ALLEY the band‘s ‘Telling Stories’ explores themes of love and loss, the EP reflects on the complexities of everyday life and through honest lyrics and relatable narratives, the band share their perspective. They invite their fans old and new to connect with the experiences that shape us, and in doing so create another experience for us to connect over; their music. We spoke to rhythm guitarist Robbie about the EP, his music influences, and connected over a mutual love for Good Health Good Wealth.
Hi! Could you introduce yourself, your genre, and your musical influences?
“I’m Robbie, I put together the musical concept behind the band’s songs, either by providing Ali with a track for her to paint her words or, sometimes Ali will bring a set of words, to our studio for me to work with her to build a platform beneath her words, very occasionally will write a song, I am the band’s rhythm guitarist. My influence firstly are The Beatles, they were the ones that told us that refusing to follow the rules is okay. Johnny Marr and Pete Shelly are also great influences; they took story telling to a different place.
What inspired you to start making music and what inspires you to keep going?
“Ever since I started playing guitar, I believed I could write songs, but like millions of other kids, I got told, “you probable can’t”. Years later I was putting a different band together, Ali came into the mix, and creatively it just worked between us. Outside the studio our relationship is spikey at best, but inside our studio and working on our songs there is an openness and trust that I feel is apparent in our songs. What keeps me going is the time in the studio with Ali, Jaymie, Antony and Paul, to share space with such talented people playing something I have created is humbling and at times overwhelming.”
Where do you, in general, get inspiration for your music and song-writing?
“People give me inspiration, I listen to them and build a story around their story.”
Who would you like to work with in the near future and where would you like to perform in the next three years?
“I love Good health Good wealth, Ali had a chat with Bruce Breakey when we saw them in Southampton and he came over as a really good person, I would love to hear what he would do to ‘Watching You Leave’. We do not want to get too far ahead, once we have the album completed there a quiet talk of SXSW next year and maybe another iconic festival, plus several smaller fun festivals.”
Which musical achievements are you most proud of?
“’Song for a Diva’, for ever more we will have written that song,”
What do you hope to achieve by releasing music with followers old and new?
“The Release was listened too in over 60 different countries that blew our minds something we were not expecting or were prepared for, we just want people to enjoy our songs and if The Release gives people strength, Song for a Diva gives people hope, Watching you leave gives people belief, we will have done so much more than we believed we could do when we set out on this journey.”
What are your plans for the new year and what are some of your goals and dreams?
“We are on schedule with the EP and the Album so for the New year we will have a solid body of work of material we are proud of that we can take on the road, 2027 will be more about performing than production, which is where we are in 2026.”
Aside from music, what are some of your hobbies and interests, we’d love to know more about you as a person!
“Outside music I love extreme sports, rock climbing, mountain biking, on real mountains, hardcore drinking sessions with Ali. I was brought up in the North East of England, and for, better or worse, I am very much of that culture.”
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