Billy Howard has been a part of Warrington’s music scene for the last three years, working hard to build the committed and loyal fanbase he now has. Describing his genre as shoegaze pop rock, he immediately stands out from the typical indie rock music of Warrington. For Howard, music has always been something that he has been involved with, singing from a young age and gradually picking up different instruments.

He initially observed his sister playing piano and was starting to notice chords and arrangements which led him to selecting the guitar as his main instrument and further songwriting.

If you’ve previously seen Howard live or his socials, you’ll note that he plays with his own band as well but who are these musicians and how did they join him? Well, initially, Howard wrote and produced solo, relying on backing tracks for his early gigs. His good friend Kurt (his now Bassist) asked within his own circles and recruited Gordon on Lead Guitar and Alana on Drums and they were complete. Since they came on board Howard certainly isn’t letting them go, he is so comfortable and confident with them and it definitely helps that they are [musically] very tight.

Howard is not over ambitious but has a goal for his career to develop gradually whilst gaining a wider audience and building more connections and collaborations. Beyond these, he mentions he has “no specific plans but to continue being part of the industry and keep doing what he loves”.

Something Howard wants his fans to know is that his commitment to music is derived from a desire to give people an experience. While he doesn’t need them to necessarily understand his music, he does want listeners to connect to it, in whatever way that may be. Unfortunately, as a musician develops nowadays, they’re likely to run into challenges, and for Howard it’s no different. Breaking out in a very saturated industry is something that he has had to push against, grafting to build a memorable and unique sound so it’s hardly surprising that this ‘saturation’ also pressures other artists to maintain impossible consistency.

Another key issue within the industry is how a lot of opportunities can be presented and lead to either very little or no follow up, often demotivating musicians and leading to disappointment. Making music is a very personal thing, using it as a tool for self-expression and a way to put across feelings or experiences that may be too hard to verbalise. It also allows for meaningful expression that can relate to Howard and someone else, for completely different reasons. Billy Howard is a lovely person and such a hardworking musician, who puts everything into his releases.

So, how can you support him? By checking out his socials, streaming his music and, if you can, get yourself down to a gig near you soon.

By Guest Writer- WIll