LeoKai band members Leo Ismail, William Prosser, James Prosser, George Craig Robson and Brad Ransome relax at The Rainbow in Birmingham (Photograph: Hannah Deathridge)
LeoKai, the hottest new Indie band from Derby, catch up with I Am Birmingham’s Hannah Deathridge – right before they go on stage at The Rainbow in the city’s trendy Digbeth area.
Hannah: Great to see you guys in Birmingham tonight, and it’s the first time LeoKai have performed here as a band! Any ideas what the crowd will be like?
George: Crowds are always good in Birmingham, I played at the O2 academy before and the crowd was brilliant, I had a lot of fun, but I think we’ll have more fun tonight!
H: And what do you think of the Rainbow as a venue?
George: The Rainbow is awesome; it’s the best venue we’ve been to on the tour so far! Very excited to play it – I think we’re up next.
H: Leo! I’ve known you as a busker, as the We are Saviours front man, and as LeoKai the singular artist. Why the decision to turn Leo Kai into a full band?
Leo: I’ve got a dream and I wanted to share it with people who have the same passion as me. There’s nothing worse than living your dream by yourself – it’s not fun. What better way to live it, than with your best mates, right?
H: Do you prefer busking or being on stage?
Leo: Busking is great because you get a great feeling when people in the street stop and listen to you, but gigging is a completely different vibe. When you’re on stage, fans are dedicated and have made the effort to come and see you – it’s such a morale boost!
Will: It’s just great to see people reacting to your music.
H: Tell me why LeoKai’s sound is different than anything you’ve ever done before?
Will: I’ve been playing guitar since the age of eight, and I’ve been in previous bands as the rhythm guitarist, but LeoKai is much, much bigger than anything I’ve been in before, it’s a lot of fun and I really enjoy it.
Brad: Leokai’s band members have come from all different genres. The band began as an experiment to see what we could come up with together and as a result, it worked really well! Our song Supernova proves that. All the different genres have brought new and exciting ideas to the table and it’s just worked.
H: How is Leo Kai’s tour going so far?
George: The tour is going really well! It’s my first ever tour so it’s very exciting.
We’ve played Manchester and Derby already and have Leicester, Norwich, Tywyn and London to play, after tonight’s gig in Birmingham!
H: What are you favourite things about being on tour?
Leo: Fans that know your music and sing the lyrics back to you! The whole vibe!
James: Friendship and brotherhood with your band mates, it’s not really something that you can recreate in everyday life. It keeps you level headed and keeps you grounded. With LeoKai it’s just easygoing, happy and fun.
H: Nice! Finally, what can we expect to hear from you guys in the future?
Leo: An album release, European tour and a few headlined O2 academy dates. Most likely another UK tour too!
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BAND:
Leo Ismail: Frontman
George Robson: Lead guitar
James Prosser: Bass
Will Prosser: Rhythm guitar
Brad Ransome: Drums
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>> REVIEW: LeoKai at The Rainbow in Digbeth, Birmingham <<
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