Sunderland band Post Rome release second single for lockdown listening

Post Rome are building a growing fan base with thousands of streams on Spotify, support from BBC Introducing in the North East and capacity performances at Pop Recs and Independent under their belt.

Like all bands, their live performances and in person rehearsals have had to be put on hold for lockdown, but they’re gearing up for the online release of new single Want To Believe on May 24.

Made up of Jamie Martin (drums), Jasper Watson (bass/vocals) and Ben Goodfellow (guitar/vocals), the band, who are now in their early 20s, met when they were all pupils at Fulwell Infants School.

As they honed their alternative pop rock sound over the years, the trio had various names before becoming Post Rome in 2016.

Want to Believe is a follow up to single Different Kids which was released with a headline show at Independent in early March.

Speaking about the meaning behind the track, drummer and lyricist Jamie Martin explained: “Lyrically, this song tackles quite a few personal issues whilst focusing on the main theme of feeling uncomfortable or overly comfortable in relationships.”

Speaking about how the band’s kept its unity in lockdown, Jasper said: “Life in lockdown, as a band, has been quite difficult. It's hard as musicians, and three best friends, that we’re not allowed to all meet up in one room, and do the thing that we most love doing, which is creating music.

“Normally, we’re practising a couple of times a week, but obviously due to the current circumstances we can’t. The concept of sitting behind a Skype call with all our instruments seems easy, but it's actually quite the opposite.

“Part of creating new music involves a lot of repetition, and focusing on each instrument individually, until we get the sound that we like. With a lot of technology separating each of us, we feel that we don’t get the same energy compared to actually being in the practice room, making it harder to produce good music that each member of the band is 100% happy with.

“Nonetheless, it doesn’t stop us from spending countless hours chatting rubbish to each other and reminiscing on life before the pandemic.”

Jasper says the band are looking forward to being together again and performing their tracks live.

“In terms of gigs, it's something that we can’t wait to get back to,” he said. “A massive part of being a musician is the live section, where all the best of your work is showcased.

“We really do miss the live scene, the enjoyment you get from performing, and the drink up afterwards, it seems like a distant memory to us now, but one that we can’t wait to get back.

“We really can’t wait for everything to return to normal, but until the time comes we need to be patient, and appreciate all of the hard work that goes into keeping everyone safe and well.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

How to subscribe to the print edition

It’s easy to subscribe to your local newspaper. We have arranged a special 20 per cent off subscription offer for people to take advantage of. Visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk, choose the newspaper title, the type of subscription and enter your details