ladylike is among the most promising new bands in recent memory. In this Q&A, we delve into their recent performance at the Green Man Festival and discuss their latest single, “Horse’s Mouth.”

Brighton’s ladylike is a band known for their distinctive blend of post-rock, folk, and shoegaze. Their sound is hard to pin down, but that’s exactly what makes it so compelling. With their latest single, "Horse’s Mouth," they dive into the relentless pace of modern life, offering a track that’s as raw as it is reflective. Fresh off being finalists in the Green Man Rising competition and getting shortlisted for Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent, ladylike is a band on the rise. In this Q&A, they open up about their songwriting process, the inspiration behind their new music, and what’s next as they gear up for their first international shows.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

We’re ladylike, from Brighton and we make sort of post-rock folk music with elements of shoegaze- though that’s a very rough description as defining music is hard!!

Congratulations on the release of your recent single "Horse’s Mouth"! Can you share the inspiration behind the song and what it represents for you as a band?

Thanks so much! Horse’s Mouth was a pretty natural song for us, we wrote it in the room pretty quickly and it’s probably one of the first tunes where we ignored ourselves questioning ‘authenticity’ and ‘cringeness’ and just ploughed through - we’re very glad we did!

"Horse’s Mouth" touches on the relentless work ethic of modern life. What inspired you to explore this theme, and how do you relate to it personally?

The song sort of just took to that theme. We’re good at writing songs that just follow an unnamed narrative and just gradually open up. We’re all in our twenties and whilst we are incredibly privileged to be making music, we definitely witness those around us, ourselves included and those older, constantly working towards a greater something and not stopping so much to enjoy the present. We can probably all relate to that in some way.

Spencer Withey produced the new single at Farm Road Studios in Brighton. How did the recording process come together, and what was it like working in your hometown studio?

It’s really great to self-produce and though Spence probably isn't too keen on all the mix notes, we love the freedom of having our own producer in the group. It really means no idea is a stupid one because we’re all working on it together- we love Farm Road studio, it’s always a pleasure to be there and though it’s so close to home it feels like a little holiday haven. Jake (the owner) really treats us well.

Your songwriting has been praised for its enigmatic stream-of-consciousness approach. Can you talk about how you develop your lyrics and the creative process behind them?

It’s really cool to hear that! I (Georgia) write the lyrics myself and I tend to keep them quite close to my chest- so the others rarely know the meaning of the songs until we’re quite far down the line. But that means that we’ve all already interpreted the meaning of the track to ourselves, which is what music is all about really.

I find if I can’t have a base lyrical phrase in the first 10 minutes of us writing the song, I won’t be able to finish them, as it starts to feel insincere. The lyrics to ‘Horse’s Mouth’ came very quickly and centre around a few English phrases like ‘Straight from the Horse’s Mouth’ and ‘Work to the bone’ which I find quite fascinating - it helped me build the idea of the modern day person and how history has influenced our culture (for better, or worse).

As Green Man Rising 2024 finalists and Glastonbury Festival Emerging Talent Shortlisters, how have these achievements impacted your confidence and visibility as a band?

We’ve definitely all got our fair share of imposter syndrome! But genuinely these experiences have all shocked us and really given us a kick to continue and prove to ourselves that we do have a support system that wants us to continue doing what we love- which is pretty cool!

We never could have imagined playing Green Man and having the Brecon Beacons behind us on stage but it happened and we’re very grateful for it and for all the new people who’ve been exposed to our music in the last few months.

You’ve shared stages with a range of exciting new alternative bands like Lime Garden, Ugly, and The Bug Club. How have these experiences influenced your growth as a live act?

It’s been amazing! We’ve played with some of our favourite bands and that’s really helped us to improve our performance on stage and to feel like we’re part of a larger scene.

With upcoming shows at festivals like Brighton Psych Fest and Left of The Dial in Rotterdam, what are you most looking forward to about performing internationally for the first time?

We’re most nervous to be driving on the other side of the road, in Spence’s little mini packed with our instruments and lanky bodies but something about that also really excites us! These experiences are going to stick with us for a long time.

What do you love right now?

Georgie and Spencer: Kinnie Spritz!

Archie: Peach Lager

James: I found my old Nintendo DS and have been replaying Pokémon platinum

What do you hate right now?

G: Blisters

A: Waiting list for Brighton parking permits

S: PE Shorts

J: Needing a wee after getting cosy in a sleeping bag at a festival

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

S: ‘Hunky Dory’ by David Bowie (for some reason this was the first album/music I ever listened to. One holiday when I was 7 or 8 I played it on repeat as it was the only thing I had on iTunes)

A: Foster The People ‘Torches’ - It was introduced to me when I was young and it's just such a fun album filled with production embellishments. It always takes me back to that time in my life.

J: ‘Give ‘Em Enough Rope’ by The Clash. My dad would play this album all the time and I went through a massive phase of listening to a lot of the clash. Always makes me feel upbeat and a bit nostalgic.

G: I don’t think I still listen to any full albums from when I was younger but the most important album to me when I was young was probably ‘The Best Damn Thing’ by Avril Lavigne. I still listen to the bangers on occasion but it was very important to me to see a women in music from a young age and she is the greatest rock star of all time…

Looking ahead to the rest of 2024 and beyond, what are your goals as a band?

Our goal is to continue to write music together that we enjoy playing and to learn to enjoy each set as though it’s our last (and to not deep it!!).

Start Listening To: ladylike