Indie four piece Bengal Lancers return to the musical fray having recently released thier latest single, Morning Light. The nostalgia driven track, harking back to simpler times, and "night's that you barely remember and some that you probably want to forget" is set to further bolster thier grwoing fan base. Contact Music caught up with Harry Sullivan from the band to find out what they're up to, and, what he thinks about Josh Homme!

Bengal LancersBengal Lancers

For those who may be new to your music, how best would you describe your sound?

Harry: Euphoric Indie Rock - Imagine Frightened Rabbit had a lovechild with early 00's Bloc Party and you're about 50% of the way. We love making a lot of noise but with meaning behind it all. 

What challenges have you faced in the music industry so far?

H: Outside of the usual struggles in terms of getting ourselves out there, It's pretty obvious that Coronavirus has caused no end of grief this year. It's been particularly frustrating as we're spread across different cities so we haven't even had a chance to rehearse. We're lucky because we live in an age where we can send demos and stems for everyone to work on, but it just isn't the same as getting in a room and playing together.

How difficult would you say this career path is in terms of making a name for yourself?

H: It can be an absolute nightmare sometimes - it's much more than making a good track. You have to make sure you look right, you're releasing at the right time and reaching the right people with a consistent message. You're very much spinning plates and given the fact we have jobs outside of this, it can definitely be a bit disenfranchising at times. 

However as we've gotten older, I think we've come to realise that the whole process is so subjective that you can't make everyone happy so as long as we're proud of what we've released that's all that matters. 

How important is it for you to have creative control over the work you produce? Where do you draw influence and inspiration from for your work?

H: Oh 100% - in the end the song writing process is quite a personal thing and lyrically I'm usually trying to tackle either something personal or relatively close to heart. We've gotten to a place where the four of us are great at taking an idea and really growing it out into our own space, but that's not to say we take criticism for granted though. 

Our Producer (Olly Betts at Crows Nest Studios) might as well be the fifth member of the band - he very much helps put a steer on things if we're getting lost in the reeds and we sound all the better for it.

If you could collaborate with anybody going forward, who would you choose and why?

H: There are so many artists out there we'd love to work. Personally I'd love to sit down with Josh Homme - the man is an absolute sexual music machine and everything he touches sounds class. 

Tell us a random, funny fact about you that not many people know.

H: We played our first gig at a Burlesque night in Leicester - it was Halloween so for some reason we were all dressed as "sexy robots" made out of beer crates. Safe to say we got a lot of odd looks that evening and it made playing a sweaty uncomfortable mess. 

Do you have definitive aims or goals for your career?

H: I'd love to get some festivals under our belt - we're at our happiest when we're playing live with a crowd. Outside of that, we'd love to get an album out there - we're writing nonstop so who knows?

Where do you hope to be this time next year?

H: Playing a gig. I miss it terribly. We're going to have to make up for a lot of lost time in 2021. 

What should we expect from you in the coming weeks and months? 

H: We're planning to release one last single this year that forms part of this 4 track EP which is really exciting. It's also a bit of a departure from the other tracks so we're looking forward to the reaction. Outside of that, we're going to keep songwriting and recording where we can. I'm playing acoustic sets on our Instagram (@Bengal_lancers) every couple of weeks so be sure to give us a follow if you need a fix of live music this winter.