Interview: James Mitchell

 

 

James, you primarily play down the Royal Standard, what attracts you down there?

 

The reason I play at the royal standard is because it’s such a friendly atmosphere. The guys who work there are friendly, as well as the other acts that play there. Equally, there is such a diverse range of musicians that play there. The final reason why I play there is because the guys who work there are in a band they know exactly how to set up the music equipment and know how it should sound.

 

You write and perform your own songs there, do you write them at Uni or at home?

 

I have played a few of my own songs from when I was in a band a while ago, so I wrote them at home. Although this year, I have been trying to sit down and write music whilst I am studying. It is a nice break from third year work!

 

Do you prefer writing your own material or covering other artists?

 

At the moment, I prefer playing covers as it is a little bit easier. Also, I like to choose songs that people know as it makes performing a lot more fun when others are singing along with me.

 

Who is your favourite to cover?

 

My personal favourite to cover is Jamie T. I tend to strip down his songs to just guitar and vocals. His songs are really fun to play and they get everyone up singing.

 

Would you recommend open mic nights in Sheffield to other students to get involved here?

 

I would, and have, recommended The Royal Standard to people.

 

Any plans to gig around Sheffield, and the surrounding areas?

 

There were plans this year to do a couple of gigs here and there, but with the amount of work I have for my course, I feel like I need to get that out of the way before I start playing other gigs.

 

Finally, what about releasing an E.P?

 

There are no plans currently to release an E.P, although maybe once I have a couple more songs I will think about it…if I receive good feedback!