New meaning for pre-pandemic songs as The Leylines play Hove

As Steve Mitchell (vocals and rhythm guitar) explains: “It is part of our Break Out tour and the funny thing is that on our last album we wrote a song called Break Out and when we put this tour together we thought what would be a good name. Break Out just made sense. Everybody is coming out of their shells however tentatively and everyone is trying to get back to things.

“Don't get me wrong. We are finding that lots and lots of people are very worried and very cautious still and that's one million times understandable.

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“My wife and I both caught Covid over the New Year, both double vaccinated and we both suffered quite a lot so when I do a gig I am mindful of how many people I am around. We supported The Levellers for three dates on their last tour and they are one of my favourite bands, one of my biggest influences, perhaps the biggest influence.

“And it was amazing to play gigs with them and usually to watch them I would go out front to watch a band like an ordinary gig goer. But this time I was really mindful of the circumstances and just watched them from the side of the stage.

“We are still very careful at gigs and I have come off Facebook. I don't think it's good for people’s mental health. I have noticed people completely dismissing all this on there. But it is still serious. It is not about you. It is about the other people around you and about respecting them. I have no problem whatsoever still wearing a face mask in a supermarket. If there is a little old lady next to me who feels safer because I'm wearing a mask, then that is absolutely fine by me.

“Our most recent album came out last year and I wrote this song on it called Break Out, just about breaking out of your normal life and wanting more from life and wanting to be more happy in the place where you are and just leading a better life physically mentally and spiritually.

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“It was like a metaphor for waking up and feeling better. It's about standing on the edge of something and just taking the next step you need to break out. And it does feel that it really does lend itself to this current situation.

“I wrote another song called Fly Away. Fly Away is about making every moment count and living your dreams. I always say on the stage that if you have got an ambition achieve it, follow it. People regret the things that they haven't done far more than they regret the things that they have actually done. Fly Away is about living everyday like it is your last day and really making that day matter.

“And I wrote it before Covid was even a thing. It's just about making your life happy. A lot of my songs are around mental health. They are songs about helping other people understand the situation they are in and I think Fly Away has now become even more important. People have lost loved ones. People are watching loved ones suffer with long Covid. This song has now taken on a whole new meaning. We've started to realise the beauty around us and I have started realising the beauty of the life that I'm living and it's about appreciating that.

“And it is fantastic to be back with the band. The band is more than a band. We are friends and we didn't see each other for quite a long time. We decided, when we could, to meet up socially distanced and just kick a ball around and it made me realise just how important it is to be with these guys. We stayed away from each other and it was really odd but it just showed how that much human interaction is one of the most important things that we have got.”

The Leylines are: Steve Mitchell (vocals & rhythm guitar), Hannah Johns (violin/piano/backing vocals), Dan Thompson (lead guitar/backing vocals), Sean Booth (bass guitar/backing vocals) and Dave Burbidge (drums).

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