield’s Foxden Studios, produced and engineered by Grammy Award winner Chris Wilkinson. With the anthemic chorus and funky bass of ‘Hate Me’, dark driving melody of ‘Losers Win’, and haunting blues style of ‘Living The Dream’, they are clearly experimenting and mixing it up with different styles.

They released the 6 track EP ‘Loose Lips’ and single ‘Fool for you’ in 2018, gaining radio plays from BBC Introducing Sheffield and being listed on the station’s Bands to Watch for 2018. In September 2018, they headlined the O2 Academy Sheffield, their biggest gig so far. (Their guitarist at the time, Charlie Pashley, has since finished his degree at Sheffield University, and has gone on to pursue a new career.)

Ward is a big fan of Bruce Springsteen and The Stone Roses, whereas Marsh prefers The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Marvin Gaye. Alex is also a Springsteen fan but also likes indie bands like The Lathums. If he could collaborate with anyone, Joe would work with US music producer, Rick Rubin, ‘because he’s produced everyone’ (including Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty and Mick Jagger). As a band, they’d have loved to collaborate with The Beatles and would love to work with The Rolling Stones.

They’re also hoping to gig again next year. ‘We had a lot of decent out-of-town gigs lined up before lockdown, some near Manchester,’ Ward said. ‘We were getting a lot of gigs lined up in Sheffield as well. What can you do? Everyone’s in the same boat.’

(Photo from left to right;  Oliver, Joe, Alex and Luke)