Deaf Havana

Deaf Havana

Deaf Havana are a British alternative rock band from Hunstanton and King’s Lynn, Norfolk, formed in 2005 at the King’s Lynn campus of the College of West Anglia. They begin as a post-hardcore act and later move towards alternative rock, with later material also associated with alternative metal, metal, rock and screamo.

Line-up and early formation

The band’s roots go back to school bands at Smithdon High School, where Ryan Mellor, James Veck-Gilodi and Lee Wilson play together before the group forms in college. Tom Ogden and Sebastian Spitz join the early line-up at the College of West Anglia. In that period, James Veck-Gilodi sings while Ryan Mellor handles guitar and vocals. The name Deaf Havana comes from Sebastian Spitz and has no literal meaning.

The line-up changes several times in the early years. Chris Pennells replaces Spitz, while Mellor later gives up the guitar role to Veck-Gilodi and moves into the lead position. Mellor stops touring in 2010 and leaves the band that May, after which the group continues as a four-piece. In 2021, Lee Wilson and Tom Ogden leave, and James and Matthew Veck-Gilodi continue as a duo. The authoritative line-up also includes Ryan Mellor, Tom Ogden, James Veck-Gilodi and Matthew Veck Gilodi.

Early recordings and first releases

The band records a demo, White Lines But No Camera, in August 2006 at The Lodge in Northampton. In late 2006, they begin work on their debut EP, Evangeline; early versions of “The Smiles Were Forced” and “Where It Begins” appear on Myspace, although “The Smiles Were Forced” is later dropped from the EP. Another earlier song, “Tell Me More Georgie Boy,” is later reworked as “Another Day in This House” and appears on Meet Me Halfway, at Least.

By 2007 the band is writing material that becomes It’s Called the Easy Life. They sign a deal with Wolf at Your Door Records for one EP and two albums, and the EP is recorded by Jonny Renshaw of Devil Sold His Soul, mixed by Matt O’Grady, and released in 2008. It receives positive reviews and gives the band wider notice.

Albums and label history

The debut studio album, Meet Me Halfway, at Least, is recorded with Matt O’Grady and released in 2009. Two singles are taken from it: “Friends Like These” and “Nicotine and Alcohol Saved My Life.”

The second album, Fools and Worthless Liars, is issued in 2011 and reaches number 1 on the UK Rock Album Chart. A re-recorded alternative version is released in 2012, and the deluxe edition reaches number 51 on the UK Albums Chart. James Veck-Gilodi says the band wants the re-recorded material to be more musically interesting and truer to their influences.

Old Souls follows in 2013, produced by Lee Batiuk. The deluxe edition includes the feature-length documentary English Hearts, directed by Jon Stone, which tells the band’s history in their own words. Songs previewed before the album include “Boston Square,” “Speeding Cars,” “Kings Road Ghosts” and “Mildred (Lost a Friend).”

In 2017, the band release All These Countless Nights on So Recordings. The album follows a period in which the band had been dropped from BMG after earlier plans to record new material. Its singles include “Sing” and “Trigger.” The album is described in the band’s own process as a return to a more direct way of working.

Rituals follows after All These Countless Nights. It is written with producer Phil Gornell using a more structured computer-based process: James Veck-Gilodi chooses the song titles, writes to those titles, and then the rest of the band records the parts. The album features the London Contemporary Voice Choir on five tracks and centres on themes of struggle and redemption.

The Present Is a Foreign Land is announced in 2022, with “Going Clear” as its first single.

Live activity and collaborations

Deaf Havana tour with You Me at Six in 2011 and later play festivals including Hit the Deck, Reading and Leeds, and St Pancras Station Festival. They also perform a charity show at London’s Union Chapel for War Child as part of Brit Awards gigs, alongside the London Contemporary Voice Choir.

Style and development

Across their career, Deaf Havana move from post-hardcore towards a broader alternative rock sound. Their music remains associated with British alternative and heavier rock styles, including screamo and alternative metal, while later releases place more emphasis on melody, introspection and varied arrangements.