Isolation Anthems | Laytha

Back in the heady days of 2019, before going outside felt like a military operation, folk-duo Taobh Eile (Irish for 'Other Side') were in the process of changing their name, honing their sound and commencing work with the late, great Lyndon Stephens and his Quiet Arch label.

Before long they became Laytha; and galvanised by Lyndon's belief and a run of beautifully intimate shows across Ireland (including the emotional 'Goodbye Quiet Arch' show at the Empire), their reintroduction to the gigging circuit has been one of dipped toes, apposed to massive splashes.

Still bathed in the ethereal glow that only a new band can possess, cousins Niamh Carney (vocals) and Philana Nolan's (vocals, guitar) glittering indie-folk belongs both in the Irish countryside and across state lines, with shades of Fleetwood Mac and Lisa Hannigan running through their self-titled debut EP (then still 'Taobh Eile'). However it is when their voices blend and the harmonies rise that Laytha hit their mercurial best, swooning from verse to verse on tracks like the delicate 'Elsewhere'.

With their new name, new songs and big plans for the year ahead post-lockdown, Taylor Johnson got a chance to catch up with Laytha.

Hey guys, thanks so much for taking the time to chat to us! How you been?

Hey Taylor, thanks so much for asking us to do this! Thankfully we are keeping good, like a lot of people Zoom quizzes with our friends on a Saturday night (along with a glass or two of vodka and wine) are keeping us going.

Have you been finding it difficult to write through the current quarantine, or has it inspired you?

We tried to turn the delay in our harmonies over FaceTime into a cool effect… but that didn’t really work. Although we have really enjoyed having time to play our instruments and write tunes or drum beats so that when we are finally reunited we have plenty of material to write lyrics for.

You’re still such a new band, releasing your debut EP only last year. How was that recording process and did the songs come out the way you’d hoped?

The recording process for our EP was so much fun. We recorded the 3 tracks, just our vocals and guitar with Niall Doran in Start Together Studios. We took the tracks home and squeezed a bunch of our friends into a small room in Philana’s house to record piano, fiddle, drums, backing vocals and most importantly, claps (ty Eoin). We have such great memories of those days. We took all our recordings back to the mixing and mastering wizard that is Niall Doran, who we think understood our sound better than we did! haha so yea they definitely came out better than we ever hoped.

Of course, you were called Taobh Eile then. What was it that prompted your name change? What does Laytha mean to you?

Well Taobh Eile is just such a common name so we thought we could be a bit more creative yano? Haha joking aside no one could say it, spell it or remember it so when we started getting more gigs and taking this a bit more serious, we decided (with the gentle persuasion from others) to change it. After months of brainstorming we came up the Lietha which was inspired by the summer solstice, Litha. We sent a message to all our friends asking them to send a voice recording of how they would pronounce it. Our dear friend Mother Claire, in her strong Derrylin accent, pronounced it ‘Laytha’ and we replied saying ‘that’s wrong… but way better so thank you for naming our band’

Do you still feel a connection to the songs from that record?

We will always have such a strong connection to those three songs. They were the beginning of our musical journey together (aww!) the tracks are written about different aspects of our lives growing up in Enniskillen and it has been really cool to see people relate the songs to their own experiences in their hometowns. We also feel connected to them because our friends were so involved in recording them. When we listen to the songs, we find ourselves laughing and reminiscing on the days we made the tracks.

Taking things back to the start of this year, I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for you losing Lyndon. What are your overriding memories of him?

Lyndon was the first person who made us believe music could be our lives and not just a hobby, that we could turn it into a real career. It was so amazing to meet someone who was so passionate about giving artists a chance and we are forever grateful that he took a chance on us. If a text from Lyndon came up on our phone, it was immediate excitement and curiosity… you never knew what idea he had in store. Our favourite memory of him was the day we played at Stendhal. We arrived late on day two to a very muddy camp site and didn’t have time to pitch our tent before our set. Lyndon offered us VIP accommodation… Le Shed de la Quiet Arch (translation: merch hut). Not only that but he happened to stumble across boxes of coors light and of course he wouldn’t let them go to waste… so safe to say we were set for the night!

Did he give you any advice that has stuck with you?

Literally everything and anything! Who do you think the gentle persuasion from others was for the name change?

You performed at the now legendary ‘Farewell Quiet Arch’ gig in the Empire, alongside Joshua Burnside, Ciaran Lavery and Ryan Vail amongst others. Was it difficult stepping on stage that night?

It was difficult for many reasons. After hearing the devastating news, the ‘Farewell Quiet Arch’ gig for us took on a whole new meaning and level. Being new to the label, we felt like we really had to earn our place being on that bill. We were also very aware that we were playing to an audience filled with people who loved Lyndon and were obviously very emotional at this time. So before we went on stage we took a minute to put nerves aside and put all our energy into the songs to hopefully make Lyndon proud. Now, we look back on that night with amazing memories, we were beyond inspired by the performances, each artist had such a powerful impact on the energy in the room. The music and the atmosphere was a true testament to Lyndon’s legacy.

Local music hero - Lyndon Stephens (photo by Stuart Bailie)

You’ve played all across Ireland in such a short space of time, do you have a favourite moment of your journey so far?

We always love gigs in our regular spot at home, Blakes of the Hollow. Our gigs in Cork really stand out for us too. Not only is the music scene great but so are the pints (Murphy’s of course). One thing we learnt very quickly was not to start the pints before your set. And definitely do not under any circumstance do any interviews after. All in all it’s always such a laugh and we’ve made some great friends, including sound techs, who sneak us into sold out gigs.

You’re of course cousins, who’s idea was it to start a band? Have you always sang together?

Niamh was actually singing in bars on her own at first while Philana was studying Biology in uni. We always jammed together at home and both loved harmonising. After singing a few tunes one night together at a family party turned lock in, Niamh really wanted us to both sing together at her next gig. It took a lot of persuasion and a lot of nerve calming but eventually, it happened! So everyone can blame Laytha on Niamh and her annoying persistence.

Inspiration - Fellow Quiet Arch artist Joshua Burnside

There’s more than an element of Stevie Nicks to your music, who are your biggest inspirations?

Oh yes we love to go full Stevie. We also find a lot of inspiration in Irish artists and bands like Hozier, Ciaran Lavery, Jealous of the Birds, Reevah, Joshua Burnside, David Keenan, Rowan and Lemoncello.

Finally guys, it’s difficult for anyone to make plans right now, but do you have an idea of what you’d like to do next, when normality returns?

Before the lockdown we were working on our album. The process has slowed down a bit at the moment but we are still determined to get it out as soon as we can. We can’t wait to travel around for gigs again because that has really been inspiring our writing recently. Niamh can’t wait to hug people again and Philana can’t wait to continue social distancing like she always did...!