Noblemen are a London-based hip-hop band that formed in 2009. The band consists of seven members: Chuks (emcee), Carl (keyboardist), Manish (guitar), Kieron (keyboardist), Taona (bass), Nicky (drums) and Nathan (emcee/drums). The young men are not just band members but are also long-term friends, who hail from North London. Their music is about what they are experiencing in their lives, whether that being the good or the hardships, as well as what’s happening in the world today. Find out more from founder and keyboardist Carl below!
You are part of the band Noblemen – explain the band’s music?
“Our music is a reflection of how we feel in that precise moment, we don’t do one type of thing, we do whatever feels natural and that way we are always being true to ourselves.”
Noblemen write and produce their own music. As a band of seven members, how do your ideas come together?
“As there’s seven of us we’re never short of an idea. I think there is two ways in which we tackle music. There’s one way where you will go home and have a melody in your head and then you will present it to the band. It’s trial by fire. If people in the band like it, they will add their bits to it and it grows, if they don’t like it we will just scrap it and I’ll kind of push for it even more until they do like it!”
There are seven members – Explain how you came together?
“When I decided to make the band there was no specific number in my head, every time we met up and someone new came along and it made sense musically, they stayed. As a result you are not relying on backing tracks, you are just literally in the moment. I was never super conscious of making it small, but bigger makes for fuller music and richer ideas. If stars aligned and I could have my ideal line up, what would I like to see on stage… that would be loads of instruments behind Chuks rapping.”
Were you friends beforehand?
“Yes. That’s what I think has kept us going this amount of time. It’s a blessing but it’s also a curse because when you are friends you are very open with each other and certain decisions take longer. But we were all friends beforehand, myself and Nathan are brothers, Taona, Manish and I went to the same school, Kieron has been a friend of ours for years, Taona and I met Chuks at church and Kieron met Nicky in the live music scene. I don’t think we would have lasted this long if we didn’t have that solid friendship.”
You play the keyboard. When did you discover your love for the instrument?
“My love for music has been with me since a toddler. I used to take pots and pans out of the cupboard and pretend they were drums. My love for the piano began when I was seven, my dad asked me what instrument I would like to learn and from there, I studied classical piano to the age of 14, so that was always my basis.”
Your debut album ‘Chordstricken’ will be released later this year, how was the process?
“Chordstricken is something we have been working on for the past five years. It is our first take of doing an album that we wanted, as well as having a theme going through it and it’s a bit more driven. It took us a little longer, but we got there in the end. It’s our take on what society looks like today from our point of view.”
How would you describe the album?
“Just trying to look at the social status of how people live in Britain. It’s got a very heavy London feel, because that’s where we are from and it’s just our take on how society sees young ethnic men. The trials and tribulations and the stuff we deal with on a daily basis.”
If you could duet with any artist in the world who would it be and why?
“Every band member would have said someone different, but for me it will be Kate Bush because her voice and her ideas were so freeing and out there and I would like to see what she would do on a song with us.”
What’s next for Noblemen?
“We will definitely get another album out there.”
Where do you see Noblemen five years from now?
“Doing more shows, sticking together and keeping that love for creating more music and a sound where people can tell it’s Noblemen.”
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