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.
Nicotine And Alcohol Saved My Life
Deaf Havana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Could you please just take my other
And show them how much I care
Hiding under the blanket behind the chair
There's something that screams "this seems so unfair"
But we're all going to feel better tommorrow
And that's a feeling that you can only borrow
And take in the air of a life-long nightmare
(We'll just have to learn to forget about this)
I would never last a day without you
But I'd do anything to take it back
We'll just have to learn to forget about this
And I'm not changing my mind with the seasons
'cause winter has broken
And I'll be the first one to lose my head
Tie me to a broken eyelid itched with razors
And my dear brother is bound up in cages, and rages
Nothing will ever get worse than this right now
Because a deep breath is out of reach somehow
We'll just have to learn to forget about this
And I'm not changing my mind with the seasons
'cause winter has broken
And I'll be the first one to lose my head
'cause a list of difficult reasons
Just isn't enough for someone like me
For someone like me
Because I've never sold myself away to a sailor at sea
And I'm not changing my mind with the seasons
'cause winter has broken
And I'll be the first one to lose my head
I've never had a single cigarette that I didn't enjoy
And all the dreams leave such a bitter taste
Such a bitter taste on my tongue
Despite the smell of an old aged man, I'm young at heart
If I was to have just one more day
I'd make sure that I spent it without you
The lyrics to Deaf Havana's song "Nicotine and Alcohol Saved My Life" speaks about the difficulties of life and mental struggles. It begins with the singer speaking to his brother, asking him to take care of his loved ones when he's gone. The singer appears to be hiding behind a "blanket behind the chair", an image that symbolizes a desire to block out the world and retreat into oneself to cope with depression or anxiety. The phrase "we're all going to feel better tomorrow" shows a glimmer of hope, but the singer acknowledges the fleeting nature of this feeling by calling it "something you can only borrow".
As the song progresses, the verses become more chaotic and symbolic, with phrases like "tie me to a broken eyelid itched with razors" and "my dear brother is bound up in cages, and rages" suggesting a feeling of being trapped and overwhelmed by one's own thoughts. The chorus repeats the phrase "And I'm not changing my mind with the seasons 'cause winter has broken", suggesting that the singer has gone through a hard time but is now resolved to stay true to their convictions, regardless of external pressures.
The final verse is particularly poignant, with the singer admitting that they have "never sold myself away to a sailor at sea" and expressing a longing to spend one more day without their loved ones. Overall, "Nicotine and Alcohol Saved My Life" speaks to the difficulty of dealing with mental health struggles and the importance of finding even temporary relief in substances like nicotine and alcohol.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear brother, I have never asked this much of you
I need your help, and it's not something I would normally ask of you
Could you please just take my other
Please show my loved ones how much I care
And show them how much I care
Help me express my feelings to those I care about
Hiding under the blanket behind the chair
Feeling scared and vulnerable, trying to hide from the world
There's something that screams 'this seems so unfair'
Struggling with the difficulty of a situation that feels unjust
But we're all going to feel better tomorrow
Believing that things will improve, and a brighter future lies ahead
And that's a feeling that you can only borrow
Feeling hope in the face of uncertainty, but it's not sustainable without support
Just take a deep breath
Trying to calm oneself down and find a moment of peace
And take in the air of a life-long nightmare
Acknowledging that life can be incredibly difficult and painful
(We'll just have to learn to forget about this)
Trying to cope with a difficult situation by putting it out of one's mind
I would never last a day without you
Relying heavily on a loved one for emotional support
But I'd do anything to take it back
Regretting a past decision and wishing it could be undone
And I'm not changing my mind with the seasons
Standing firm in one's beliefs and not easily swayed
'cause winter has broken
Recognizing a change in the status quo or a shift in circumstances
And I'll be the first one to lose my head
Being overwhelmed with emotion and losing control
Tie me to a broken eyelid itched with razors
