Getting To Know: The Silver Lines

Donning scratchy hand-knitted sweaters and belting out flat-out rock 'n' roll tunes in a musty, rundown English countryside cottage—that's the essence of being a Silver Line. Founded by the Ravenscroft brothers, disenchanted with the current guitar music scene, they resolved to create music that ignites their passion.

Teaming up with Kindo on drums and George Vivian on bass, they've consistently sold out hometown gigs, scored airplay on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, and Radio X, and graced stages at festivals across Europe and America.

Fast forward to 2024, the Silver Lines reject the notion of being just another "all-white male indie" band crooning about teenage love or spewing empty pseudo-prophetic quotes. Instead, they're on a mission to defy genres and surpass their peers.

Their latest single, "Bound," challenges the status quo with self-aware songwriting that tackles taboo topics like toxic masculinity, generational learned behaviors, and deeply personal experiences that resonate with listeners on a profound level. We caught up with them, here's how it went down:

1. The Silver Lines started with a mission to break away from the conventional landscape of guitar music. How has the band's sound evolved since its formation in 2018, and how would you describe the unique identity and style that sets The Silver Lines apart from other indie rock bands?

Recently we have been using the studio as more of a tool than your standard bass, drums, guitar and vocals, with experimenting with synthesisers, strings, multiple guitar parts with unusual pedals for instance in Bound. But the band’s sound has evolved through a myriad of reasons. During lockdown we collected a few ideas that we never originally saw fit to release under The Silver Lines banner, just because it was so different than the punk/indie style we had released before. The time apart in lockdown and not being able to gig meant we had time to work on this and this became our debut EP SLEAZE, released in 2022. This incorporates hip hop, disco, and funk influences, and I don’t know any Indie/Punk rock band doing that. We feel we can take the music in any direction and people are willing to listen to it as long as it has Dan’s voice on it, which is a pretty great position to be in.

2. The band's recent work explores taboo topics such as toxic masculinity and learned behaviors from past generations. Can you elaborate on the decision to delve into these subjects and how it has shaped the songwriting process? How has the audience response been to this more introspective and self-aware approach?

While these topics are still very topical at the moment, these were issues that we had all gone through and are still dealing with, there was never a collective decision to start writing in that style. It just happened very naturally, like that was the natural progression. Audience response has been very good, though even though the lyrics of a few songs may seem more introspective I don’t think you can use that word to describe the music.

3. The year 2023 appears to be pivotal for The Silver Lines, marking a shift in musical direction and establishing yourselves in the underground punk/indie circuit. What were the key decisions or moments in 2023 that contributed to this breakthrough, especially considering the release of 'Blow Dry' and 'Bound'?

The key decision was playing at gig at Wrexham, and the sound guy for James watched us, though he was supposed to be doing the sound… He was connected with the owner of Focus Wales who he recommended to watch us at the New Colossus Festival, NYC that we were playing at the week after. He saw us there and immediately after we came off stage offered us a slot to play Focus Wales. Then from that one gig in Focus Wales we got invited to play Trans Musicales, France to 3,500 people and SXSW this March coming.

4.  The band has gained international attention, notably playing at Focus Wales, Trans Musicales in France, and the upcoming SXSW in Texas. How have these experiences shaped The Silver Lines' perspective on the global music scene, and what challenges or opportunities do you anticipate as you expand your presence in different countries?

We go down great abroad, they love us in the States and France. The UK is a bit different, it’s more 00’s indie based than we realised, like the debut Arctic Monkeys album, and The Kooks are still very relevant. Whereas abroad they prefer the rockier stuff, which I think explains why lots of UK bands struggle to get a footing in anywhere but the UK. From playing in Europe we know we’ll do anything to make it to the gig on the way to Trans Musicales, France the van broke down 80 km away from the gig and we had to pay for a €300 taxi and we still made the gig. We know we’re resilient enough to deal with the issues and play the gig to a high standard.

5.With a new EP recorded in August and upcoming tours in the UK, Europe, and SXSW in 2024, what can fans expect from the upcoming releases? How does the band approach the planning and execution of tours, and are there specific goals or themes the band aims to convey with the upcoming music?

This new EP has some of the best tracks we’ve ever done. People were already going mad in France and the UK without hearing them beforehand. We’re very proud of the upcoming body of work we’ve got release this year. We’re actually already working on the EP after it. Regarding tours, they have to be the right gigs, a lot of the time quality over quantity the aim is too get your music out, build a community that people feel apart off, and always speak to the fans after.

6. The Silver Lines have received positive reviews from various publications, with mentions of a bright future. How does the band handle the pressure and expectations that come with such acclaim? Looking ahead, what are the band's long-term goals, and how do you envision The Silver Lines evolving in the coming years?

We just think we deserve it to be honest, which sounds arrogant but we put in the work and we hold each other to a high standard which inevitably causes arguments and fights. It’s amazing to think we did all this without a booking agent we got this far just on the basis of us asking and playing well. The long term goals is too sell out Madison Square Garden, got to aim for the top.