Featuring in Wonderland’s Summer 24 issue, the Leeds band leading British guitar music’s revival talks inspirations behind their debut album, upcoming tour, and unspoken bonds.
From left to right: English Teacher wears Jumper STORIES MFG; tshirt SUNSPEL; trousers NANUSHKA; Jacket ARKET; shirt SANDRO; tshirt COS; trousers SAMSØE SAMSØE; talents own belt; shoes DIOR MEN; Jacket SANDRO; shirt VINCE; t-shirt ARKET: jeans LEVI’S, shoes CONVERSE, socks NIKE; sunglasses LUNETTERIE GENERALE; Jacket LEVI’S; top THE UPSIDE; skirt KENZO; socks FALKE; shoes VAGABOND.
From left to right: English Teacher wears Jumper STORIES MFG; tshirt SUNSPEL; trousers NANUSHKA; Jacket ARKET; shirt SANDRO; tshirt COS; trousers SAMSØE SAMSØE; talents own belt; shoes DIOR MEN; Jacket SANDRO; shirt VINCE; t-shirt ARKET: jeans LEVI’S, shoes CONVERSE, socks NIKE; sunglasses LUNETTERIE GENERALE; Jacket LEVI’S; top THE UPSIDE; skirt KENZO; socks FALKE; shoes VAGABOND.
British guitar music is back! Conventions held upon the Indie genre are waning; the shackles are off and it sounds all the better for it. In steps ENGLISH TEACHER: the avant-garde Leeds quartet (vocalist Lily Fontaine, guitarist Lewis Whiting, drummer Douglas Frost, and bassist Nick Eden) unafraid to do whatever the hell they want. “Eisengrau, indecision, guitar-music, Post-lame? Britflop,” is a self-definition of their sound – you get the gist.
In mid-April, the band released their thrilling, topical and poignant debut album, This Could Be Texas, which has been immediately lauded by critics and wholeheartedly embraced by the UK Indie Renaissance movement. Rife with social commentary and vivid explorations of self, vocalist and lyricist Lily delivers tremendous depth to her performance atop the eclectic, electric and often surprising instrumentation. It’s truly an immaculate first record from a band who are yet to put a foot wrong.
“The process was like nothing any of us had ever attempted before,” Nick, the bassist, reflects. “No one had taught us how to do any of this. We just wrote and then wrote some more. We feel as if we’ve already achieved more than we could possibly conjure up in a 3AM-cheese-fuelled-dream and putting the album out in the first place is an achievement in itself.”
From left to right: English Teacher wears Jacket SANDRO; shirt VINCE; t-shirt ARKET; Jacket ARKET; trousers SAMSØE SAMSØE; Coat VERSACE; Jacket TRIUMPH; trousers NANUSHK.
From left to right: English Teacher wears Jacket SANDRO; shirt VINCE; t-shirt ARKET; Jacket ARKET; trousers SAMSØE SAMSØE; Coat VERSACE; Jacket TRIUMPH; trousers NANUSHK.
The band’s geographical surroundings and complex relationship with the North of England have inspired the album, often exploring concepts around place. Lily had a particularly disparate and somewhat turbulent upbringing, a factor that heavily influenced her songwriting on the LP. “While we all met in Leeds, a lot of the themes of the album are about location; questioning the concept of home because of a childhood of displacement,” she divulges. “I was born in Yorkshire and have lived in many houses, from Huddersfield, to East London, Lancashire, to the Isle of Arran. I spent the majority of my time in Colne, East Lancashire, and the social issues of the area in juxtaposition with the beauty of some of its landscapes have made their way into our lyrics.”
