It’s been a jam-packed season for Chesterfield-born five-piece Penumbra, who’ve spent the summer making their mark on some of Sheffield’s most iconic venues. Though they hail from just south of the Yorkshire border, they’ve long called Sheffield their spiritual home, earning a loyal following while playing headline sets and supporting some local favourites. Following a standout final show at one of their most beloved spots, The Washington, Exposed’s Ruby Deakin sat down with frontman Patrick Milner, bassist Jack Milner, and drummer Josh Cooper to reflect on their journey so far.
So, Josh and Patrick, you originally met in college. How did you get this project off the ground?
JC: I told Patrick I played guitar and drums, and he’d always said he wanted to be in a band. We went on a school trip to Hull, and we had nothing else to do – we were on a coach for two hours, and we finally decided to get on with it and sort it out. I can play drums, he can sing, and he said he’s got a brother who plays bass…he’s a bit weird though.
JM: And that’s me. Patrick, my younger brother, just gave me a call asking if I wanted to start a band, and the rest is history. We had a practice session of just us three, and it was just bass, drums and vocals for like two months. I’d been in a small project, but it never really went anywhere, so this felt like the first proper thing. We’re all really enthusiastic and we all had a bunch of ideas.
JC: It was about four months before we actually got a guitarist. It was me writing the guitar parts, and we struggled because we didn’t have enough members, but we were all so enthused that we kept at it. We eventually got in Ryan as a rhythm guitarist, then Toby saw us play and came up and talked to us – now he’s our lead guitarist.
What are your main influences and sources of inspiration when writing new music?
JM: It feels like all of our tastes come together well. For bass, I’ve got quite a few influences. I love classics like Joy Division, Nirvana, Fugazi, Gang of Four, and I like some jazz and soul stuff as well. Josh on drums definitely takes major inspiration from Bloc Party. Me and Josh as a rhythm section share a lot of similar tastes. I think we work really well together. I absolutely love playing with Josh.
PM: The whole reason I wanted to get into a band was Oasis. I love the Charlatans, the Stone Roses, the Verve, they’re all so cool.
How would you describe your songwriting process?
JC: Especially in the early days, me and Jack would come up with a drum part or a bassline, and it would go from there. It was a lot of us working stuff out in a jam. Either Pat, Toby, or Ryan will come to us with a melody or some chords. Ryan will come up with a guitar part that you never even thought you needed, but now it’s there, it sounds so strange without it. Sometimes Toby comes with fully formed songs.
JM: He’s amazing. We’ll go to a practice session and Toby will show up and go, I’ve got three songs fully written. We’ll take it from a really soft guitar piece, building it up until it gets really intense for the live show.
JC: I think it’s really nice how we work together as a five-piece. For a drummer I feel like I take a more involved approach towards coming up with the structure of songs. Then Jack will make my drums make sense – his bass part works so well – and Pat gives the audience a reason to listen to it, by making it actually exciting. It’s brilliant. But we know we have to make as many mistakes as possible because that’s how you write any good song.
You’ve played almost every local venue going over the past year, regularly playing at The Washington and Sidney and Matilda. What have been the most significant gigs you’ve played, and which venues do you most love playing?
JM: We did a Halloween gig here at the Washington last year, and we all dressed up as Shaun of the Dead, all of us with red ties. It’s still to this day one of the best gigs we’ve ever done.
JC: Washington Halloween was probably the first time I looked at it and went, we could do this for real. People actually want to listen to us. We can entertain a crowd. We were headlining and we just had people bouncing and shouting. It was like, this is it. It was so much fun.
JM: Personally, for me, in terms of venues, I would say Sidney and Matilda. In the last five years, it’s become one of the best grassroots venues. They put on every band. We started there, and we knew we’d do another gig, and then another one. Now, when we play there, it’s so familiar.
What’s your experience getting a band started in Sheffield? What’s it like getting involved in the music scene here?
JC: It’s a great place to play, it’s so much fun, everyone’s really nice. It’s split between music and clubs, the environment is great. You’ll play a gig with someone, and then you’ll see them later on in the club.
JM: The opener for tonight, RAWRxDOGG, I know a few people from that band and that was one of their first ever gigs. We gave them the opportunity to jump on the bill. Gaggle as well is a really great band. They’re all really friendly people, and they’re all in very similar circles. If you’re a new band, once you find a few people or someone that you can direct you to different places, it’s a great place to play.
JC: We’ve also headlined Tramlines fringe twice now, this year at Record Junkee. You don’t ask to play Tramlines fringe, you get asked. They reach out to you, which is really cool.
You released your first single back in January, So Original. What’s next for you?
JM: The next studio is to be decided, but we’re headed back to the studio. We managed to get merch out this year and did a lot of gigs in the summer. Now we’re taking a few months off playing to do some writing and some recording.
PM: We want to keep writing. Doing loads of gigs, it’s hard to find time to write anything new in between.
JM: We want to record and get some good stuff out, hit the festivals, and keep going. Every year we’re increasing the number of gigs we’re doing. We’re aiming to do a really small slot at Tramlines next year, and try some festivals. Tramlines would be a dream.
JC: If I’m allowed to be a bit naïve and proud of us – I think we’ve got the ambition and the drive and the want to really do something proper with it. We’re always talking about new approaches to social media, merch, writing stuff, getting stuff done, talking to bands. It’s always like, what’s the next step?
JM: What I think makes us a really great band is that the longer we play the more connected we become. Any mistakes or anything that goes wrong with us as a group, we always sit down and talk about it. That’s what keeps us together. We’re very chill, and I’d like to say a very healthy band.
To keep up-to-date on Penumbra’s latest news, check out their Instagram.
