We sat down with Ollie from North West indie rock band THE LILACS, which see’s us talk about the bands sold out UK tour, their huge show in Manchester and what to expect from the band going forward.

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You have sold out your biggest headline show yet at Manchester’s Gorilla. How excited are you to play it?

Ollie: When you put tickets on sale for a gig, you always worry about if it’s going to do well. We sold out The Deaf Institute which is half the size of Gorilla. This one sold out well in advance, around 5 or 6 weeks and we’re really excited to do it. There will be solely 500 Lilacs fans in the room. On the back of that, we have got some big plans for the next Manchester show which I can’t disclose anything more than that.

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What was the reason you chose Gorilla?

Ollie: It’s a more well known, we played it when we supported Andrew Cushin last year. We loved it in there, and it’s just the next stepping stone in terms of size of venue for us really. It’s almost a little iconic in a way too.

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You’re supporting Andrew Cushin once again on four dates on his UK tour, are you looking forward to those shows too?

Ollie: Yeah we are. He’s a good friend of ours. We got to know him and his manager over time and he’s doing really well so it is good to see. We’ve had a really good year, the best year infact.

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Andrew has announced supports for different dates, rather than taking a band on the whole tour. How important do you think that is for bands in your position?

Ollie: I think it’s great that bigger artists do that. When we played with him last year, it helped us massively in those cities and hopefully it does the same for everybody else. It is something that we are looking to do on our next tour. We’re all helping each other at the end of the day.

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Your UK tour back in March sold out, how did that well?

Ollie: It was wild really. It’s abit surreal. London sold out on the day so the fact we managed to sell out a tour is crazy. We had a few different bands play on each show and we felt that they earned that opportunity in a way.

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You also played Isle of Wight Festival again, how was that for you?

Ollie: This was our third time playing it. We feel very lucky that we have been able to play three times in a row. This time we headlined the Thursday night and it was chocker. It was absolutely fantastic and hopefully we get to play again next year. It holds a special place in our hearts that festival. It’s one of our favourite weekends of the year.

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You have another big show coming up supporting Skylights, how do you think that will go?

Ollie: Yeah it’s sold out and it should be a really good gig. We met them when we both supported The Sherlocks in Manchester and we just got on really well. They asked us last year to play this show and we’ve been looking forward to this one for a while.

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What plans do you have for 2024 that you can talk about?

Ollie: We have a tour pencilled in for March, with some really good venues on there. A couple of festivals are confirmed and new music; we have some big plans for that. Next year is going to be a big year for us.

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What’s the process like for The Lilacs when you are writing new music?

Ollie: I write virtually all the songs, and then I will take it to Sam who is almost like my team leader in the band. We then develop on that by getting the other lads in and before you know it things may change with new ideas. I’m always writing and listening to music that is relevant to our genre. If you go too far astray from your own music you find yourself writing different music and I’ve done it before, like Westlife and motown but had to bring it back to what we are good at.

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What is the vibe like when you are altogether, do you try to remain professional or is it a more relaxed environment?

Ollie: In terms of rehearsals, we are fortunate enough that we have a big space. There is a live room and then there is a chill out area with a pool table and dart board. It’s very relaxed. Our backline manager will come and set everything up whilst we are chilling out as he would live, and we just go in and it becomes very professional. Once we have done that we go back and have a laugh.

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How do you deal with the bands popularity?

Ollie: We love it. It’s what we want to do. It’s tiring and there is a lot more gigs. We’re looking forward to an even busier year and we just love doing it. I can’t believe we are in a position to say we are going to be busier next year compared to this year because it feels like we have been on the road a long time.

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What is it like when you meet fans of the band?

Ollie: I think you always find it strange. As I am the frontman I do get more attention and the lads understand that, they get it. Some of my mates will come to our gigs and will see me getting asked to take photos with people which is weird but in a good way. When we played at This Feeling By The Sea, I was outside for 40 minutes taking photos and signing stuff, then I go back to work Monday and it’s like being a normal guy again. I was getting the tram to the City game and I got spotted there. It’s mad. I don’t think you’ll ever get over it but I love it.

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Is there anything next year you want to achieve?

Ollie: Our next tour will be our biggest tour yet, and I have a target for what I want it to get to in terms of ticket sales but selling dates out would top that definitely.

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What’s the vibe like during touring for The Lilacs?

Ollie: I’m probably the least sensible one in the band. I like a drink after the gig and my voice strains easily. I really have to look after my voice. We did four dates back to back and I struggled towards the end of those shows. The vibes good though, Sam and Johno are really sensible and that’s good for us really.

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Do you have any pre-gig rituals?

Ollie: We have a huddle before we go on. We have three beers before we go on just to loosen us up. Dave (Drums) goes on first to do a solo and whilst he does that, the rest of us have our own huddle afterwards. We like to have a nice meal before a show too.

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When can we expect new music from The Lilacs?

Ollie: We have got some new music coming out in January. It will be a little different to what we usually do. That is all I can say for now.

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What are your views on the indie rock scene in the UK currently?

Ollie: Life is too short for people to not help each other out. We wouldn’t be where we are without people helping us out. The scene is buzzing right now and everyone just has a laugh. We haven’t met anyone with bad vibes and we always spend time other bands at shows too. This Feeling are great and they create this great vibe and credit to them massively.

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What is the craziest experience you have had as a fan?

Ollie: We met Kelly Jones. That was a bit surreal. I was starstruck. He looked at me and I looked back and we got a picture with him in the end. Standing side stage watching Courteeners at Isle of Wight Festival was pretty wild too.

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What is the craziest experience you have encountered from a fan?

Ollie: We have got some super fans, who will come find us before or after gigs. We have had people a few thank you messages that our music has helped people through tough times which are nice to hear. Someone has had a tattoo, which is wild. That is on them for life!

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What would be your perfect rider?

Ollie: It would be Moretti, red Lindor balls. Dave can only drink cider. A dart board is a big one, it relaxes you a bit. There’s a place near us that do hot baguettes with chicken and that. I’d love to have one of those on the rider for every show.

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A huge thank you to Ollie for taking time out of his evening to chat with us. THE LILACS are going into the end of 2023 with some huge shows still to come, and their new single ‘Act Your Age’ is out now. The stream is available via the link below:

The Lilacs will be performing in the UK on the following dates:
27th October – London, Electric Ballroom (supporting The Rifles)
28th October – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms (supporting Andrew Cushin)
29th October – Leeds, The Wardrobe (supporting Andrew Cushin)
31st October – Sheffield, O2 Academy2 (supporting Andrew Cushin)
11th November – Bridlington Spa Sessions
18th November – Manchester, Gorilla (Sold Out)
25th November – Stoke, Keele University SU (supporting The View)
2nd December – Newcastle, Newcastle University SU (supporting The View)