{"id":35785,"date":"2014-09-02T09:00:15","date_gmt":"2014-09-02T09:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wonderlandmagazine.com\/?p=35785"},"modified":"2016-09-22T14:34:09","modified_gmt":"2016-09-22T14:34:09","slug":"new-noise-leo-stannard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandmagazine.com\/2014\/09\/02\/new-noise-leo-stannard\/","title":{"rendered":"New Noise: Leo Stannard"},"content":{"rendered":"

We talk songwriting in Italy, eclectic references and a sell-out European tour with 19-year old\u00a0singer-songwriter Leo Stannard<\/p>\n

\"Leo<\/a><\/p>\n

At such a young age, it\u2019s a wonder that 19-year-old singer-songwriter Leo Stannard is emotively experienced enough to deliver a catalogue of enigmatic song narratives which ponder relationships and personal issues \u2013 yet there\u2019s a raw relatable realism to his lyrics accompanied by his harmonic-folky soundscape which transports you somewhere earthy, wild and idyllic \u2013 just you alone with your thoughts… and Leo\u2019s invitingly raspy and soulful vocals, of course.<\/p>\n

Following a sell-out European tour back in April, his second EP \u2018Notions\u2019 is due for release in October and after just completing his A\u2019levels back home in a quiet Leicestershire village, he plans on \u201cseeing as many places and meeting as many people as possible.\u201d\u00a0 No pressure then.<\/p>\n

\"Leo<\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019re quite young, but your sound is so mature \u2013 have you been making music for a long time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well I\u2019ve been playing guitar since I was nine years old and started writing songs when I was ten. Terrible songs, but I suppose you\u2019d expect that from a ten-year-old. Ever since then I’ve been crafting my sound and I think now I\u2019m getting to the point where things are sounding how I want them to.<\/p>\n

What made you take that first step into the wider world?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Doing my first Mahogany Session acted as a great platform (Leo and The Intermission project performed a cover of Alt-J\u2019s \u2018Tessellate\u2019 for the London-based YouTube blog The Mahogany Sessions). Suddenly after that, I seemed to actually have quite a few fans around the world and there was lots of online activity. This made me realise that I might actually be able to do this for a living. I always wanted to do music professionally but never really thought it would be possible from my tiny village in Leicestershire. After seeing the reaction to my music from all over the world I thought \u201cfuck it, this is what I want to do!\u201d.<\/p>\n

Do you write all your own songs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I do. I spend hours alone in my bedroom doing it. I think it\u2019s very good to write completely honestly and that comes across when it\u2019s just one guy or girl writing from personal experiences.<\/p>\n

Where are you and what mood are you in when you\u2019re feeling most inspired to write \/ record?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a little shed\/house in a place called Maratea in Southern Italy which I go to every year with my family and that\u2019s where I write a lot of my material. I\u2019m not entirely sure why I feel so inspired but it\u2019s got something to do with the simplicity of the surroundings. It\u2019s beautiful there.<\/p>\n