Glasgow-based quartet Bloodlines are premiering the dark, brooding video to their new single All Your Love exclusively with TeamRock. The single, which trades on their signature blend of chaotic, angular rock, blends moody melodies and heartfelt songwriting with the sort of Scottish indie rock Idlewild made an art of.
Below, we catch up with frontman Jamie Coltart to hear more about the track, its video and what’s next for Bloodlines.
What’s the story behind the song All Your Love?
“All Your Love is a song I wrote about period of time [I] spent trying to help a friend through a grieving process, and how it brought us closer together. A close friend of mine had been through a tragic period, thankfully they were very open with me about their feelings and their struggle with depression. The song is about how I was trying to help as much as I could with the healing process. I made sure I saw the individual every day, offering a positive presence for them and generally reassuring them that everything was going to get better. Wow, really doom and gloom, eh?!”
The vid’s pretty intense! What’s going on in it, and how did you decide on the concept?
“The concept and shooting was all arranged and produced by an old friend of ours called Sean Campbell. We had worked with him previously and he was looking to shoot another music video, when he approached us we were delighted about it! On this video we actually passed the reins over to him as we liked his previous work a lot and wanted him to have total freedom over the direction of the video. We all met up and he pitched the initial idea to us, we were happy, [so] he put together a final treatment. It was a nice way of working – we have always had a lot of say in our previous videos so it was actually quite nice to let someone take influence from the song, go away and make a video without our input for a change!”
The song has some Idlewild and Biffy Clyro-esque vibes. How influential has the Scottish indie scene been to you guys?
“I think the Scottish scene has probably influenced us more than we think. We listen to lots of different music from all around the world, but, I think when you are part of something, you tune into it more. We genuinely listen to a lot of bands that are in the same circuit as us, and that will definitely influence the way we do or don’t do things as a band.”
You’ve grown your fanbase so far predominantly through live shows – what can people expect if they catch one of your live performances?
“It’s a straight up rock show, no fake personas, no frills and frolics. It’s a bit chaotic and really is just four guys going for it! We put everything into our live shows, no matter how big the crowd is. We bring as much energy and production to shows as possible, and I think people do recognise that. It’s bands like At The Drive-In, The Clash, Pulled Apart By Horses and Frank Carter that have influenced our live shows, and we are always looking to put on a better show than the last one!”
Do you have any summer tour dates coming up?
“June: 8th - XpoNorth Festival, Inverness, 18th - Oran Mor, West End All Dayer Festival, Glasgow, 24th - Northern Roots Festival, Inverness.
July: 14th - Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, Glasgow (Supporting Allusondrugs), 15th - The Raigmore Motel, Inverness (Supporting Allusondrugs), 16th - Opium, Edinburgh (Supporting Allusondrugs).
August: 5th - Belladrum Festival, Beauly.”
How would you explain your sound to people who’ve never heard you before?
“Guitar-driven rock music with a bit of shouting!”
What are your key inspirations when it comes to making music?
“I think it’s an ‘in the moment’ kind of thing. The drive and excitement of the band comes from the energy and feel of playing music together, and how it will transfer to a live arena.”
What do you hope people will take from your music?
“I’m not really too sure to be honest! I guess we just hope people appreciate the effort that all musicians go through with their work. As a band, we all know that our music isn’t for everyone and we are fine with that. If people take something from our music, great. If they don’t, that’s fine too!”
What’s next for Bloodlines?
“After our summer shows an EP is definitely in the pipeline, which will hopefully be followed up with a UK tour. We really just want to get out and play as many shows as possible!”