Feeling trapped and in pain, with no way out
And my dear brother is bound up in cages, and rages
Experiencing the suffering and anger of someone close to them
Nothing will ever get worse than this right now
Feeling like the current situation is as bad as it can possibly be
Because a deep breath is out of reach somehow
Unable to find peace or calm in the face of such sorrow
'cause a list of difficult reasons
The reasons for someone's emotional state are complex and multifaceted
Just isn't enough for someone like me
It's hard to explain just how much pain and suffering they're going through
Because I've never sold myself away to a sailor at sea
Despite the pain they're feeling, they haven't given up their personal integrity and values
I've never had a single cigarette that I didn't enjoy
Acknowledging a dependence on nicotine and alcohol to cope with pain and emotional turmoil
And all the dreams leave such a bitter taste
Dreams and aspirations are soured by the difficulties of life
Such a bitter taste on my tongue
Feeling the weight of negative experiences and emotions
Despite the smell of an old aged man, I'm young at heart
Feeling like age doesn't reflect one's true identity and outlook on life
If I was to have just one more day
Wishing for one more chance to live, love, and experience life
I'd make sure that I spent it without you
Acknowledging the source of their pain and deciding to let go of that relationship
Contributed by Tyler T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
魯馥瑞
Dear brother, I have never asked this much of you
Could you please just take my other
And show them how much I care
Hiding under the blanket behind the chair
There's something that screams "this seems so unfair"
But we're all going to feel better tommorrow
And that's a feeling that you can only borrow
Just take a deep breath
And take in the air of a life-long nightmare
(We'll just have to learn to forget about this)
I would never last a day without you
But I'd do anything to take it back
We'll just have to learn to forget about this
And I'm not changing my mind with the seasons
'cause winter has broken
And I'll be the first one to lose my head
Tie me to a broken eyelid itched with razors
And my dear brother is bound up in cages, and rages
Nothing will ever get worse than this right now
Because a deep breath is out of reach somehow
We'll just have to learn to forget about this
And I'm not changing my mind with the seasons
'cause winter has broken
And I'll be the first one to lose my head
'cause a list of difficult reasons
Just isn't enough for someone like me
For someone like me
Because I've never sold myself away to a sailor at sea
And I'm not changing my mind with the seasons
'cause winter has broken
And I'll be the first one to lose my head
I've never had a single cigarette that I didn't enjoy
And all the dreams leave such a bitter taste
Such a bitter taste on my tongue
Despite the smell of an old aged man, I'm young at heart
If I was to have just one more day
I'd make sure that I spent it without you
Lily West
This is my most replayed song ever and yet I still haven't grown tired of it. My music taste has totally changed since the first time I listened to this song, I listen to a lot of KPop and a little bit of Hip Hop too now but I always end up finding myself back here anyway. This is such a good song regardless of what genre you're into I think.
Txy
Marry me
Takaro
Almost the same for me. Back in 2010 there was alot of Underoath, Deaf Havana etc. Today it's mostly K-pop, but yeah, this song(and many of their other songs) will always be great.
moon1val
agreed
Nick Adams
dude same... I still have this whole album on repeat till this day since middle school. Still waiting for the day I meet someone irl who knows deaf havana
ShreddyMan
lily west same here. This Song did change my taste too
Erin Whittier
really bummed they dont sound like this any more. honestly one of my favourite albums of all time.
Chad Hogan
I think this song is one of the deepest, most unique songs I have ever heard, and it is just pure art. What I think it is about is loss. And constantly having to seek the momentary comfort of cigarettes and drink to avoid the loss becoming too much to bear; hence the title 'nicotine and alcohol saved my life'. The loss might be someone you love dying - like in the video - or someone you love leaving you - the line 'if I were to have just one more day I'd make sure that I spent it without you' I think speaks to how the person that left really hurt you and although you miss them so much, you don't want them back anymore because of they pain they caused.
Jason Lee
The fact that this album isn't on Spotify is a pretty big crime.
LittaDNB
Yak Cutter exactly what I was gunna say