Los Angeles and London – two cities with almost mythical music scenes, each with its own set of legends. Countless bands have made their name in one city or the other; few, however, manage to straddle both worlds. Enter The Glowworms, quietly bridging coasts with a sound that feels both expansive and earnest, immediately warm and refreshingly sincere. A week after the release of their debut EP Worm or Die – a mix of the organic lushness of folk and the driving grit of indie-rock – we caught up with the band (Dov Sikowitz, Sam Hodder, Dan Fawcett, Cass Begg and George Lavender) at their first gig outside London, in Sheffield, to talk steel guitar, juggling uni with band life, and why London still beats L.A.
Your debut EP has been out for a week – how have you found the reaction so far?
Dov: Oh, fantastic. It’s going way better than I expected – not that I thought it would do badly, but making it was such an insular process. A lot of people have reached out to say it’s connected. We’ve seen plenty of sharing and comments, and while we don’t really put much stock in numbers, when someone takes the time to reach out and say something like that, it’s really special.
George: We were saying on the drive here that we’ve been moving quite quickly with things. We’ve had loads going on, so we’ve actually been sitting on this for a while. It feels like a real culmination – from the band forming to these first songs – and it’s nice to finally stamp that down. It’s a bit of a first checkpoint: here we are, and this is a bit of a calling card.
You started playing tracks like Cally Park and East Bay nearly two years ago, but only recorded them this summer. Did those songs change much in that time?
Sam: When we first started playing them, we had a slightly different lineup, so the instrumentation around the core songs shifted a bit for both. They’ve been constantly evolving, really – even since we recorded them, they sound a little different live now. When we did the recordings, Cass, who normally plays keys but isn’t here today, hadn’t joined yet. So yeah, things are always changing around.
Dov: Yeah, like on East Bay – if you listen to the recording, there’s steel guitar, but when we first started playing it, I didn’t even play steel yet. So it’s definitely been an evolution, but in a good way. I think I attribute the recordings being successful to us having played them together for so long before even sitting down to record.
Since you first started playing those songs a couple of years ago, how do you think the band has developed since then? What have you learned musically or personally?
George: You (Dov) learned steel.
Dov: Well, that’s generous – I’ve learned to dabble a bit in steel guitar, which, as you’ll see tonight, has become quite a big part of the set. But I’d never been in a band before, so I didn’t really know the little things – like managing your gear, trying to hear yourself on stage, and making space for others while playing. These guys were great at showing me the ropes.
What first drew you to the steel guitar?
Dov: There’s a guy I went to uni with in America named Tommy de Bourbon, and he is one of the most gifted steel players I’ve ever heard. We were friends at UCLA, and I went over to his place one day just to fuck around and do a session. He started playing his pedal steel, and I was instantly hooked – it was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. He actually recorded the solo on our song Cable TV that day. Now he’s just come off tour playing pedal steel for Lana Del Rey, so anyone reading this – go check him out and hire him. I literally completely owe it to him.
On the EP, there’s some quite personal songs like Hand which is about a friend who passed away. Was it ever difficult putting so much of yourself in the music?
Dov: Yeah we stopped playing Hand for a bit. We didn’t play it for like a year because it was quite taxing, and then we only started playing it again with that Windmill show a couple of weeks ago. I felt right to bring it back, for sure. I’m really glad that it’s in the set, I think everyone’s got quite a juicy part on it as well.
You’re all studying at Guildhall at the minute – how do you balance the intensity of music school with The Glowworms?
Dan: Figuring out the balance has been quite tricky, but for the most part it works out pretty well.
Dov: And before Dan and Cass joined, it was a mix of people who were at Guildhall and others who weren’t. Now that everyone’s at Guildhall, scheduling is a bit easier – even if it’s still really intense. It sounds trivial, but just having all our breaks at the same time makes a big difference. The access to studios and resources there is great too – we get our rehearsal space for free, which we’re very aware won’t last forever.
George: Not for free, it comes with the course. Nine grand rehearsal room.
