Founded by twin brothers Callum (vocals/guitar) and Kieran Morgan (lead guitar), Morganway is a six-piece ensemble that also includes Nicole J Terry (fiddle/vocals), SJ Mortimer (vocals), Matt Brocklehurst (keyboard), and Ed Bullinger (drums). The East Anglian rock/Americana collective have taken over the U.K. and they’re ready to make their presence known internationally.
Their first single off their debut album (due summer 2019), “Frozen In Our Time”, features the band’s mesmerizing harmonies and impeccable musicianship.
Pop Culturalist spoke with founding member Callum Morgan about “Frozen In Our Time”, the upcoming release, and the year ahead.
PC: For readers who may not be familiar with the band, introduce us to Morganway.
Callum: Morganway is a six-piece band from East Anglia mixing Americana, rock, folk, and everything in-between. We have plenty of harmonies, guitar and fiddle solos, psychedelic keys and what not, but at the heart of it all, we’re just doing something that feels like us. Different personalities and passions coming together to make something bigger. I think that’s the beauty of being in a band.
PC: Tell us about your new single, “Frozen In Our Time”. What was the inspiration behind the song?
Callum: I believe the song first came about from a conversation to do with time not really existing, but I think the inspiration behind any song is really up to the listener. I love for songs to maintain an element of mystery because we all write our own stories. The best songs just happen naturally and they come from a place without really thinking, so often it’s only after they’ve been written that their inspiration reveals itself, and sometimes it never does.
PC: What was the decision process like when picking your first single?
Callum: We knew we wanted to put “Frozen In Our Time” out at some point, and being our longest track, and perhaps the most removed from a three and a half minute pop radio song, it seemed like the obvious first choice!
PC: What can you tease about your upcoming debut album?
Callum: We’re a band of many influences and genre isn’t something that really interests us, even if many think of us as an Americana act. We have heavy rock numbers, we have foot-stomping folk tunes, and we have long progressive builds. It’s not eleven versions of the same song, but it all sounds like Morganway.
PC: You all also just announced a tour. What can fans expect when they head to a Morganway show?
Callum: We’re often told we create something powerful in our live shows and that the energy is so intense. We want you to feel what we feel when we play. Really with every show we do, however big, small, loud or stripped back, our mission is simple: be ourselves and make a connection. If we achieve both of those things, I think we’re doing something right.
PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Matt: Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. There, I said it.
Ed: BoJack Horseman
Nicole: SAS: Who Dares Wins
Kieran: Buffy the Vampire Slayer used to be a guilty pleasure of mine because I liked Buffy before it was cool! [laughs] I’m slightly less proud of The O.C. and Entourage.
Callum: Probably a recap show like Thronecast or any videos by the YouTuber Emergency Awesome (his knowledge is staggering!)
SJ: I’m not guilty about anything I watch! My go-to show is always Friends—cheers me up on a rainy day!
PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Matt: If we’re talking romcoms, I keep coming back to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which really hits the spot in a lot of ways!
Ed: The Fifth Element, a sci-fi film I always enjoy!
Nicole: All three of the How to Train Your Dragon movies.
Kieran: Shrek! I don’t know why, but that scene where the Donkey and Shrek part ways by the water always makes me cry.
Callum: Batman Forever
SJ: Mean Girls #notguilty
PC: Favorite book?
Matt: I’d probably go with Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, very satisfying layered stories, plus an all-over-the-place but not bad film adaptation!
Ed: One the most interesting and entertaining books I’ve read so far is Tony Visconti: The Autobiography: Bowie, Bolan and the Brooklyn Boy. I got this book as a birthday present and it’s given me an entirely new view of the ’70s era of rock onward, especially from the perspective of Bowie’s development as an artist.
Nicole: The Man Who Loved Only Numbers
Kieran: Harry Potter! It’s such a big part of my childhood.
Callum: I love both It and The Stand by Stephen King, but as a teenager reading This Is All by Aidan Chambers utterly floored me.
SJ: Harry Potter
PC: Favorite play or musical?
