Quick-fire Questions: 10 minutes with Whitelands
The British shoegaze scene has always been a fertile environment. From genre pioneers Ride and Slowdive to contemporary innovators such as Bdrmm, shoegaze is one area this tiny island has always been particularly adept at moulding. One band that has been making waves over the past couple of years is London’s Whitelands.
After a handful of singles and shows countrywide and developing out of a solo outlet for singer and guitarist Etienne, this month, the quartet announced their highly-anticipated debut album, Night-bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day. Arriving via the country’s foremost shoegaze custodians, Sonic Cathedral, on February 23rd, it looks set to heighten the buzz surrounding the group as they take their blend of shoegaze, alternative rock and array of ethereal textures to a broader audience.
To mark the news of their debut album, the group released the single ‘Tell Me About It’, a resounding statement of intent that embodies the refined sound of the new record. A duet between Etienne and Dottie from Whitelands’ labelmates Deary, it’s a glorious cacophony of swirling guitars and reverb-washed vocals that takes the shoegaze blueprint and puts a distinctly contemporary twist on it.
As Whitelands are making waves underground and gearing up for a monumental year, Far Out got to know the band a little better. As each member answers our quick-fire questions, it provides a compelling and comical insight into their loves, hates, and even their favourite watering holes.
Quick-fire Questions with Whitelands:
1. What song would you want played at your funeral?
Etienne: “‘Blue Bell’ – Golden Daze.”
Vanessa: “‘Passenger’ – Deftones.”
Michael: “‘Soul’ – Stanislaw Slowinski.”
Jagun: “’26’ – Paramore.”
2. What was the best album of 2023?
Etienne: “Everything Is Alive – Slowdive.”
Vanessa: “Raven – Kelela.”
Michael: “Long Story Short – Conrad Van Orton.”
Jagun: “Spider-man: Across The Spider-Verse Soundtrack.”
3. Do you believe in UFOs?
Etienne: “Yes, of course, 1000%.”
Vanessa: “Yep, one hundo. The truth is out there.”
Michael: “I believe in cheesy chips 100%.”
Jagun: “Absolutely, Michael also makes a fair point.”
4. What’s your favourite comfort movie?
Etienne: “Any Studio Ghibli one.”
Vanessa: “It Follows.”
Michael: “Studio Ghibli.”
Jagun: “Kuroko No Basket: Last Game.”
5. Where’s the weirdest place you woke up?
Etienne: “Friend’s Shed.”
Vanessa: “Old Street Roundabout when it was a roundabout.”
Michael: “Earth.”
Jagun: “A bus stop.”
6. What’s one gig in history you’d time travel to be at?
Etienne: “Last Live Number Girl 2002.”
Vanessa: “Metallica live in Moscow 1991.”
Michael: “Playboi Carti at Rolling Loud Miami 2023.”
Jagun: “Wireless 2022 – literally just to be there for Roddy Ricch – ‘The Box’.”
7. Where’s the best pub in the world?
Etienne: “The Spoons in Tottenham Court Road.”
Vanessa: “KK McKools in Tottenham.”
Michael: “Bethnal Green Tavern.”
Jagun: “The White Hart Chipstead.”
8. What was the first song you learnt to play?
Etienne: “‘I loved the Way She Said ‘L.A.” on bass.”
Vanessa: “Hot Cross Buns’ on the recorder.”
Michael: “Probably ‘Moonlight Sonata’.”
Jagun: “‘How Come, How Long’ on guitar.”
9. What track features the greatest vocal performance?
Etienne: “‘Leave the Door Open’ – Silk Sonic.”
Vanessa: “‘Twist’ – Korn.”
Michael: “‘Tendril’ – Lyra Pramuk.”
Jagun: “‘I Can Explain’ – Rachelle Ferrell.”
10. What venue do you dream of playing? And who’s your support act?
Etienne: “Budokan with no supports. Sold out.”
Vanessa: “Madison Square Garden with our besties in bands.”
Michael: “Berghain b2b Whitelands.”
Jagun: “O2 Arena sold out.”
11. Have you ever had a weird celebrity encounter?
Etienne: “Billie Eilish, but I was the one being weird, not gonna lie.”
Vanessa: “Let’s not go there…”
Michael: “Seeing myself in the mirror for the first time… I/they looked so petrified.”
Jagun: “This weirdo Etienne slid in my DMs to play drums with him…”
12. What song do you hate most in the world?
Etienne: “‘Dance Monkey’.”
Vanessa: “‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’.”
Michael: “‘Makeba’.”
Jagun: “’23’ by Jagun.”
13. What’s your most controversial cultural opinion?
Etienne: “Podcasters need to have a licence before they can even speak.”
Vanessa: “We live in a simulation.”
Michael: “I don’t have opinions.”
Jagun: “I agree with everything my band said.”
14. Who the fuck is Mark E. Smith?
Etienne: “Marquee Moon? No idea?”
Vanessa: “I do like The Fall fuck yeeeeah.”
Michael: “John E. Smith’s older brother.”
Jagun: “I’m gonna take a wild guess and say it’s Mark E. Smith?”
15. Are The Beatles overrated?
Etienne: “They are appropriately rated.”
Vanessa: “They’re alright, I guess.”
Michael: “The Beatles are not overrated.”
Jagun: “Nope. They’re valid.”
