Essential 8: Hengistbury

Formed in November 2017, Hengistbury launched their debut single "What Folks Don’t Know" to widespread acclaim and had featured live performances on the likes of Russell Hill’s Country Music Show, Off the Record, The Music Scout, UK Country Music, Craving Country, and more. Now, the duo are preparing for the release of their debut album, Add Another Minute (October 19th) and here, Jess and Pete answer their Essential 8 where they talk about the album, their must have album, Instagram Live!, and more.


Is there a story behind your album’s title?
We wanted the album to be named after one of the lines in one of the songs. Our songs are about real things and so this felt like an appropriate way to name the record.
Taking a step back from that, we chose the line ‘Add Another Minute’ as we felt it reflected our mood when creating the album. We live in a very disposable culture and the latest listener behaviour reports suggest a growing trend where listeners consume music in playlists and often don’t even listen to whole songs. Our album was crafted as a whole record (there are even a few songs we recorded that we felt didn’t fit properly and so didn’t make the final cut) and so we hope that our audience might take a little more time to experience the complete arc of the record as well as just the singles.

What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
My [Pete's] dad is an amazing musician and when I was growing up he told me that it’s always better to play a simple part perfectly, than to play something flashy poorly. 

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
Play as much as you can with other people, don’t trust your innate rhythm and learn to play with real drummers. ​

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Do you have any touring tips?
Don’t start drinking at 11am.

What are your “must have” albums for the road?
Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams, Ryan Adams - Gold
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill

How do you kill the long hours in the van?
Instagram Live!

​Which song of yours gets the best crowd response?
"Tired of Playing Fiddle" tends to go down quite well! And of course our singles "What Folks Don’t Know" and "Shooter on the Mound" as those are the ones people have usually heard before.

Is drinking at gigs a positive or a negative?
It’s a positive as long as it’s not before 11 am!

www.hengistburymusic.com 
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