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.
Hunstanton Pier
Deaf Havana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I haven't looked back since
I had friends back then and a PMA to match, we were young
And out of touch with the things we'd grow up to hate so much, in time.
Back when my hair was long and Phil was still alive
We spent our days trying to speak, to the girls that left us weak
But now I'm ageing badly and my friends' been laid to rest
To tell you the truth I'd be lying if I said I didn't hate the city
I need the pier and the fresh sea air of the town that made me.
In my heart and in my soul are all the people that I've known
And the places I called home
But in my mind they're all just things I left behind
Reminders of the changing times, and these ageing bones of mine.
Lee and me were schooled in a tourist town
With less culture than Jeremy Kyle
But it stole our hearts for a while
And most weekends I found nothing but regret
Between many a drunk girls' legs
And in many a strangers' bed.
To tell you the truth I'd be lying if I said I didn't hate the city
I need the pier and the fresh sea air of the town that made me.
In my heart and in my soul are all the people that I've known
And the places I called home
But in my head and in my mind they're all just things I left behind
Reminders of the changing times, and these ageing bones of mine.
The one's who haven't died or started families
Are all just working on building sites or battling with university fees
And a girl I used to know made me a promise once
I wonder if she kept it, or if she even remembers it...
In my heart and in my soul are all the people that I've known
And the places I called home
But in my mind they're all just things I left behind
Reminders of a changing times, and these ageing bones of mine.
These ageing bones of mine.
The lyrics to Deaf Havana’s “Hunstanton Pier” paint a bittersweet picture of the past, with nostalgic musings on youth and simpler times. The first verse sets the scene of the early 2000s, when the unnamed speaker’s outlook was “out of touch with the things we’d grow up to hate so much, in time.” The lines are sung with a hint of regret, acknowledging that the innocence of youth fades as life goes on. The second verse shifts to more personal reflections, with the singer recalling nights of drinking and passion, an adolescent quest for companionship that seems both fondly remembered and painfully distant.
The chorus serves as a highlight of the singer’s longing for home, specifically the pier and the sea air of Hunstanton, the small English seaside town of his childhood. He claims that these places and people resonate with him more truly than the city he finds himself in. Later in the song, the singer notes the passage of time has distilled some of these memories into nostalgic “reminders of the changing times,” though they remain vivid in his heart and soul.
Overall, “Hunstanton Pier” is a song about grappling with the complexities and ups-and-downs of growing older, and the ways that we can look back on our past with fondness or regret, depending on our perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
It was 2004 if I'm not mistake, when the poison hit my lips
In 2004, I tried something and I haven't stopped since.
And I haven't looked back since
I have continued to do that something and haven't regretted it.
I had friends back then and a PMA to match, we were young
When I started doing that something, I had positive friends and a positive attitude. We were young and carefree.
And out of touch with the things we'd grow up to hate so much, in time.
However, as we grew older, we became out of touch with things that we grew up to hate.
Back when my hair was long and Phil was still alive
When I was younger and my friend Phil was still alive.
We spent our days trying to speak, to the girls that left us weak
We spent our time trying to talk to girls who we were attracted to, but often felt vulnerable around them.
But now I'm ageing badly and my friends' been laid to rest
Now, as I am getting older, I am not aging well, and some of my friends have passed away.
And the ones who let us in are pushing prams or raising twins.
The people who used to welcome us in and hang out with us are now busy raising families.
To tell you the truth I'd be lying if I said I didn't hate the city
Truthfully, I don't like this city that I'm in.
I need the pier and the fresh sea air of the town that made me.
I really miss the pier and fresh sea air of the town where I grew up.
In my heart and in my soul are all the people that I've known
I carry the memories of the people that I knew and loved in my heart and soul.
And the places I called home
I also remember the places I called home.
But in my mind they're all just things I left behind
However, in my mind, they are all just things that I left behind in the past.
Reminders of the changing times, and these ageing bones of mine.
They are reminders of how things have changed over time, and how I am getting old.
Lee and me were schooled in a tourist town
My friend Lee and I grew up in a town that was popular with tourists.
