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SPOTLIGHT: JOE SYMES AND THE LOVING KIND
- D.G. Torrens
- Feb 6
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 7
LIVERPOOL
INDIE-TRIO
ROCK
BAND
BIO:
Joe Symes and the Loving Kind are a Liverpool‑born trio carving out their own corner of the indie landscape. Fronted by Joe Symes (vocals, guitar, harmonica) and powered by the rhythmic pulse of Colin White (drums, percussion, backing vocals) and Alan Welsh (bass), the band have become known for their retro‑psyche sensibility: a sound that nods to the past while pushing firmly forward.
Their releases have earned widespread attention both at home and abroad, with multiple albums showcasing their evolving craft and magnetic energy. Onstage, they’ve shared the bill with a diverse range of artists, steadily building a reputation, maintaining their status as a prominent force in the indie music scene
Q&As
DG Q:
You’re back in the studio crafting your fourth album, a fresh year and a new creative chapter for the band. What direction is this album taking, and do you have a sense yet of when fans can expect its release?
JSLK: The new album is definitely the moody one without question. It’s still uptempo when it comes to the tracks sonically, but its mood is definitely a darker one, which we’re liking a lot. Serious rockers and melancholy epic ballads. We’ve recently been doing more work on it, and we’re back in about 3 weeks, so it should be out later this year.
DG Q: Have you settled on an official title for the new album, and is that something you’re ready to reveal yet?
JSLK: We certainly have agreed on the title. That will be revealed soon.
DG Q: Your Portmanteau album and your latest EP has an unmistakably Beatle‑esque shimmer, (another Beatles fan here!). In the long arc of your band’s evolution, how deeply has their legacy threaded itself into your work, and what is it about the Beatles that continues to hold such gravitational pull for you?”
JSLK:
Yeah, the EP A Place to Call Our Own was released before the current album Portmanteau.
The Beatles are without doubt our main influence.
he fact that we come from the same city is purely coincidental. To answer both, they were a band that constantly changed, they never stuck to the same thing or formula. Listen to A Hard Day’s night, then to The White Album,
you’d think they were made by two different bands, and that’s something we take on board ourselves. We’d get bored if we just kept repeating ourselves, so we always aim to do something different with each release; something we’re extremely proud of.
DG Q: The band’s current (third) album, Portmanteau, hit number #15 in the UK Gold chart, and has already had international airplay, reaching number #2 in the Banks Radio Australia Valley FM 85.9 Chart. Reaching as far as Australia is incredible. How did the band celebrate?
JSLK:
Ha! I don’t think we celebrated in the classical sense like throwing a party or anything, though we were naturally very pleased to hear about it. I think we just patted ourselves on the back and thought, “Great! Carry on.” That was in confidence, of course, and not cockiness. Just thought we’d emphasise that. Ha! Ha!
DG Q: The band 's music was played during half-time at Liverpool Football Club home game and the EP’s title track broke into the top ten on 365 Radio outpacing major acts like Ed Sheeran and sustaining a five‑week run in the top twenty, what did that level of traction mean for the band?”
JSLK:
A lot of the band’s tracks have been played during half time at Anfield. A big thanks to George Sephton for that. The week of the latest album’s release I (Colin) was actually at a game, and heard the track Please Please get played. Something like 60,000 people were there, and the feedback was incredible. Recorded some footage on my phone too, which went up on social media. Again, like the other international chart positions we’re very proud, and…...well, to get higher than Ed Sheeran, enough said.
DG Q: There are already murmurs of a fifth album taking shape, especially after ‘Too Little Too Late’ surfaced from a session at ‘The Water Rats’ in London. What inspired this song’s creation, and what story or spark sits at its core?
JSLK: The murmurs are true. Yes, the fifth album is written, and ready to go. All that we can really say about that track is it’s pure Rockabilly; different again. All will be revealed when the time is right.
DG Q:
When the three of you retreat into the studio to carve out a new album, what kind of alchemy unfolds between you: the harmony, the friction, and the beautifully messy middle ground that shapes the music?
JSLK: Unlike some bands you hear about, we actually all get on. None of us could work with people we didn’t like; It just wouldn’t work. Joe’s the principle songwriter, so he’ll come in with the finished song played on acoustic guitar, sometimes with suggestions on how they’ll be coloured in,
then we’ll colour the rest in until it’s done. If someone suggests an idea that doesn’t work, no one get’s offended by it, we just try something else until it works. Most of the records we’ve put out have been made at Crosstown Studios in Liverpool with the engineer Jon Lawton, who’s great to work with, and sometimes he’ll suggest things too.
DG Q: At the heart of your sound over the years, what core message defines your band’s identity and creative mission?
JSLK: We don’t think the band has a core message, as such. We just believe we make music that appeals to a very wide audience and age group. We’d never want to alienate anyone.
DG Q: Is there a lesser-known facet of your band-life that you’d be willing to reveal, something fans might be surprised to learn?"
JSLK:
We like tea. Lots of it……….and biscuits.
DG Q: All musicians have a favourite song in their catalogue, across the full sweep of your discography, is there one song that feels especially electric when you bring it to the stage the one that still stirs something in you every time the lights go up?”
JSLK:
Tough to nail down. A few of our live favourites are things like Come to the Otherside, Summer’s Almost Coming, and Calling Out to You from the second album Phase II. That one was the heavy Rock album, so they’re always rocking live. It’s All Too Late from the latest album can be added to that list too, and maybe Things Get Better, which was one half of the double A side single. On the other side of that, Ready to Ride, and Happy When It Hurts from the first album are great to play too, as they’re more mellow, and really show our live versatility.
DG Q: With 2026 in full swing, what does your live itinerary look like and where can fans expect to catch the next wave of your shows
JSLK:
Studio time for the upcoming album is the main thing we’re concentrating on at the moment, but we’ve just confirmed our invite for the International Pop Overthrow Festival at the Cavern in Liverpool this May. David Bash and his wife Rina who
are from Los Angeles organise it, and are big supporters of the band. The exact dates will be confirmed soon, as well as other dates.
DG Q: Across all the stages you’ve stepped onto over the years, is there one performance that still rises above the rest— the night that lives brightest in your memory?
JSLK: We’ve played on the main great stages at major venues and festivals, it would be impossible to single one out.
DG Q: If you could offer one brutally, raw and unfiltered, honest piece of advice to emerging artists walking the same path, what would it be?
JSLK: Be yourself, believe in what you do, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
DG Q: What’s one ‘no-BS’ truth you wish someone had told you when you were just starting out as a band?
JSLK: That you can encounter some very strange people. Believe us when we say we’ve come across some very odd ones over the years.
DG Q: As technology continues to blur the lines between human and machine creativity, what do you think the future holds for music in an AI-driven world?
JSLK:
From what we’ve seen of AI it is very scary, and it’s understandable that others are concerned by it too. However, we believe the human touch will never be replaced. The whole AI thing at the moment is like a phase; it’s the in thing at the moment, and once it settles it will mainly be used to preserve things like decayed film or old audio for prosperity. You’ve got to be optimistic or you’ll go insane.
DG Q: Let’s finish strong: what’s one quote that hits you right in the soul and says, “This is me”?
JSLK: “The more I learn about people, the more I love my dog.”
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