The Glowworms began as a solo project and it was only recently that it became five of you. Was there a defining gig or rehearsal where it clicked with you five?
George: There’ve been a few iterations, so it’s clicked a few times — but every time it does, it makes more sense. Especially with this lineup, now that we’ve wrapped up the EP and started working on new stuff together, it feels like this is the best it’s ever been.
Dov: I think what really clicked was the first rehearsal we had with Dan, the most recent addition. The energy in the room was amazing — we’d all been mates before, and when I told everyone we were bringing Dan in, it was exciting because we’d seen him play before and knew how insanely talented he was.
The first thing we did with him was a live session at ZigZag Studios in Woolwich. We only had one rehearsal beforehand, which was actually nice – it let us really listen to how everything fit together without the pressure of a live audience. It just worked. We’re going to be putting those videos out soon once they’re mixed.
Our friend Maddy engineered it, our friend Lucas filmed it, and afterward we had a few beers on the roof – it was the middle of summer, right by the river. I remember telling Dan how I really hoped we could keep working together.
Dan: And I was like, absolutely – there’s no doubt in my mind. Then we made out.
Now that it’s more of a group project, does that make things easier than working solo?
Dov: Definitely. I trust these guys so much – their taste, their instincts – and that makes everything easier. I’d only ever done solo stuff before, but the more we do this, the more collaborative it’s becoming. Everyone’s writing now. Cass, who couldn’t be here today, is actually singing lead on the next project and writing stuff, and Sam’s been writing too. It’s just more fun to have that spark reignited by other people, instead of feeling like it’s all on me.
Sam: Dov’s also an organisational guru – he’s great at finding times for everyone to get together and record, which keeps things pretty stable.
Dov: Does it actually?
Sam: I think so, yeah.
Dov: Let’s go! We got motion.
You’re from L.A. and still play shows there – how does the music scene compare to London?
Dov: To be blunt, it’s nothing compared to London. You don’t get the same rabid gig-going crowd. I love L.A., it’s my home, and there’s amazing music happening, but the powers that be haven’t really supported grassroots venues.
London has places like The George and the Windmill – they’re institutions. People are so plugged into the scene, and it’s easy to find a kinship with other bands – unlike anywhere I’ve ever been for live underground music.
In L.A., what I really love are house shows, because venues don’t always give that space. I have great friends there, and every time I go home there’s more happening, but London is unlike anywhere I’ve ever been for live underground music. It’s so energizing to be around so many insanely good bands.
You’ve mentioned there’s another EP coming soon after this one, which is nearly finished. What’s that sounding like so far? Is it a continuation of the first, are there any new sounds or themes?
Sam: We went down to Devon in March to start recording it, staying at a family friend’s house and doing a few tracks in the studio there. Just starting the recording process there gave the songs a slightly more specific sound and style. Overall, I’d say the sound is more consistent across all the tracks, and a bit more earthy and acoustic compared to some of these songs. Honestly, it’s some of my favorite stuff we’ve done.
Dov: As Sam says, starting it there really influenced the sound – it almost took on the feel of the surroundings. It feels deeper. On the first EP, there are parts that aren’t completely cohesive, which isn’t a bad thing at all – we were finding our sound. This one is easier to define.
We were listening to a lot of artists at the time, specifically Cassandra Jenkins, and I think you can definitely hear some of those influences. It’s nice having this vibe going on with the new material, and I’m really excited about it.
Where do you see The Glowworms a year in the future? What would you like to have achieved?
George: We’ll have the next EP out, and I’m excited to see how it sounds after that. By then, we’ll have finished uni, so a lot will be changing in our lives – that might affect how we write, record, and where we’re living.
Dov: I’ll be really pleased when this project is out. Sam’s even brought in some sketches for a cool project beyond that. I’d love to see what stages we get to next year, hopefully playing more outside London and maybe hitting some summer festivals.
We got a microdose of being on the road together today, and it was so much fun. I don’t think we’re far from doing more of that, so I’m excited to see how it unfolds and to really push this project as far as it can go.
Words: Donovan Livesey