Deaf Havana was formed when the original members met at the King's Lynn campus of The College of West Anglia. The band's roots can, however, be traced back much further with Ryan Mellor, James Veck-Gilodi and Lee Wilson all attending Smithdon High School and playing together in various local scene bands. At college, these members were joined by Tom Ogden and Sebastian Spitz. This early lineup saw Veck-Gilodi singing and Mellor taking guitar and vocal duties. The name "Deaf Havana" came from former guitarist Sebastian Spitz, however the name itself has no literal meaning. The band wrote songs and a demo, White Lines But No Camera, was recorded in August 2006 at The Lodge, Northampton. The band toured this lineup until Chris Pennells replaced Spitz. Pennells was formerly a member of the band Something About Dave. Around the same time, Mellor handed over guitar parts to Veck-Gilodi, and took on the lead role.
In late 2006, the band began writing songs for their debut EP, entitled Evangeline. Two songs were roughly recorded, titled "The Smiles Were Forced" and "Where It Begins", which were uploaded onto the band's Myspace page. The EP was soon recorded, with "The Smiles Were Forced" being dropped from the EP's track listing. "Tell Me More Georgie Boy" is the only song from any previous release to make it onto Meet Me Halfway, at Least, and is now called "Another Day in This House".
Beginning in October 2007, the band began work on new songs, which eventually were released on It's Called the Easy Life. On 21 June 2008, the band announced signing a deal consisting of one EP and two albums with Wolf at Your Door Records owner Kevin 'Wolfie' Horak, as well as the recording date for said debut EP, now titled It's Called the Easy Life. The EP was eventually recorded by Jonny Renshaw from Devil Sold His Soul and was mixed by Matt O'Grady (You Me at Six, Architects) and released in October 2008. The EP received strong reviews from various musical publications, following which the band begin to receive some recognition.
On 25 May 2009, the band entered the studio to record their debut studio album, Meet Me Halfway, at Least, with producer Matt O'Grady. The album was released for pre-order from Wolf at Your Door Records on 7 September 2009, and was released on iTunes and shops on 5 October 2009. Two singles have been taken from this album. "Friends Like These" was released, with B-side "Hey Baby, This Is Our Song", on 17 August 2009, for digital download. A video was also released for this single. Their second single, "Nicotine and Alcohol Saved My Life" was released on 15 March 2010, also via digital download. The single contains a remix of "Friends Like These" by Essex band Kenai. Its music video was first shown on music channels and online from 22 February 2010.
In 2010, just prior to the mini tour with All Forgotten, the band announced that Mellor would not be embarking on these tours, due to personal circumstances, with Max d'Albiac from Brides replacing him. Mellor left the band on 10 May 2010, due to the same personal problems that caused him to pull out of 2010 tours. Deaf Havana decided to continue as a four piece and a replacement for Mellor was not sought.
The band began the follow-up to 2009's Meet Me Halfway, at Least in early 2010. They released a new demo track on Myspace and Facebook, entitled "My Life Is Average". On 13 August 2010, the band released a new demo track through their Facebook page entitled "Home Sweet Home".
On 20 May 2011, the band released the first song, called "The World or Nothing", from their untitled second album. The song was not released as a single, but the song is accompanied by a video made from footage taken at Hit The Deck Festival, directed by Jon Stone. The first single from the album was confirmed to be "I'm A Bore, Mostly" on 30 August 2011. It was played on BBC Radio 1 by Zane Lowe and the following week by Sara Cox. The title of the album, Fools and Worthless Liars was made public on 23 September 2011. Deaf Havana also released a music video for the single on 11 October 2011, which accumulated over 20,000 plays on the day of release. They then supported fellow British rockers You Me at Six on tour that month. Fools and Worthless Liars was released on 7 November 2011, coinciding with London Barfly and Norwich Arts Centre release gigs. The album peaked at number 1 on the UK Rock Album Chart.
The band re-recorded an alternative version of Fools and Worthless Liars which was released on 22 October 2012. The Fools and Worthless Liars Deluxe Edition album reached number 51 in the UK Albums Chart (reaching number 28 mid-week). Lead singer, James-Veck Gilodi, expressed his views about his personal influences in the Fools and Worthless Liars Deluxe Documentary saying that he "wanted to do something that was more musical interesting" and record something that was "truer" to the bands actual influences. After playing the St Pancras Station Festival, from which the band thought "went well" and was "thoroughly enjoyable", the band set about re-recording each song on Fools and Worthless Liars hoping to show off their musicianship that may not have come across on the album by using different instruments, sounds and genres.