Matt: Best go with Jerry Springer: The Opera just to be safe. [laughs]
Ed: I saw a staging of Macbeth at the Globe one year with Billy Boyd, which was great.
Nicole: Matilda! It was so beautiful.
Kieran: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, so epic! #keepthesecret
Callum: I loved the recent Bob Dylan musical Girl From the North Country. My favorite play is probably The Tempest.
SJ: We Will Rock You
PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Matt: I’ve been in a few odd directions over the years…I’m a big fan of Os Mutantes, a Brazilian Psych band from the ’70s. In terms of more recent stuff, I absolutely love the odd psychedelic space disco of Norway’s Mungolian Jet Set!
Ed: One artist that differs in terms of genre on my playlist is MURO, a Japanese hip hop record producer and DJ.
Nicole: Maybe Ian Siegel, he’s a blues guy, which I don’t normally go for, but this guy is unreal—he has me in tears every time.
Kieran: Eminem—absolutely love his lyrics.
Callum: “Forgot About Dre” by Dr. Dre, also featuring Eminem!
SJ: Norah Jones—love her airy tone.
PC: First album you bought?
Matt: Manic Street Preachers’ This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. I was probably just trying to look cool/political at the time.
Ed: I’m not sure who bought it, but we always had a vinyl copy of Revolver (The Beatles) lying around our house, which was frequently played in our formative years and has definitely stuck with me.
Nicole: It would’ve been an Elvis cassette, I reckon.
Kieran: The first I bought was a Britney Spears one…the cooler answer is the first album that I was given was Rage Against The Machine’s self-titled debut. That inspired me and made me want to play guitar. Sorry Britney.
Callum: One with that “Witch Doctor” song on it…
SJ: Avril Lavigne’s Let Go. I’m all about those black striped trousers and skater boys.
PC: First concert you attended?
Matt: Other than a few V festivals as an early teen, my first gig memory is Gomez at the UEA, lovely British bluesy pop.
Ed: The Rakes (London indie rock band) at Brixton
Nicole: Cast, Aston Villa Leisure Centre, sometime in the ’90s. Didn’t yet know about mosh pits…was terrified.
Kieran: Red Hot Chili Peppers at Hyde Park, 2004. Front row…absolute life changer.
Callum: Same.
SJ: Goo Goo Dolls
PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Matt: Ben Folds Five’s Whatever and Ever Amen—Ben was a huge influence on me as a pianist. I learnt most of his stuff from the sheet music through high school.
Ed: The Bends by Radiohead. I first listened to this album when I was a teenager and it forever changed how I viewed and listened to rock music.
Nicole: Crooked Still’s Still Crooked—the power of my favorite fiddler Brittany Haas (especially with Tristan Clarridge’s cello) continues to blow my mind. I LOVE HER.
Kieran: Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen. Those songs really inspired my brother and I in our late teens.
Callum: Up The Bracket by The Libertines. I’d never heard a single like “Time for Heroes” before. The lyrics and the melodies were so raw and poetic, I became obsessed with that sound and played the album constantly.
SJ: Beyonce’s I Am… Sasha Fierce double album pushed me as a singer and performer. Her voice, swagger, and talent blow me away. Ultimate girl power.
PC: Venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Matt: Avalon Stage at Glasto to a packed tent would suit us down to the ground! Village Underground in London would be incredibly cool, maybe next year!
Ed: Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage—probably an obvious choice, but it would be a massive milestone for me, personally.
Nicole: A festival in a mountain forest in America where everyone jams all day and night.
Kieran: Madison Square Garden
Callum: What Ed said! Pyramid all the way!
SJ: Grand Ole Opry in Nashville
PC: Hidden talent?
Matt: Aside from being a half-decent house party DJ, I’m fairly alright at juggling!
Ed: I also paint (when I can)—although it’s probably not that well-hidden as it’s what my degree was in!
Nicole: …I made my violin!
Kieran: Table tennis
Callum: My tea is legendary.
SJ: I make a mean scrambled eggs breakkie!
To keep up with Morganway, follow them on Twitter and Instagram, and pick up “Frozen In Our Time” on iTunes, Amazon Music, or stream it on Spotify.
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