We Tibetans: ‘Danny doesn’t shy away from writing about really difficult things, whether it’s a divorce or addiction, or anything that just puts a stake through your heart’

Teeside-based alt-rock band We Tibetans have released their stunning new single, ‘Girls, Friends and Gods’ about the importance of solidarity and not feeling you have to do everything on your own.

The band comprises Luke Evans (lead vocals), Danny Spooner (bass), Ben Curry (guitar) and Marty Bennett (drums). It’s been a long and sometimes rocky journey for them with tragedy and difficult personal circumstances causing the group to cycle through a multitude of lineups over the years. Initially formed in 2017, the band was fronted by Young Rebel Set lead singer Matty Chipchase, accompanied by Danny Spooner. The tragic passing of Chipchase in 2019 meant that, understandably, the music went on the back burner, resulting in the band going on an indefinite hiatus. It was only when Evans (also of Young Rebel Set) and Spooner listened to some of the old demos at a party that the Tibetans flame was rekindled and the two decided to get back to performing together.

Their band name comes from a book of the same name, according to Evans: ‘I think the guys were sat in a pub and the guy who sort of manages us, Jimmy Beck, was looking at the bookshelf, and there was something that just said ‘We Tibetans’, he just really liked it,’ he said. ‘I’ve been in bands since I was about 12 years old, so more than half my life, and you always think of band names like The Beatles and The Who. I think what I like about We Tibetans is that it’s quite a unique name.’

‘When I close my eyes and sing it, it’s like a love song for me, I think I sing it from a different place from where Danny was coming from‘

At the heart of their songs are themes of alienation and mental health issues, reflecting many of the band members’ personal battles, yet conveying an underlying sense of optimism: ‘With any of it, it’s a bit of a snapshot into where your head’s at,’ Spooner said. ‘But there’s also got to be a progression and a resolve in the music, it’s got to be a reflection of the people who I’m around and the people in the audience.’

‘Girls, Friends and Gods’ fits into that neatly, opening with a soaring guitar-infused blast – familiar territory for fans of their previous two singles – before retreating into gentler acoustic rhythms and layered soaring vocals on the chorus that are optimistic and hopeful. The lyricism is particularly wounded and introspective, chronicling the small moments of peace amidst turbulent events, from skipping stones into a lake to sitting and counting breaths. ‘Danny had been to see Coldplay, who had all these big anthemic choruses, stuff that we’ve really shied away from before,’ Evans said. ‘Danny writes the majority of the music and he has gone through issues with addiction. He’s come out of it, he’s doing very well, he’s helping others and I think that’s where his angle for the song comes from. He felt like it was someone stuck on their own coming to the conclusion that you can’t do anything meaningful without the help of others, so you’ll see that in the music video. When I close my eyes and sing it, it’s like a love song for me, I think I sing it from a different place from where Danny was coming from. I haven’t had the addiction battles that he has but I’ve had lost loves and there’s things that I regret, as everyone goes through hard times, don’t they? There’s no blueprint here, I sang it from my heart, and I’m really, really proud of it.’

As Spooner puts it: ‘I’ve never written something so personal,’ he said. ‘On the surface, it sounds like a love story about redemption through finding a partner but for me it was a bit bigger than that; it’s about trying to find redemption by finding a spiritual connection with the world.’

As the track kicks off: “Skipping stones into a lake. Staring into empty space. Watching as the world unfolds. I’ll tell you girl that if this is love, please take it off me.”

‘They’re just really good people, rock ‘n’ roll stars but they’re nice with it’

Typically, Spooner writes the lyrics, although they all chip in, changing arrangements slightly as they go along, according to Evans. ‘The reaction to this song has been crazy, really, considering we are very much DIY. We’re doing a BBC session on Thursday, we’re playing with The Libertines on the beach in Redcar in July. I sort of know the lad who puts the festival on, he put us on last year with Bastille, and he just heard our new stuff and said: “Do you want to play with the Libertines?” We’re like “Yeah, of course we do!” Their new album is very, very good, I feel like they’re back to the best.’

It’s not Evans’ first encounter with Pete Doherty and The Libertines, they’ve shared a stage before: ‘Growing up as a kid, I had opportunities to play with Babyshambles and Dirty Pretty Things, they’re just really good people, rock ‘n’ roll stars but they’re nice with it,’ he said enthusiastically. We get chatting about a funny photo we both saw on social media recently of The Libertines and Reverend and the Makers having a playful scrap back in the day and he laughs: ‘I remember when I was a kid, we were in a really small local band and we’d play with Reverend and the Makers. Later on, I went to the Leeds Festival with all my college mates and Jon from Reverend picked me and my mate out in the audience and name-dropped our band: “There’s The Lurios from Teesside”, our college friends thought we were famous (laughs). He made our festival, he’s a really nice guy. I think if I had to choose a band or singer to support personally it would be someone like Oasis. However, I think the band would suit supports with the likes of U2, Snow Patrol or Kings of Leon.’

Next up, they are working on an EP and they have several songs in the mix: ‘I think we’ve probably got another six or seven songs before we go into this new phase, I think we should record them all,’ Evans said. ‘I would love to release an EP with four tracks on, maybe with a lead-in single, and then another three. I know the vinyl is huge now and I would just love to do something a little bit more physical. One of my favourite of the new songs is ’19th Nervous Come Down, it’s a little bit like ’19th Nervous Breakdown’ by The Rolling Stones’ (laughs). I love it, it’s a really good live track, it’s been recorded already, it’s a little bit of a rockier one. It ends very much like Led Zeppelin, my voice goes extremely high (laughs), I’m trying to get my Robert Plant on!’

