The Here And Now Interview With Colby

Guide

Hello! What Do You Enjoy Most About Being A Musician In 2025?

I feel that increasingly more artists over the last few years, particularly in rock and metal, are being bolder with their sound and expertly genre bending which is creating some really exciting music that is breaking barriers and bringing more and new fans to appreciate rock and metal (looking at you Sleep Token and Turnstile to name a couple of artists).

We’ve always found it a little bit hard to define ourselves within a specific rock sub-genre, as we have so many different musical influences individually and as a band that come across in our songs, so we enjoy feeling that we can be pretty free with what we write knowing that there’s almost been no better time to be more experimental with sounds and feeling less pressure that we need to fit into a specific box to be appealing.

Which Track Of Yours Means The Most To You?

I’m a bit biased here but whilst Cherry, Jason, Callum and I all contribute to song writing and everyone in the band has written some really meaningful and great songs, Part of Me is one of the songs I wrote the lyrics for and it’s pretty much me talking about how much music and playing the drums means to me. I feel truly blessed to have something that’s had such a profound impact on my life that I can always explore, seek new meaning in and improve at and to be able to share that gratitude through a song we’ve written is a lovely feeling.

The First-Ever Gig You Played, Can You Remember It? How Was It?

The first gig The Here and Now played was at The Spice of Life in Soho. It’s such a nice little venue that’s had so many fantastic underground artists and some household names play there so we were unbelievably excited especially as we formed during lockdown and had been waiting for a while to be able to play live.

We managed to bring an absolute army of friends and family down to watch alongside the other artists’ fans so it was a sold out show and a brilliant atmosphere as well as sharing the stage with a band we’ve stayed friends with since called Harsh Language (they’re brilliant so please go and check them out). We had a number of people coming up to us that night who couldn’t believe it was the first time we’d played live together which was a massive confidence boost and inspiration to keep working on being a tight live act.

What Do You Think Is The Key To Success As A Musician?

I think it’s important for musicians to always work on their craft and remember that no matter how talented they might be, they can always strive to be that bit better. I also feel that most of us don’t start playing music purely for fame and fortune as there isn’t any of that for a while if at all for the vast majority. A lot of us start because we have a love for our art and creating so it’s important to not lose sight of that despite whatever success might come our way.

If You Weren’t A Musician, What Job Would You Be Doing?

I feel grateful to have a career outside of music that I’m equally as passionate about and I know that’s the same for Cherry, Jason and Callum too which helps us be able to not get too caught up in the music world and keeps our passion for writing and creating burning strong.