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BEY - Tell us about yourself. How did you get to be where you are Today?
JS&TLK – Me (Colin White – Drums/Backing Vocals/Percussion) and Joe (Joe Symes – Vocals/Guitar/Harmonica) have known each other for many years. When our two previous bands folded – and during a time when Joe had started doing solo acoustic gigs, I asked if he needed some drums playing in the studio, and some percussion live; the answer to both being yes. After a short time, we decided to expand what we were doing into a full band by adding Alan Welsh on bass, who Joe had worked with in the past. Two albums, two stand-alone singles, and an EP later, we’ve had major exposure all around the world, with people from all different countries loving our music. That was what we wanted from the beginning. To get ourselves out there to as many people as possible; and that’s still growing even as we speak.
BEY - Have you ever been fired?
JS&TLK – Or to use the English term “Sacked.” No, I don’t believe any of us have been fired/sacked.
BEY - What are your real passions?
JS&TLK – Making music, and playing music that appeals to a wide audience, and uplifts people. We want people to listen to our albums/singles/EP’s, also come to our gigs, and leave having enjoyed themselves, which – to our delight – they have so far. The last thing we would want is people to hear your music or come to our gigs and be miserable.
BEY - If you won the lottery, what would you do?
JS&TLK – Buy our own studio, perhaps. The nice thought about that is you could go there anytime you wanted for how long you wanted without being against the clock.
BEY - What do you do to help others be their best?
JS&TLK – Encourage them as much as you can. If they have flaws, allow them to realize that – but not in a nasty way – so they can learn from them, and head in the right direction, so their talents/abilities can grow.
BEY - How do you help yourself to be the best you can be?
JS&TLK – Avoid negative people. We all come across them in life; individuals who try to put you down mostly out of bitterness. The best thing to do is keep as far away from those people. Then your self-belief can truly blossom.
BEY - What do you like to do in your personal life?
JS&TLK – I (Joe) like gardening. I find it very therapeutic. Colin writes his stories, and Alan likes playing golf.
BEY - What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
JS&TLK – To keep on building our audience, and make more music. We’re currently working on our third album, which we’re very excited about. The term “The Difficult Third Album” gets used at this time in a bands career, but so far, the process has been very smooth. All the songs are written, and we have a very clear direction on where it’s going. That will be released in 2023, so stay tuned.
BEY - What is a book or two that you recommend?
JS&TLK – Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse comes to mind. Being creative people, you sometimes feel like an outsider to the rest of the world; like you don’t fit in with things, and there are definitely elements of that in Hesse’s novel. A heavy read, but a good recommendation.
BEY - Please give us one or two shameless plugs?
JS&TLK – The brand-new video to the title track from our latest EP A Place to Call Our Own is now available to watch on our YouTube channel, and TikTok page. The links you will find at the end of this article. Also, the EP is available internationally in CD and download from our website. The link will also be below.
BEY - What are some of your favorites (books, websites, etc.)?
JS&TLK – Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse, which we mentioned before. Anything by Edgar Allan Poe, Steve Diggle’s autobiography Harmony in my Head is an enjoyable read too. So many others to mention.
BEY - Why do you do what you do?
JS&TLK – We enjoy it. It’s who we are.
BEY - What are a few of your goals?
JS&TLK – I think we’re accomplishing them with each thing we do. Like we said before, continue to make music, and make our audience bigger and bigger. Doing a film soundtrack would be nice. We haven’t done that yet.
BEY - What do the words “best ever you” mean to you?
JS&TLK – Believing in yourself, so all your strongest qualities can all come fully to the surface, and not letting anyone prevent you from doing so.
More About Joe Symes and the Loving Kind
Joe Symes and the Loving Kind are a three-piece rock band from Liverpool, UK.
Before lockdown, the band had finished a two-and-a-half-year tour across the UK and parts of Europe in promotion of the critically acclaimed second album Phase II: an album that gained airplay on radio stations all over the world, as well as reviews, magazine interviews, and endorsements by celebrities from the world of show business.
Their latest EP “A Place to Call Our Own” – released in 2022 – has also received worldwide acclaim, and from the Summer available to purchase in HMV stores across the north west of England, with the band performing acoustically in said stores to enthusiastic crowds, who have given astounding responses. The first batch of CD's even sold out halfway through the performances, with a second batch going on shelves immediately. In October, an animated promo video of the EP title track was released on their YouTube channel and TikTok with amazing feedback.
The title track of the EP also recently reached number 8 in the national 365 Radio Top 30 charts, based in London climbing higher than such artists as Florence and the Machine, Liam Gallagher, Jack White, White Lies, and Ed Sheeran to name several, and remained in the top 20 for five weeks.