TO be in a band, you might think it is helpful to be on the same page. Not for The Zangwills, who have found the recipe for success not in spite of their differences, but because of them.

The four-piece indie rock band from Chester, Northwich and Warrington, who met at Sir John Deane's Sixth Form College, acknowledge the fact each new release sounds different to the last, but see it as one of their biggest strengths.

Northwich Guardian:

Frontman Jake Vickers said: “I think it comes from [the fact] we’ve all got different music tastes – every time we bring out a song, one of the music tastes is the outstanding one, but the others are still there.

“It’s like making loads of cakes, but some have got more flour in them.”

If it is cakes the band are serving up, then fans are queueing around the corner to get into the bakery.

Northwich Guardian:

The Zangwills sold out Manchester’s Deaf Institute and Academy in late 2019 and early 2020, following a hugely productive period which also saw them perform for the first time in London and in Scotland.

This came after a 2018 in which the band supported or shared a stage with artists such as Yungblud, The Charlatans and Fun Lovin’ Criminals.

Northwich Guardian:

With so much recent success, the last thing the band needed was an obligatory three-month break

– the longest they have had since forming in 2017.

The first coronavirus lockdown brought with it no small amount of frustration.

“Off the back of our show at Academy, we would’ve had the momentum to announce a new Manchester date for around now,” said guitarist Sam Davies.

“It’s a bit gutting we’ve not been able to do it, but I guess it’s just one of them.

“It’s just hard to keep the momentum going when you can’t really do anything.”

Northwich Guardian:

Jake added: “It was alright for a while, doing things like livestreams, but it runs a bit dry because you’re playing the same songs. People get bored of it, I think – I got bored of it and I was the one doing it.”

Instead, the band turned its attention to making new music. The result? ‘Could I’, a raucous October release, as well as another track to be released in December.

But when a band’s debut single is on more than 350,000 streams on Spotify alone, with others also in the hundreds of thousands, there is an added pressure to make sure new music hits the same heights.

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Drummer Adam Spence said: “I respect our old stuff for what it is, but I look back and think I could’ve done it better, written it better, played it better.

“So it’s the pressure to keep writing things our core fanbase will like, but also to take everything in a new direction. We don’t want to stray too much.”

It’s a delicate balance, but one the band have struck. The new single is already gaining traction, with BBC Introducing playing it to listeners across the north west.

The single started out as a summery acoustic song, before turning into the ‘scruffy serenade’ it is now.

And different music tastes aside, the band are unanimous in their enthusiasm for the finished article.

Northwich Guardian:

“It’s a pleasing song to listen to, but it’s also very aggressive – we kind of like it,” said bassist Ed Dowling, but it’s Jake with the typically outlandish last word.

“If you listen to it loud enough, it can feel like a hug,” he said. “If you smash it on some speakers and put them on your chest, it might just feel like human contact.”

‘Could I’ is out now and available on all streaming platforms.

Visit thezangwills.com for information and social media links.