‘First, last, and everything in between’ is an interview feature where upcoming artists talk about some of the favourite music from throughout their lives and how it’s influenced them.
Council Cut (aka Will) is a songwriter/musician from Stoke-on-Trent. After years of grinding away in indie bands, he struck out on his own last year with his self-styled brand of Hip-Hop Brit-Pop. I’ve featured him a few times on the blog previously in my tunes of the week roundups, following a string of strong releases since late 2022.
He joined us to talk through his musical loves; from indie classics through to his current favourite band, with some musical soundtracks and opera along the way. Read the interview below, and you can listen along via the playlist for some of his picks, plus a selection of Council Cut tunes.
First song you remember falling in love with?
Nothing too surprising here, it would of been an Oasis song, I was too young to listen first time round so it would of been something off Heathen Chemistry when that came out. Then I pretty much fell in love with their entire back catalogue. If it wasn’t for that band I doubt I’d be a musician, the only reason I picked up a guitar was to learn Oasis songs!
I think most people really start to form their musical ‘identity’ as teens. What music would best define your teenage years?
As previously said, Oasis got the ball rolling, that then I branched out to other guitar bands. I remember getting pissed lots of times, in lots of different fields, listening to The Libertines, so perhaps them. I wasn’t very adventurous at all with music back then, I just listened to the same stuff as my mates and anything else was just labelled ‘shit’.
What has most influenced your own music?
In past projects there has always been pretty direct lines between what I was listening to at the time and the sounds I was making, but with the Council Cut stuff I’ve tried not to be influenced by anything musically. I don’t really listen to anything in and around my genre anyway! The songs are all pretty personal so I want every lyric and every melody to be purely mine. So to answer the question, I’m only influenced by things I’ve done and seen this time!
What’s your go-to sad song?
Leader of the Pack by The Shangri-Las, if people haven’t heard it, it’s about a girl who falls in love with a ‘bad boy’ who then dies in a motorbike crash! It’s got the best call and response backing vocals of all time. It’s virtually a short story in song form, I highly recommend it!
Go-to banger?
Tom Petty ‘American Girl‘, Bruce Springsteen ‘Dancing in the dark‘, Motorhead ‘Ace of Spades‘, Black Sabbath ‘Paranoid’, I could go on and on here, but my definition of a banger would be a fast paced sing-a-long guitar anthem with good melodies.
Your chance to really prove your hipster credentials – an obscure favourite that not many people will know?
I watched a series on Netflix called The OA and its got one of the best songs I’ve ever heard in it Downtown by Majical Cloudz, sounds a bit like Joy Division, probably not everyone’s cup of tea but I recommend giving it a listen, I find that one song moving!
Your guilty pleasure?
I don’t really have guilty pleasures, I’m not arsed what people think really, the Grease soundtrack is wall-to-wall bangers. Could of probably said Kate Bush a few years ago, she’s mainstream now but I think she’s a genius. I probably listen to Nessun Dorma at least once a day aswell!
The last song you fell in love with?
A few years ago now, but I would say Silver by DMA’S, he has one of the best voices of all time and for me they are the best band in the world right now!
Council Cut’s latest release, Same Old, is out now. Check out the video on YouTube below. And you can follow his social channels/music via the icon links.
You can read previous editions of ‘First, last, and everything in between’ via the archives here.
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