A Chat with George Wilks (12.03.21)
Merge Jamie Cullum’s lightheartedness with James Bay’s intimacy and you’ll have the exemplary artist George Wilks. A charming character, Wilks can easily win your heart with his piano-led fusion of pop, funk and jazz. We speak with the English singer-songwriter about his debut EP Stories Left Untold, discovering new bands, future plans and reincarnation as a bird.
OSR: What is the backstory to your EP Stories Left Untold?
Wilks: The primary idea behind Stories Left Untold was that all the songs were written about things I think about but never communicate to others. I’m a bit of a closed book sometimes, I’m very bad at talking to people about emotions and thoughts, mostly because I hate getting deep with people when the subject is me. I’ll help you through your problems but I’m always very protective over mine (sounds unhealthy but I’m actually quite a happy person…promise). The way I get these thoughts out is by writing songs. These ideas are like stories in my head that I never tell people.
At the beginning of 2020, I wrote ‘Little Things’, the last track on the EP, which is about appreciating the small things that make life beautiful and worth living rather than worrying about the big problems you can’t control. It’s a helpful song for me to listen to whenever the impact of Covid on the music industry and my career goals gets me down or stressed (happens quite a lot at the moment).
When I wrote that song I knew that it would work perfectly in an EP rather than as a single, but I wasn’t sure when I would write the songs for an EP and how I would go about it. The country went into lockdown at the end of March and that presented me with a perfect opportunity to sit down and write a body of work that would work as a whole rather than individual songs put together. Almost all the songs except for ‘Little Things’ were written between April and June I think, which was the period where there wasn’t much to do except sit in my studio or in my garden and try to write songs and lyrics with varying degrees of success. This is the result of that.
OSR: This is your debut EP. How does recording and releasing an EP differ from singles?
Wilks: In general, it didn’t change much, although it certainly was different when I was recording and producing ‘Neverland’, ‘Between Ideas’ and ‘Drift Away’. I originally produced those three to completely flow into one another which you obviously would never get with a single. It meant that I had merged these three songs with quite different grooves and styles together by making sure they all had a common thread or sound. That thread ended up being the piano as I pretty much recorded an entire take from the beginning of ‘Neverland’ through to the end of ‘Drift Away’. Making a mistake was incredibly frustrating as you had to start the nine and a half minute recording all over again!
In terms of releasing, it was strange as I released the single and then while you’d normally have a bit of relief after that coming out you had to quickly re-group and get sorted for the full EP coming out a couple of weeks later. I spent a lot of time making promo videos and music videos for about a month, something that takes much when you are using iMovie to animate drawings.
OSR: Which is your favourite and least favourite track on the record?
Wilks: That’s a tricky one. ‘Little Things’ and ‘When Time Has Made Its Stand’ are pretty close as my favourite, but I think ‘Little Things’ sneaks it as I think it’s got a really nice message and whenever I get to the end of that song I get a warm, happy feeling. That’s one of the reasons I put it at the end of the project, to leave everyone feeling happy. I do love all the tracks but if I had to pick I would say my least favourite is ‘Feel Something’. But I still love it really.
OSR: If you could change one thing about Stories Left Untold what would it be?
Wilks: I think I would have released it when I could go out and gig!! Not sure how long I would have had to wait for that to happen, hopefully only until end of June, but I feel like all the songs have a summery vibe to them. I think it would have suited a spring or summer release better.
OSR: What inspired the EP?
Wilks: Music inspired me more than a topic I’d say. While the idea of writing an EP about things I think and don’t tell people is definitely part of the inspiration, the style and the sound of the project was inspired by the musicians I love – Rhys Lewis, Tom Misch, Sam Fender, and my absolute favourite…Jamie Cullum. I am a HUGE Jamie Cullum fan, anyone who knows me will testify to that. It will come with an eye roll from them too. Most of my music is inspired by him, so he would obviously be an inspiration to this as well!
OSR: What do you hope people take from Stories Left Untold?
Wilks: I hope it makes people think about things and puts a smile on their face. All the songs are about things that pop into my head sometimes and I hope some people can relate and think about those things too. ‘When Time Has Made Its Stand’ is certainly a song where the subject matter is sad (about someone you love dying), but it has a happy twist saying that while it’s goodbye for now when I’ve had my time too I’ll see you again somehow. All of them generally have a happy twist in them and so I hope it makes people get a warm feeling inside when they get to the end as well.
OSR: What do you think is the best way to discover new bands in the current climate?
Wilks: I think reading reviews like this and then following playlists created by people like The Other Side Reviews. Listening to radio stations like BBC Introducing or local radio stations. Streaming services like Spotify are still the best place to hear someone you won’t have heard before, but I think it’s really important that when you do find someone you like add them to your personal playlist or even buy their music on their website or Bandcamp. There’s so many amazing musicians out there, but they need financial support if they are going to be able to keep making music, otherwise, it’s just not doable.
OSR: If you were to be reincarnated as any animal what would you be and why?
Wilks: An eagle! Firstly because I’d be able to fly obviously, and also they look badass.
OSR: Do you have future plans?
Wilks: I am hoping to start gigging with a three-piece band when we are allowed, and I hope that will help me better recreate the sound from the EP live. Before lockdown, I mostly performed by myself with either a guitar or a piano. While I love doing that, and logistically its much simpler, I love performing in a band and it would be a dream come true to be able to recreate my music in a band on stage.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Wilks: Anyone who has taken the time to read this, enormous thank you!! I hope you found it interesting hearing about how this project came into existence. If you have listened to the EP as well, then I am hugely grateful and you will eternally be in my good books!
If you want to hear more from me then do follow me on Instagram or Spotify or go to my website. I recently decided to get with the times and start a TikTok account (spoiler alert I will not be doing any dancing videos). If you follow one of those that would be a huge help! Thank you again for your support and interest in me!
Thanks to George Wilks for speaking with us. For more from George check out his official website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Spotify.