Endearingly, Evans describes his fiancée Lizzie as his musical ‘litmus test’: ‘We’re in the process of writing an acoustic one. I work from home sometimes, so I’ve always got a guitar or a drum kit at hand, if she likes something, she’ll come in going: “Is that one of yours?” If she doesn’t come in at all, you know that maybe you should go with a different one!’

‘Phrasing’s really important when you’re recording and there’s a line in there about having ADHD – I felt like I was rapping it!‘

Their first single ‘Running Away’ was released in 2022, telling a story of personal turmoil and a relationship falling apart. The follow-up the same year, ‘White Knuckle Ride’, is a raw and honest exploration of addiction, isolation and recovery: ”White Knuckle Ride’ had completely different lyrics when I first started singing it,’ Evans said. ‘A few days before we went to record it, Danny had come up with a full set of new lyrics and I was a bit nervous, thinking, hang on, I’ve just got used to the old ones (laughs). Phrasing’s really important when you’re recording and there’s a line in there about having ADHD – I felt like I was rapping it! But it came about because Danny had just been diagnosed with ADHD, it’s something he talks about. He wrote the song from the perspective of his mate having a chat with him, that’s how he described it. His friend was just saying: “You know, you cheated, that’s a fact, you know the world won’t stop if she stops loving you”. I like the fact that he wrote from the perspective of his friend, it’s a bit of tough love. Danny doesn’t shy away from writing about really difficult things, whether it’s a divorce or addiction, or anything that just puts a stake through your heart.’

Songwriting is cathartic yet clearly puts Spooner through the wringer: ‘With ‘Girls, Friends And Gods’, I remember Ben saying: “Just write another one of these, Danny, then we’re good to go”, and he went: “I don’t think you realise what I went through to even get to that point of writing it”. You’re right, it might be quite therapeutic for him to do this,’ Evans said. ‘It’s a lot more open now, isn’t it, talking about mental health and people’s battles. I think it shows how real the band is because we’re not making stuff up, we’re not talking about going to LA every weekend, which we don’t, although it would be nice! We’re talking about things that are real to us. The people who like it know that it’s real, I think we wear our hearts on our sleeve.’

That attitude is no surprise given the huge range of different influences they bring to the band, with Evans citing The Beatles and Tom Petty as his heroes, after getting into a music at a young age: ‘My dad was a drummer, that was a bit of a hobby for him,’ he said. ‘Me and my brother Mark, Andy and Chris – my best friends ever – we were in a band that got put together because our parents were drummers and guitarists in bands and left the gear up in our house (laughs). We’re all out playing football and my brother, who was older than me, was like: “Luke, you get on the drums, Chris, get on the bass,” because our parents weren’t there to tell us what to do (laughs). We were very lucky and then when we got to about 17, Matty joined us and we formed Young Rebel Set.’

‘Matty was Young Rebel Set, so knowing that there were songs that he’d worked on that were unheard, I was determined to get them heard again one way or another‘

Chipchase’s death hit Evans and his bandmates understandably hard, leaving him unsure what his future in music held: ‘I thought I would never play original music in front of people again,’ he said. ‘I didn’t mind doing ‘Daydream Believer’ but I really wanted to just play our own music. We Tibetans was a project that never really got off the ground, so I spoke to Danny and said: “Listen, I’ll Phil Collins it, I’ll get up and give it a go. I think especially after this last single, everyone’s just forgot I was a drummer. Matty was Young Rebel Set, so knowing that there were songs that he’d worked on that were unheard, I was determined to get them heard again one way or another.’

I ask him which musician he’d like to go drinking with: ‘Okay, so it definitely would be pints, because I still really do enjoy a drink (laughs), I like the social aspect of music and having a few beers with your friends. Phil Collins is my biggest idol ever. Growing up as a kid, my dad introduced us to Genesis, and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but for me, it’s so much more than just the 80’s pop stuff. I loved his earlier stuff with The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974), that type of early Genesis stuff. His drumming’s fantastic. When you see all the greatest drummers of the day now, such as Taylor Hawkins, who’s not with us anymore, and Dave Grohl, they’re always talking about Phil Collins and how his drumming influenced them.’

Collins’ ability to reinvent himself over the years resonates with Evans, who cites his ability to move seamlessly from drummer to frontman, to projects such as composing the soundtrack for Tarzan (1999): ‘He might not be the coolest person to other people but to me he is,’ he said enthusiastically. ‘Firstly, I’d ask him: “Can you phone my dad so he can talk to you?!” I would ask him about what it was like in the early 70’s with Peter Gabriel because I know that Peter Gabriel would turn up in a fox’s head and a red dress on. I would want to know how he coped with not knowing what Peter Gabriel was going to wear on stage! I’ll show you something here (he disappears briefly and comes back with drum sticks) – these are actually Phil Collins’ sticks, I went to see Genesis, I went to see the last Domino tour and my mate was the catering manager, so he met us and gave us loads of memorabilia, so these sticks have been played! He said they were Phil’s sticks but if they aren’t they are definitely Nic’s (Collins’ son) which is good enough for me!’

They’ve had some hilarious moments on the road, as Evans recounts: ‘I think one of my funniest memories was on our first European tour. We had our opening show in Lucerne, Switzerland and played an unusually busy show there considering we were relatively unknown. The next day, we all jumped in the Mercedes sprinter ready to get going. For about a mile down the road, people were shouting, screaming and waving at us. We thought we had hit the big time and it was Beatlemania part two! It wasn’t until another half a mile down the road we realised the back of the van was open and all our equipment and baggage had emptied out over the streets of Lucerne – great times!’

(Top photo from left to right: Ben, Danny, Luke and Marty. Top photo by Jodie Canwell. Black and white photo by ENA Photgraph.)