With less culture than Jeremy Kyle
However, the town had less cultural value than a TV show called Jeremy Kyle.
But it stole our hearts for a while
Despite its lack of culture, we still loved our town for a time.
And most weekends I found nothing but regret
However, on most weekends, I would regret my actions and decisions.
Between many a drunk girls' legs
Most of my regrets were related to pursuing casual sexual encounters with drunk women.
And in many a strangers' bed.
Many times, these sexual encounters would happen in the bed of a stranger.
The one's who haven't died or started families
The people who haven't died or started families yet.
Are all just working on building sites or battling with university fees
Most of these people are now working on construction sites or struggling to pay for their education.
And a girl I used to know made me a promise once
One girl that I knew in the past made me a promise at some point.
I wonder if she kept it, or if she even remembers it...
I am not sure if she kept the promise or if she even remembers making it.
Reminders of a changing times, and these ageing bones of mine.
All of these memories remind me of how things have changed over time, and how I am getting older.
These ageing bones of mine.
I am acutely aware that I am aging and that this is affecting both my body and my mind.
Contributed by Alaina O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@deaannisasyah
It was 2004 if I'm not mistaken, when the poison hit my lips
And I haven't looked back since
I had friends back then and a PMA to match, we were young
And out of touch with the things we'd grow to hate so much, in time.
Back when my hair was long and Phil was still alive
We spent our days trying to speak to the girls that left us weak
But now I'm ageing badly and my friend's been laid to rest
And the ones who let us in are pushing prams or raising twins.
To tell you the truth I'd be lying if I said I didn't hate the city
I need the pier and the fresh sea air of the town that made me.
In my heart and in my soul are all the people that I've known
And the places I called home
But in my head and in my mind, they're all just things I left behind
Reminders of the changing times, and these ageing bones of mine.
Lee and me were schooled in a tourist town
With less culture than Jeremy Kyle
But it stole our hearts for a while
And most weekends I found nothing but regret
Between many a drunk girls' legs
And in many a strangers bed.
To tell you the truth I'd be lying if I said I didn't hate the city
I need the pier and the fresh sea air of the town that made me, who I am.
In my heart and in my soul are all the people that I've known
And the places I called home
But in my head and in my mind they're all just things I left behind
Reminders of the changing times, and these ageing bones of mine.
The one's who haven't died or started families
Are all just working on building sites or battling with university fees
And a girl I used to know made me a promise once
I wonder if she kept it
Or if she even remembers me
In my heart and in my soul are all the people that I've known
And the places I called home
But in my head and in my mind they're all just things I left behind
Reminders of a changing times, and these ageing bones of mine.
These ageing bones of mine.
@Underwhelming_LDN
This song just gets better with age doesn't it... Such an outrageously good, yet perfectly simple band.
@ashseck
Perfect description 👌🏻😭
@simoncallister6071
This was peak Deaf Havana. I have enjoyed everything since but this is what really captured their background and upbringing, this whole album. Now it's just James and Matt 😩
@weeeeee374
I seen them live a few weeks ago.......still amazing. Going again march 31st
@yelnaw
If you are still listening to this then you are awesome xx
@megwhite6295
Shit man back when I first listened to this I was a teenager and couldn't actually relate to anything in this song... little did I know that when I rediscovered this it would bring back so many bittersweet memories and that I would finally relate and yet wish I never could..
@megwhite6295
This used to be me and my best friends favourite song. We would sing our hearts out to this knowing it was an emotional song but not having lived enough of a life to truly understand it. Now I've stumbled across it again nearly ten years later, I no longer speak to her, I no longer live in our hometown, so much has changed and I'm finally old enough to be living what this song is about and let me tell you its hitting me all over again in a whole new way...
@davidboucher6060
Me and my best friend use to listen to this when we first got high in like 2013 and the memories I have for that time is immense. Eventually we moved away from each other and grew apart but every few month we meet back up and it's like we never left.
@sakioentertainment3004
Same here, I'm listening to this in a whole new way. Many friends have children or are pushing prems and I'm aging
@GenuineMedicBear
A modern, British rock band, that make amazing music and are played on the radio.... Am I dreaming?