The combined songwriting efforts of frontman Linford Hydes and producer/instrumentalist Eddie Al-Shakarchi, Cardiff’s Voya have recently completed their debut record and are dipping their toes into the ocean of live performance too. Emma Way spoke to Linford and Eddie.
How did you two meet and begin your creative relationship?
Linford Hydes: I had a band, Palomino Party, from probably 2012 until 2018. Ed had this conceptual album idea and was looking for anybody in Cardiff suitable for sort of UK 80s-style singing; our friend Esther – who’s supporting us at Chapter – mentioned me and then Ed sent me some songs.
Eddie Al-Shakarchi: When we started, it went from Linford doing one or two tracks with me to the whole album. Now we’re a unit.
Were you looking for a sort of classically trained voice?
Eddie: Yeah, when I heard Linford’s voice, I knew that’s what I’d been looking for. But when you meet someone, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re gonna get on with them, or be able to write good music together. It happened slowly; we both have quite similar influences, and a lot of crossover and alignment on what we want Voya to be.
Linford: We love early-80s UK music – like 1979 to ‘85 – but quite a particular thing: overtly passionate, quite theatrical, melodramatic, sometimes avant-garde little obscurities. We knew we wanted the live show to be theatrical and had drawn influence from people who celebrated theatre in music, like Kate Bush.
Eddie: I’d worked with Palomino Party, and saw them live, and was like, oh wow – this is the best frontman I’ve seen in person. So even though it took us a long time to get to the point where we’re playing live, I always knew that we had that.
Linford: With Palomino Party, two weeks after writing a song it would be played. So we’d get an immediate reaction, but Ed and I have been working years on this music, so it was a completely different approach for me. It made me really impatient – I just wanted to get out there and perform it!
Did you find you were really meticulous over the songs because you had so much time?
Eddie: We’re both perfectionists, very fastidious and meticulous. I’m more from a studio background where you can be more perfect, and now I’m learning to take it live where it’s of the moment – learning to let go a little bit.
What do you really admire in each other’s work?
Linford: When Ed would play his analogue synth, there was a tone to some of the sounds that I’d never heard. I discovered the enjoyment and depth of sound through Ed, basically.
Eddie: As someone who can’t really sing, Linford’s amazing to see. Anytime I’ve tried to sing you realise how quite athletic it is – it literally comes from you – whereas I play the guitar and press buttons or keys. My favourite singers have that ability, but they don’t have to use it on every song all the time.
So when can we expect your debut record?
Eddie: We’re biding our time – we’re not in any rush, we’ve worked on it for so long, and we’re so sure of it. We want to maximise everything that we put out there. It’s not, you know, a stepping stone to the next album, we want this to have the best reception it can have. We think that the live shows can speak for us for the time being, and I’m personally enjoying the sort of anticipation that the shows are creating. We spent a long time creating the album – we went to a studio occasionally and had a select group of friends and musicians from Wales. There was no feedback or gratification or applause.
Linford: Instead of the immediate gratification of social media, the gratification of communicating to people through the songs is really fulfilling.
Voya, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Sat 15 Apr.
Tickets: £10. Info: here
FOCUS Wales, Wrexham, Sat 6 May.
Info: here
Find the band at voyamusic.co.uk
words EMMA WAY