In October 2012, Deaf Havana began composing new material to be featured on their third album. On 25 January 2013, the band announced that the writing process was complete and that they would enter the studio a week later. It was rumoured, during the highly successful An Evening With Deaf Havana - Unplugged that the new, yet currently unnamed, album would be released "around September". However, no precise date was set or confirmed at this point. It was later revealed in 2012 that the new album would be entitled Old Souls and was to be produced by Lee Batiuk. It was announced to be released on 16 September 2013. Moreover, the band created a feature-length documentary, entitled English Hearts, which was released as a CD/DVD combination on the deluxe version of Old Souls. The feature documented the history of the band, in their own words, and was directed by Jon Stone, a director who had previously filmed the band performing " The World or Nothing" at Hit the Deck Festival.
The band received several high-profile radio plays in the lead up to the album release whilst the band also aired several previews through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. The song "Boston Square" was premiered by Radio One DJ Zane Lowe as his Hottest Record in the World on 14 May 2013. This release which was accompanied with an interview with James Veck-Gilodi. The band coincidentally announced their first partnership with YouTube music video service Vevo, and released the corresponding video for "Boston Square". The band followed up the positive feedback by releasing the track "Speeding Cars" on 18 July 2013, and track which also received positive feedback. On 1 August 2013, the band released another track, entitled "Kings Road Ghosts", despite the band acknowledging "they might get into trouble" for releasing the track early. On 8 August 2013, the band were again invited Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show to premiere their new single "Mildred (Lost a Friend)" as the Hottest Record in the World. Matt Veck-Gilodi supplied the interview on the behalf of the band and was interviewed by Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens, who was deputising for Zane Lowe.
Ahead of their UK tour in November 2015, Deaf Havana released the track "Cassiopeia" from their fourth album, which was originally set to be released in 2016.
In July 2016, the band released the single "Sing" and announced that their album would be released in early 2017 on So Recordings. During their set at Reading and Leeds 2016, the band announced that the album is titled All These Countless Nights and announced its release date as 27 January 2017. Shortly after their Reading and Leeds appearance, the band announced their first UK tour in over 2 years.
On 9 October, the second single from the album, "Trigger", premiered on BBC Radio 1 as Daniel P Carter's Rockest Record. The song had originally premiered in 2014 on the band's European tour, at which time the band had planned to record new material but were dropped from their record label, BMG.
Following their Top 5 album artist=Deaf Havana]All These Countless Nights, Rituals was written as a challenge taken up by James Veck-Gilodi (Vocals) & Phil Gornell (Producer) to subvert the band's writing process, and present songs representative of the band in present.
Rituals is the result of throwing out the 'Deaf Havana rulebook': first; James picked the song titles, second; he wrote the tracks that fit the theme of those titles, third; everything was written on the computer, then the band came in to play all the parts. Working like this felt backwards to James, who previously only written songs on his acoustic guitar, with continuous input from the rest of the band. They set themselves a deadline of April to finish writing, and if any of it was any good, they would make it available by August. No more waiting half a decade for people to finally hear new music.
A recurring theme on the album is one of struggle and redemption. The music is in turn with introspective and joyous, with help form the London Contemporary Voice Choir, who feature on five tracks. The band performed with the choir at their intimate show at London's Union Chapel for the War Child charity as part of the Brit Awards gigs.
The theme of redemption ties into the art the band have wrapped into the album cover, a series by the visual artist Wolf James entitled 'My Love Is Lethal (A personal series dedicated to Letting Go)'.
On 25 November 2021, the band released a statement that while they intended to break up in early 2020, instead James and Matthew will continue on as a duo, with Lee Wilson and Tom Ogden leaving the band.
The Present is a Foreign Land was announced on 21 January 2022 for a 15 July 2022 release; with the album's first single, "Going Clear", releasing the same day.
Boston Square
Deaf Havana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You let him in, just to know to push away
You made it twenty one years
Before he turned you round
To giving up
We traded knowledge in
Our fields of expertise and we partied away
Do you think you'd still want to leave now?
You always were just a stubborn kid back then.
I saw the words that you wrote down
On the back of your book in the room where we spent our days.
I remember you told me you threw
Your father's Jimmy Nail CD
Out of the window of his car
It didn't get you very far, in his good books
Because I know when you got home
He bent your spine over the back of a kitchen chair
You lost so many days in there
Do you think you'd still want to leave now?
You always were just a stubborn kid back then.
I saw the words that you wrote down
On the back of your book in the room where we spent our days
In the room where we spent our days
I thought I saw your reflection
In the window of a passing car
But I guess I was wrong
All I am is wrong these days
Do you think you'd still want to leave now?
You always were just a stubborn kid back then.
