Named after a poem by Stevie Smith, Harold’s Leap is a four-piece band originally from London, England.
A single line in this poem sums up the band’s most recent efforts, culminating in the release of their debut album, Too Much Time, in 2011: “It may have killed you but it was a brave thing to do.”
Some 5 years in the making, this album was a labour of love – late nights in the studio, recording, re-recording, trying again, concluding it still wasn’t good enough, having another go, and consuming lots and lots of pizza washed down with copious amounts of Diet Coke. It is apt, therefore, that someone was inspired enough by the album to name a pizza after the band (http://isinginthekitchen.com/2011/10/14/spicy-pizza-the-very-hot-harolds-leap/).
The truth is that, at the outset of the recording, no one in the band had any experience – not a clue where to start when producing an album – but they were determined to do it with no professional input at all, recording engineers, producers or otherwise. Everything you hear is therefore the product of four guys setting themselves a “grand challenge” and learning the hard way as they went.
The music is strongly guitar-driven British Indie rock, inspired by, among others, The Smiths, Led Zeppelin, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica – aspiring to blend well written lyrics with catchy tunes and guitar hooks, and rhythms that make you want to jump up and down.
The band itself is made up of a diverse cast of characters:
Chris Llewellyn (guitar, music composer) was a surgeon. Having had his mind opened by the experience and challenge of the recording process, he decided this was too restrictive. So he switched careers halfway through the making of the album and began to travel around the world advising Heads of State and companies on healthcare and life sciences.
Tom Lusty (bass) decided to study music at university but, during the recording of the album, concluded he could learn more, more quickly, without the distraction of formal teaching. So he left and used the extra time to become a master of martial arts and to help the BBC archive vintage recordings.
Nick “The Bear” Richardson (drums) started out the recording as an arms dealer. He decided this was not sexy enough for a drummer and decided to move into computer software. Go figure.
Tim Young (vocals, lyricist) set himself up in the world of academia, with a focus on film and media. Becoming the front man of the band gave him a sex appeal that he had never previously had and he managed to get a girlfriend. One thing led to another and he moved to Geneva to marry her before the album was released, and began to make movies with Phil Collins.
So the album has been a labour of love but has also seen the lives of these four men change. It is something they are extremely proud of and they seek nothing more than for people to listen and enjoy the fruits of their work.
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