For some bands rebelling against their home forms the cornerstone of their voice, this isn’t the case for Flair. Born and raised in Glasgow, the city acts as a backdrop for all their music, proving to be a muse and a constant source of inspiration for the band. Who, through this deep connection to the city found an intuitive creative connection with each other. This unspoken, almost telepathic link is at the centre of the special chemistry between the band and can be heard on their haunting yet driving new single ‘Run Away’.
The band began life in 2019 with Callum (drums), Jonny (lead guitar) and Johnnie(bass) forming the core of the band but it wasn’t until 2023 when Louis(rhythm guitar) and Tony(vocals) joined that the line up was cemented and the band found their voice. It quickly became clear that the five members were creating something far larger than the sum of their parts. Each bringing their own voice to their respective instrument, the sound and songs of the band grew organically. Improvised jams in the practice room allowed an intuition to grow between the players, the result of one of these jams is the new single ‘Run Away’.
On ‘Runaway’ the band use a bed of reverb and delayed guitars to create a bed for emotive and soaring melodies. The track begins with Callum carving out a broken beat between his kick, snare and hats, using the each as their own instrument. As Jonny and Johnnies guitar and bass join, they conjure mood and atmosphere immediately setting the emotional tone for the song. It’s clear from the outset that the song is a cathartic vehicle for Tony, as he implores his own muse to run away from the strife, seemingly caused by his own actions. The minimalist approach to the instrumentation in the verses only serves to amplify the intensity as the song breaks, heavy with emotion, offering no respite but a release. Tony’s vocals soar above pounding drums, Johnnies bass under pins the whole song adding purpose and drive, while Jonny and Louis’s guitars swirl around each other creating atmospheric swathes of melodic guitar lines, earworm melodies rise out of the haze acting as a call and response with Tony’s vocals.
It’s already clear from this release the band are cultivating a sound, pulling on a vast range of influences not only musical but from the world around them and channelling it into something that is already taking on a life of its own.
Flair – Run Away (Spotify Link)
Flair – Run Away (Official Video)