I saw the words that you wrote down
On the back of your book in the room where we spent our days
I saw the words that you wrote down
On the back of your book in the room where we spent our days
The song Boston Square by Deaf Havana is a powerful and emotional exploration of the impact that past traumas and relationships can have on our present and future lives. Through poignant lyrics and soaring melodies, the song paints a vivid picture of a person who is struggling to move beyond the demons of their past, while also trying to stay true to themselves and their own sense of identity.
The opening lines of the song immediately set the tone, as the singer acknowledges that their friend has had a difficult and tumultuous past: "I know you met the devil once when you were young / You let him in, just to know to push away." Despite this early encounter, the friend manages to hold on for 21 years before ultimately succumbing to their own inner demons and giving up. Throughout the song, the singer reflects on their shared experiences, including partying together and exchanging knowledge in their respective fields, while also questioning whether their friend would still want to leave their current situation.
One of the most striking and poignant moments in the song comes near the end, when the singer remembers a specific interaction they had with their friend years ago. Apparently, the friend had thrown their father's Jimmy Nail CD out of the car window in frustration, only to be punished severely when they got home. The singer recalls the friend's subsequent days of confinement and isolation, once again highlighting the ongoing effects of past traumas and pain.
Overall, Boston Square is a deeply moving and introspective song that tackles some of the most difficult and complex themes of the human experience. By exploring the struggles of a friend grappling with their past and trying to find their way forward, the song ultimately offers a message of hope and compassion, reminding us that no matter how dark our circumstances may seem, we can always find a way to move forward by staying true to ourselves and our innermost desires.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you met the devil once when you were young
You had an experience with something dark and harmful early on in your life.
You let him in, just to know to push away
You allowed this negative force into your life, only to realize that you needed to keep it at bay.
You made it twenty one years
You managed to survive for two decades without letting this darkness take over.
Before he turned you round
Unfortunately, eventually this negative force did take hold of you and influenced your decisions.
To giving up
You felt like there was no other option but to quit and give up.
We traded knowledge in
We had a mutual exchange of information.
Our fields of expertise and we partied away
We enjoyed ourselves and indulged in our interests.
And you gave up on everything
However, it seems that you have since lost your drive and motivation.
Do you think you'd still want to leave now?
I'm wondering if you still feel the same way about leaving your current situation.
You always were just a stubborn kid back then.
You were known for being headstrong and difficult to convince, especially in the past.
I saw the words that you wrote down
I noticed the words that you put into writing.
On the back of your book in the room where we spent our days.
These words were written on a book in a space where we spent a lot of time together.
I remember you told me you threw
I recall you confiding in me that you got rid of something.
Your father's Jimmy Nail CD
Specifically, it was your father's CD by a certain artist.
Out of the window of his car
You threw it out of a moving vehicle.
It didn't get you very far, in his good books
This action didn't help you win favor with your father.
Because I know when you got home
I'm aware that after this incident, you returned home.
He bent your spine over the back of a kitchen chair
Your father physically punished you by contorting your back over a piece of furniture.
You lost so many days in there
This traumatic event caused you to suffer for a long time afterward.
I thought I saw your reflection
I had a moment where I believed I saw your image reflected in something else.
In the window of a passing car
This reflection was spotted in a vehicle that was traveling nearby.
But I guess I was wrong
However, it turns out that I was mistaken about what I saw.
All I am is wrong these days.
Lately, I have been feeling like I am always making mistakes.
I saw the words that you wrote down
Once again, I observed the words that you wrote.
On the back of your book in the room where we spent our days
These words were still on that same book in the place where we spent a lot of time together.
Contributed by Caroline W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Alec Rennie
I'm an old codger (62) and I think this is one of the best albums I've heard in many a long day. My grandson recommended I listen to this song and I was hooked.
Noodlefish
Still rocking it ?
It's just tasha
This comment gives me so much hope :) This whole album is beautiful
Nazneen Ali
@Alec Rennie I love this song
Nazneen Ali
@Alec Rennie young at heart
Black Nevada
What's so good about these guys is how different they can make every album sound and still sound amazing! Should be way more well known than what they are. True talent these guys, I hope they go further
Sarah Berry
so melodic and meaningful, each song represents something and the sound is amazing
livethedreamandrun
This is amazing, finally a British band with a timeless sound. There are some good bands in the UK rock scene but this one definitely steps up and proves a point. Lyrically, I just find his lyrics inspirational and relatable.
Laura Izod
i love this so much idgaf, i think deaf havana are incredible. you can't expect them to continuously sound the same
Isaac Horn
The lyric writing ability in this band is phenomenal.