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.
The World or Nothing
Deaf Havana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Direction and my visions blurred, I think I'll lay down for a while. But I
Don't have a bed of my own just a space in someone else's, no I don't have
A bed of my own just a space in someone else's, or at least for now...
I'm swallowed up by hungry streets and thirsty back alleys, the more I try
To find my feet the more the city mocks me. The fresh air fills my lungs,
The alcohol burns into my skin and I feel so tired and scared about
I'd clip my wings just for an excuse, for not putting myself to better use.
We all care too much about not caring enough, 'cause we're all too scared
To leave behind our youth.
We're a self-destructive generation who's obituaries will be; "Due to
Excessive boredom the body gave in to liver failure and heart disease it
Seems"
I'd clip my wings just for an excuse, for not putting myself to better use.
We all care too much about not caring enough, 'cause we're all too scared
To leave behind our youth.
To tell you the truth I'm just scared, but at least I'm not alone, at least
I'm not alone.
And we'll sing 'til we can't speak, yeah we'll sing until we believe.
And we'll sing 'til we can't speak, yeah we'll sing until we believe.
And we'll sing 'til we can't speak, yeah we'll sing until we believe.
The lyrics of Deaf Havana's song The World or Nothing depict a young person lost in a big city, feeling exhausted, directionless and scared. The streetlights seem brighter than usual, making it difficult to find their way. The singer does not have a bed of their own but rather a space in someone else's, indicating a transient, unsettled existence. The city serves only to mock the singer, as they struggle to find their place and purpose in life.
The chorus reveals a deeper existential crisis. The singer would clip their wings just for an excuse, rather than face their fear of not putting themselves to better use. They fear that their generation is self-destructive, too scared to leave their youth behind and achieve anything of real significance in life. The obituaries of this generation will be filled with stories of excessive boredom, leading to premature death from liver failure and heart disease.
Despite their fear, the singer is not alone. They are part of a generation that still sings, even when they can no longer speak. They sing until they believe in something, until they find meaning and purpose in their lives. The song is a deeply introspective reflection on the struggles of young people today. It speaks to the fear of aimlessness and the need to find a sense of direction and meaning in a world that can often seem overwhelming.
Line by Line Meaning
The streetlights hurt my eyes more than usual tonight, no sense of Direction and my visions blurred, I think I'll lay down for a while.
I am feeling disoriented and it hurts to see things in the dark. I am going to rest because I cannot find my way.
But I Don't have a bed of my own just a space in someone else's, no I don't have A bed of my own just a space in someone else's, or at least for now...
I do not have a place to call my own, I am temporarily using someone else's space.
I'm swallowed up by hungry streets and thirsty back alleys, the more I try To find my feet the more the city mocks me.
The city is consuming me and making it hard to find my way. Every attempt I make to escape just leads to ridicule.
The fresh air fills my lungs, The alcohol burns into my skin and I feel so tired and scared about Everything.
The environment is affecting me and making me feel exhausted and apprehensive.
We all care too much about not caring enough, 'cause we're all too scared To leave behind our youth.
We all fear our own inexperience, so we hold on to it for too long and don't take chances at opportunities.
We're a self-destructive generation who's obituaries will be; 'Due to Excessive boredom the body gave in to liver failure and heart disease it Seems'
Our generation is falling victim to health issues from being too bored and not having enough purpose or drive.
To tell you the truth I'm just scared, but at least I'm not alone, at least I'm not alone.
I am being honest, I am scared, but at least I know others are as well.
And we'll sing 'til we can't speak, yeah we'll sing until we believe. And we'll sing 'til we can't speak, yeah we'll sing until we believe. And we'll sing 'til we can't speak, yeah we'll sing until we believe.
We will keep singing until we no longer have the ability to speak, because the act of singing instills a belief in us.
Contributed by Eva C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jim Buck
I love this album so much it’s such a shame it’s not on Spotify, they only have the reimagined version.
David Menzies
Jim Buck was thinking the same thing
Dam Sifuentes
I usually listen to this song and watch closely to the lyrics like twice or trice every year and I still can't believe how meaningful they are in each and every time of my life!
Thanks Deaf Havana ×
lauren keeley
I really do wish this song was a single, so good! Definitely one of the best British bands around, could listen to them all day :) Looking forward to the new stuff!
Ally S
Still won't ever forget this song
GAEA
Still here!
sebouw
still won't !
Lyubomir Georgiev
I come back to it every time i sit alone late at night slightly drunk
Harry Burt
It's so weird to know that I knew James when he was like 16 with long, parted hair just doing work experience and now he's kicking ass in one of my favourite bands!
bringemmathehorizonn
This makes me tear up, every single time. Honestly so beautiful, love this new sound Deaf Havana :-)