Music Feature: Origami Heart
''We dont want a million pounds, we just want a million people to want to spend a pound and see what we can do''
Farnborough’s very own alternative rock band, Origami Heart consists of Tim Spindler (vocals), Dean Amer (guitar), Tom Halliwell (guitar), Paul Piers (bass) and William Jupp (drums).
It’s always fascinating to go from listening to a song online, to seeing where it has been written, recorded and produced from. And that’s what happened when I met the guys at their practice space at Jupp’s family stable in Hillingdon, a cosy studio located behind of a tower of horse muck (sound proofing on a budget maybe?) which had a very cool DIY feel to it - much like Origami Heart’s creative process. The band take pride in their self-producing and having ownership over their own music. From experience, they seem to prefer recording themselves, opposed to using another studio.
During our time together I was informed that the band’s name was intended to have an oriental sound to it, and that the band took inspiration from the meaning behind Enter Shikari’s name. Despite ‘Shikari’ meaning ‘hunter’ in Punjabi - not Japanese I’m afraid to confirm.
Tim, Dean and Paul have been playing together since college and have witnessed the band transform into what it is today with all of the current members. Once a more nu-metal/post-hardcore band, they returned to their roots after the arrival of Paul and are now settled with their pop punk vibe. Especially considering they all coincidentally grew up listening to this genre. Influence coming in from bands such as Tonight Alive, Blink-182 and Simple Plan.
Despite originating in Hillingdon, the band have established themselves a hub in Reading, where they have played a number of shows at venues such as Pavlov’s Dog and The Face Bar. They are now preparing to conquer Brighton too, as Tim is moving down to the seaside resort town for drama school in the summer.
Outside of the band you’ll find the guys occupying themselves by teaching others how to play their respective instruments, musical theatre, being a family man and even travelling around the world.
For these guys, it’s the live shows that you’re really going to get to see the best from them. If you are planning on seeing them though, be prepared to get stuck in, this isn’t a year 6 leavers disco!
This band’s sound is very vocally driven, Spindler is capable of some impressive high notes; with the help of the other guys, the harmonies are superb. Although pop punk is generally quite overly processed, William is challenging this by bringing his love for ‘real drum sounds’ back into their work. This is illustrated brilliantly in yet to be released ‘Guiding Light’.
You can check Origami Heart out over at Bandcamp, and see where you can catch them next on Facebook right now!
