A Chat with Tom Cunningham from The Trusted (03.10.18)

Taking time from his busy schedule, the talented vocalist of The Trusted, Tom Cunningham, pauses to answer our burning questions.  Chatting about their band name, international recognition and which alcoholic beverages each band member prefers, here is what he had to say.

OSR:  Hello gentlemen.  I hope everyone is well.  Shall we begin?

TC:  Everyone is good!  Let’s go for it!

OSR:  Firstly, how did The Trusted come together?

TC:  We formed in mid-2016.  Dale (guitarist) and I met when I was twelve and had been writing music for a few years prior.  Along the way, we picked up my brother Fin on bass, and in 2016 we met Dave (drums).  When the four of us got in a room together for the first time, it felt special; it felt like we had found something.  We named our new special thing ‘The Trusted’, and we’ve been building it ever since!

OSR:  How did you choose the name The Trusted?

TC:  We wanted a name that was not already in use and didn’t sound too ridiculous.  We spent quite a while trying to find it (everything cool was already taken).  The Trusted comes from a Nick Lowe song, ‘Peace, Love and Understanding’.  We heard it, liked it and found that no-one else was using the name.  So, we quickly adopted it, and now it fits quite nicely!  I like the fact it doesn’t really mean anything; the ambiguity gives us the musical freedom to do what we want.

OSR:  You recently released a single called ‘No Real Control’, what was the concept behind that track?

TC:  Dale and I wrote most of the song back in 2015.  At the time bands like Catfish And The Bottlemen and The 1975 were really tearing into the public consciousness, and so I guess ‘No Real Control’ was a reaction to that.  We were inspired by that ‘anthemic’ sound present in songs like ‘Kathleen’ and ‘Sex’.  Those kinds of tunes acted as the starting point for the chord progression, but the song developed naturally in its own direction.

We are inspired by music from all over the place so, like all our songs, ‘No Real Control’ goes everywhere in terms of influence.  I was going through an Elvis Costello phase at the time, so lyrically it takes a lot of cues from him.  Over the last three years, it has really grown and evolved into a little monster.

OSR:  Was the recording process a relatively simple one or did you face many challenges?

TC:  It was a pretty smooth process.  We had been working on the song for a few years, so it came together in the studio very quickly.

OSR:  ‘No Real Control’ gained you recognition on some non-UK European music magazines.  What was your reaction to these reviews?

TC:  We think its great.  It is really nice to know that our music is reaching across the water and being listened to by people in other countries.  The reviews have been lovely!  It’s been a really reassuring experience.

OSR:  While you are experiencing success with ‘No Real Control’ you also have a new release that you are

planning to launch soon.  What can you tell us about this upcoming release?

TC:  We’ve got a track coming out 12th October.  Its called ‘Cigarettes and Chandeliers’, and it’s definitely heavier/grittier than ‘No Real Control’.  We can’t wait for everyone to hear it!

OSR:  What do you think is the most challenging part of launching a new record?

TC:  I think the biggest challenge is just trying to get your record heard.  There is so much new music being uploaded to the Internet all the time; it’s very hard to keep up.  It’s about using the social media tools in the right way to make sure the music isn’t lost underneath all the other voices!

OSR:  Having been The Trusted for two years, do you think of yourselves as still a novice band or a more established band with experience?

TC:  I think we are always going to feel like novices.  We are always learning new things and evolving our sound.  We try and approach everything with a sense of naivety.

OSR:  If you had to describe your band in one word, what would the word be?

TC:  Soul.

OSR:  What is your favourite alcoholic drink?

TC:  Haha, I’m a cider guy.  Although I must admit, I’m not much of a drinker!  The other three, well, they’ve got a taste for everything.  Dale and Dave love a good Guinness!

OSR:  Do you think the Harry Potter films are as good as the books?

TC:  I would say so, yeah!  All the films are well made and capture the world presented in books.  I also think the Harry Potter theme park rides are just as good, but I guess that’s not the question.

OSR:  Do you have any major plans for the rest of this year or 2019?

TC:  We’ve been in the studio again, so definitely more songs.  Next year we are looking at getting our first EP out!

OSR:  Thank you very much for speaking with me and I wish you the best for your future endeavours.

TC:  Thank you!

Thanks to Tom for chatting with us.  To enjoy more of The Trusted’s music, you can engage with them via their socials (Twitter and Facebook) and stream their music on Spotify.