Interview with Calan Nickle from Hanover
Hanover are a Liverpool based band which have been well talked about, they are going far. We caught up with Calan Nickle and asked him a few questions o find out more about himself and his journey in music.
“I first started singing as a choir boy at school when I was about eight or nine, I started writing lyrics not long after and was always fascinated by the idea of writing.”
At just thirteen Calan wrote his first song.
“My favourite song of all time has to be Sit Down by James. I can’t think of another song that covers so many subjects and brings everyone who hears it together in song. That’s music. I’d always loved it but more so now that I’m older and have developed my own interpretation of the lyrics, it just makes me happy.”
So what inspired Calan as an artist?
“There is inspiration everywhere, I feel. But my main inspiration within music is that notable 80’s warmth and the traditional sounds of the synths of that era. I was brought up on those 80’s artists and fell in love with them.”
He is not just a singer but a lyricist.
“With my writing, I have always tried to follow an autobiographical narrative, not necessarily in chronological order, I just enjoy the idea of having songs that pinpoint certain times, events or people that have influenced me, and that listening to each song can take me back to those things as soon as I hear them.”
They have been booked for events and are frequent players in their hometown Liverpool.
“We were lucky to have known Craig McVeigh from I Love Live Events from the beginning. He’s looked after the majority of the shows we have played in our home city of Liverpool and we couldn’t thank him enough. It’s a lot harder these days, but I think if your mindset is that any show of any size is going to be beneficial, you’ll be okay. That’s what we try to do.”
What advice can be offered to people just starting out or wanting to get involved in the music industry?
“It’s hard to advise because it’s such a spectrum. It’s impossible to succeed if your heart isn’t in it completely, so if you want it to be what pays your way, you’ve got to live it every single day. I try to do at least one thing to help Hanover every single day, it keeps me busy and keeps a positive mentality between us all. It’s all very hard, there are lots of lows, but the highs will stay with you forever, just dive into it.”
Interviewer Emily Vass
