With Spurs blood running through his veins, Elderbrook is a musician whose sound resonates across a number of sub-cultures. Much like football, music has taken on a rollercoaster journey with a series of landmark highs. Grammy nominated, Ivor Novello inspired, we catch up with him as a new season kicks in and a debut album drops.
So let’s start with football and where it sits in your life, how did you become a Spurs fan?
My whole family are Tottenham fans so I never really had a choice. My dad has been going to every home game since the 50s and he has kept every programme too.
What memories around football have stayed with you to now - what makes it such more than a sport to you?
The memories of going with my Dad will always make it more than just a sport. We would drive to White Hart Lane from our house and listen to Chaz and Dave on the way with him singing along. We’ve gone to a few matches abroad together too. From when I was little I saw England beat Germany 5-1 To more recently in Dortmund when we could drink beers together.
How big was it for your family and how much does it still stay with you?
Even now as my family expands because I’m getting married my partners family are all Tottenham fans too so there’s no escaping it for me! I’m pretty sure my children will be signed up for Junior Spurs from the moment they are born too so it will always be with me.
It has a way of bringing people together from all walks of life, is that something that stands out about it for you?
Of course, I think it’s always an amazing moment when you’re watching from the stands and everybody around you is cheering (or shouting) together. Nothing else really matters when it comes to watching football and I think it’s a great way of bringing people from all over the world together.
At what point did music come into your life and become the real passion for you?
When I was 13 I was watching Drake & Josh and I thought ‘wow, that’s one cool guy, maybe if I get a guitar I’ll be cool’ because I can assure you that at 13 I was not cool. It turns out I really enjoyed it and instantly started wanting to write songs and so I did. Eventually it brought me to where I am now although there was a bit of an indie detour along the way with my first band ‘Jenny’s faces’.
What was your musical introduction in terms of what you were brought up on?
While other mums were listening to Madonna and Boy George my mum really like the song Satisfaction by Benny Benassi which was awkward for me as a teenager because... well, you know the song and video. She liked to keep current whereas my dad has always been a big fan of country music so it was quite an eclectic mix to hear growing up.
Was there a moment when you realised it could become a profession?
When I was at university I wanted more money because being a broke student is rubbish. So, me and a friend put out an advert saying that we could produce for other artists even though we had never tried this before. A polish rapper from Bristol got in touch and we ended up doing a seven track ep for him which sounded amazing. It was then that I realised I could potentially be quite good at producing if I kept practising and so I did.
How would you describe the last few years on your musical journey? To go from starting out to being nominated for a Grammy - it’s an insane trajectory...
It’s been a crazy and fun few years. I’ve felt so incredibly lucky to be able to make music for a living and the fact that others actually enjoy listening to that music too is just a different level. Being nominated for a Grammy and an Ivor Novello was unbelievable and I often remind myself that, even if nobody listened to my music ever again, it’s been an amazing journey already.
Obviously the last few months have been weird and wild for everyone - you’ve been productive though. Was it an opportunity to really focus?
Yes it was. I’m lucky enough to have a studio set up in my garden so I’ve been able to really focus and use this time to get my debut album finished which is out now. On top of that I started doing weekly cabin sessions which give me a space to reimagine some of my favourite songs and I’ve worked with some amazing producers including Carnage and Martin Garrix too.
What came out of it in terms of headspace - obviously with your debut album out today - did it help that process?
It definitely did, it can be really hard to focus and get work done when travelling. As amazing as it is to your all over the world it’s exhausting and there often isn’t much time to create new music or finish existing projects so being locked in my house for months was the perfect opportunity.
How would you describe your new music and the concept behind it?
My roots are in indie music but over the years I’ve become more electronic focused so this album is really explores those two distinct genres in a (hopefully) fun and interesting way. Though not a concept album there’s definitely a theme that runs through the songs about human connection and the way we all interact and need one another.
Going back to football, has the game crossed path with your music at all? Would you like to write something for say FIFA or something along the way
FIFA is the only game I’ve ever been good at playing on the PlayStation and so I would love to do some stuff with them in the future.
Better yet, a Spurs track - how would it feel to have your music rattling around the Spurs stadium?
There’s been a couple of times in my life when my dad has phoned me from White Hart Lane saying that they were playing Cola before the game started. It’s a great feeling for me but I think even more so for my dad.
Elderbrook's debut album drops today, 18th September across all platforms.
Photography by Andrew Broadhurst
Shirts with thanks to Classic Football Shirts
