Undeniable warmth: An interview with Cattle & Cane

Formed by brother and sister duo Joe and Helen Hammill, Cattle & Cane are a soulful folk-pop band from Newcastle who craft songs of beautiful sincerity. I got the chance to chat to Joe before their trip to Nashville. We spoke about their hopes for their new album and what keeps them going as a band.

For Joe, their third album Navigator reflects their progressing towards pop and how they’ve “matured as a band, as writers.” If their previous discography is anything to go by, this won’t be any insubstantial puff piece. I was taken by the band’s recorded performance of their song ‘Love On Your Hands’ at Middlesbrough Town Hall with the Northern Orchestra. I would recommend viewing this if you want to understand the soulful depths the band can carry. So the promise of an even more mature sound is incredibly exciting. Considering the behind the scenes reaction to their album, Joe said, “I was with my publisher yesterday… he was saying when he first heard the album and songs like ‘Mexico,’ he said Joe sounds like a man. It’s quite a funny thing to say but maybe there’s some truth in that… So, I’m now a man,” he laughed.

It makes sense that a band who utilise their own personal experiences can successfully reach out to their fans through their earnestness. When weighing up the inspiration for Navigator, Joe revealed, “For me I was writing the songs when I was in a relationship and it was going really well and since then I’m not in that relationship anymore… There’s a song we’ve written a few months ago, it’s all about [things like] imagining seeing your ex and you see they’ve found someone new. It’s kind of a gut-wrenching experience.” When I noted the album sounded quite personal. Joe responded, “Yeah, I think we can only do it personally, really. We’re a very honest band in that sense. I think the people who come to our gigs respond to that… they know we’re writing about what is important to us.”

We’re writing about what is important to us

A personal drive for creating their music lies right at the root of the band. Joe and Helen’s passion was nurtured from an early age. “There was always music playing in the house and our Dad would always encourage us to play the guitar but he would never force us or push us down the kind of serious side of things… I know that would have been really bad for me. I would not have enjoyed that and I probably would have stopped playing music. We used to have concerts in the house. We would just sit there for like an hour and play classic songs. That’s a great way to start and you just get addicted to that.”

In some ways, the love and support they receive from each other as a family is what holds the group together. “I think also another reason that cemented our desire to carry on music is our Dad passed away about thirteen years ago this year. That was a massive loss to us. Looking back music has given us this focus to kind of rally round… to cope with this loss of this massive figure in the family. Music has been more than just a job… It’s been a massive blessing, really.”

I don’t say it lightly when I describe this band as made of heart. They’re capable of encapsulating that huge scope of feeling from building up to soaring moments of catharsis, to quieter and delicate beats with rare ease. Compare their songs ‘7 Hours’ and ‘Time to Get It over With’ from their album Mirrors and you’ll see what I mean. Their songs radiate with an undeniable warmth, reflective of how they navigate the music business.

Their songs radiate with an undeniable warmth 

Regarding advice he had for aspiring musicians, Joe recommended “surround yourself with nice people… [Some might think] I need someone to be cutthroat and push me to the top, it may work for some people… it’s never worked for us. The whole team we all get on, we trust each other, we can talk openly, and it’s important to feel like you have a voice to do that. Music should be fun and if it’s not fun then you’re surrounded by people who might make you be who you don’t want to be, then you’re going to be unhappy.”

I haven’t stopped recommending the group to whoever I can.  Many come back to me praising them as a contemporary Fleetwood Mac. “I’ll take that!” Joe laughed, “if we can have a quarter of the creativity of Fleetwood Mac, we’ll be doing alright.” My biggest take away from our chat is that it’s lovely to find out that such talented people can still be so down to earth. This is something which is evident in their rich sound. If you need some warming up this winter, Cattle & Cane’s should set you right.

Cattle & Cane’s new album ‘Navigator’ will be released on November 8th. You can listen to their lead single ‘Mexico’ now. Their UK tour starts on the 23rd of October with a concert in Birmingham 30 October.