Long Distance Runners: Her Name Is Calla Mark 10 Years And Meditate On Life As An Independent Band

Since the turn of the century, the music industry has faced more challenges than at any other time in its history. The last decade and a half has seen the internet radically alter the landscape, and that of independent scenes in particular. On one hand, new technology has provided artists with a potential reach larger than any they would have had access to in years gone by. On the other side of the equation, though, is illegal downloading and streaming.

Her Name Is Calla were born in 2005, just as the internet was becoming more dominant in controlling the distribution and reception of music. The turmoil that has affected the industry over the last decade has – at least indirectly – resulted in many casualties among the British underground, from relatively well-established bands like Oceansize and minor post-hardcore legends Reuben to lesser known acts such as angular math-poppers Tubelord and chaotic punk mob The James Cleaver Quintet.

Thankfully, Her Name is Calla – vocalist and guitarist Tom Morris, drummer Adam Weikert, violinists Sophie Green and Anja Madhvani, and bassist Tiernan Welch – have managed stick things out to reach 10 years in the game, while continuing to tour and release records on a reasonably regular basis.

As a band formed in the days when MySpace was still essential, they have seen first-hand the way music has changed. After years of hard work, they are now able to undertake a well-earned celebration in the shape of three shows at Leicester’s Firebug venue – each one seeing them play an album in its entirety – and a new documentary, A Wave of Endorphins, which charts their history to date.

Prominent among the band’s survival methods is the production of limited edition releases, which tend to be snapped up in rabid fashion by their dedicated fans. As Morris puts it: “Limited edition stuff does seem to do pretty well. If you’re happy to do some hard work and sit for many evenings doing lots of production by hand, it can certainly go a long way to keeping things afloat a little longer.”  Welch adds: “Well-produced and interesting products will always shift. I know people are moving away from 'hard copies' of music, so you've really got to do something special and meaningful.”

The production of limited edition items depends a lot on freedom from the traditional label structure, something the band have also experimented with recently in the form a Pledge campaign for A Wave of Endorphins.

“Pledge has created a brand that a lot of people recognise,” Morris says. “Really it’s no different than hosting a pre-order from your own band page, but the fundraising is more focused and visual to people so it goes a long way to helping with bigger projects that are hard to get off the ground. Though, I think they take a much bigger cut that Bandcamp. I think, at this point, it’s more about just keeping things afloat as best as possible really for a lot of bands.” 

That being the case, perhaps the constant discussion about the merits of downloading and streaming is proving unhelpful, and leading to an echo chamber rather than a forum for debate and improvement. But could a band like Her Name is Calla still exist today without the internet?

“It’s a great partnership when it works,” Morris says. “I don’t think a band like ours could have had the reach that we’ve had without the internet. I think that it’s fair to say it’s helped bands become known in the first place, as well as making them more independent and in control. I guess it takes a lot of the decision-making and hype facilitating away from traditional areas. But I think we’re still in fairly new territory here and tables can be turned so quickly.”

All of this raises the question of touring. Traditionally, it has been seen as the fundamental means of underground bands both reaching new fans and helping offset the money that is now almost impossible to make through album sales. Despite the commitment of a small group of cult fans, however, Her Name is Calla know all too well that touring can be just as disheartening as waiting for the next miniscule Spotify cheque to roll in.

This is particularly true in the UK, with the band often finding themselves having a better time of it on the road in Europe during recent years. Part of this may be down to a different outlook on gig promotion on the continent.

“There are great UK promoters too. But [in Europe] a lot of the extra things like food and accommodation are part of your deal, which makes things a hell of a lot easier and stress free,” Morris says. “There is normally some kind of excitement as well that you’ve travelled to play there which makes you feel a lot better and less apprehensive too about playing in town where you don’t know if anyone at all will show up.”

“Like Tom says, showing up counts for a lot,” Welch adds. “I'm not being critical of UK gig goers, we're grateful to everyone who shows up, it's just in Europe people seem more prepared to go out of their way, as it were.”

“I’ve lost count the number of times in the UK where folks have tweeted at us things like, ‘Her Name is Calla are playing in the venue opposite my house but it’s far too cold to go out’ or ‘Would love to see HNiC tonight but it’s Orange Wednesday and Scott Pilgrim is on’,” Morris continues. “These are actual messages we received. I don’t know why those folks thought that we’d even want to know. But it does make you ask yourself what the fucking point is sometimes.”

Given the sacrifices involved in touring recently highlighted by the Guardian and Drowned in Sound, particularly if it involves taking time off from a job that actually pays the bills or long periods of time away from one’s family, it’s little wonder that so many hit a wall and walk away. All the more reason why bands with Her Name is Calla’s persistence should be applauded.

In 2015, the most that the majority of bands can realistically hope for, it seems, is to tour and play for reasonable numbers of people, and stave off the numerous financial threats to continuing creativity in the shape of exhausting, but rewarding, extra projects. Given Her Name is Calla’s willingness to explore the options available to them, from alternative funding methods to providing handmade products for their fans, they have adapted better than many to the multi-faceted series of challenges that today’s independent bands are forced to deal with.

A Wave of Endorphins, directed by WeTheConspirators co-founder Fraser West, and described by Tiernan as ‘not a film about us… [but] a film which tries to give insight to the music and the journey’, should be a fascinating glimpse at the band’s story. The shows, too, will be quite an experience. As Morris emphasises: “Some of these songs have never been done live. It fairly ambitious, I guess, but hopefully it will all be worth it. We want them to be really special standout shows for the folks who come.”

What comes next? “Well, We’re playing ArcTanGent Festival in the summer and then going on a UK/European tour in September-October. Also, cracking on with our next album ‘Animal Choir’ ready for the end of the year.” It’s good to know, then, that the 10th anniversary celebrations don’t in any way signal an intention bow out or to take a step back. Her Name is Calla have matured into one of the finest bands in the UK over the past decade, so here’s to 10 more years.

Her Name Is Calla play Leicester's Firebug on July 2 ('The Heritage'), July 3 ('The Quiet Lamb') and July 4 ('Navigator'). Head here for details.

​Ben Bland is a music journalist and Stereoboard's noise columnist.

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