Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with The Fods + Night Wolf
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
The Fods: I (Rob) was surrounded by classical music growing up. I learned the Piano as I didn’t want my parents to sell it when my Gran died. Was a good education and introduction to music
Night Wolf: My earliest memory connected to music would be being around it constantly growing up. I had a drum kit from a very young age and was always making noise, whether that was actually musical or not is another question. I also remember being around my sisters while they were trying to get into the music industry, which made it feel like something real and possible from early on. Then the first real turning point into making music came when I got my grubby hands on a Roland Fantom X6 Workstation.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
The Fods: Rob – I always enjoyed the lyrical side of it, the complexities of writing lyrics, to rhyme or to be freeflow. Then working with the real musicians and putting them to a good tune that we all liked. Song writing is a multilayered process which almost always needs more than one individual’s input
Night Wolf: I would say it came from the different types of music I was brought up with, being able to slip away and build worlds in my mind when listening to albums my parents owned, It was never really a switch on moment, it just always felt like something I was supposed to be doing. From playing drums and piano when I was younger to writing lyrics and then eventually producing, it just kept building over time. I have always had ideas in my head and music has been the way to get them out.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
The Fods: Rob – I always wanted a remix of one of our songs, and Night Wolf was brave enough to take it on. I think it adds a whole lot to the diversity of our sound.
Night Wolf: Rob had mentioned wanting a remix of one of their tracks and I had already been listening to their stuff, so it felt like a good fit. I liked the original and instantly had ideas of how I could flip it into something more in line with my style. It was about keeping the core of the song but taking it somewhere else sonically and giving it a different energy. It really is down to how I feel that day when making something too and I obviously was not in such a dark place when creating this one.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
The Fods: Rob – We are predominantly and indie punk rock band, but we like to stretch those confines as far as we can
Night Wolf: It is quite hard to pin down to one thing, but I would say it sits somewhere between cinematic, electronic and alternative. I tend to make music based on feeling rather than genre, so it can move between styles, but usually has a darker undertone with a focus on atmosphere and storytelling. Trip Hopy poppy, alt dark pop? There are too many sub genres and it’s hard to pigeon hole myself!
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
The Fods: Ol – How to DIY. Previously songs were recorded by jamming in a rehearsal studio, someone brings an idea and it gets developed / discarded / morphed by several people in a room. That makes a song get written & arranged reasonably quickly, but that process is offset by differences of opinion! With Covid isolation, that rehearsal room thing was out of the question for a while. So learning to write/arrange/record solo was the difference – so the songs go a lot more to completion before anyone else gets involved these days. That’s not better or worse, just different. I yearn for spontaneous group writing sometimes, other times I’m just delighted with something I conjured up myself.
Night Wolf: Probably that you do not need to follow any set structure or rules when creating. The best results I have had are when I have just gone with what feels right rather than overthinking it or trying to make something fit into a box. Be yourself and try not to listen to what others think, if you seek words on its progress, it is different from listening and changing something when you feel a project is complete, I am not sure that makes any sense!
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
The Fods: Ol – Traditional analogue band stuff – amps, guitars, bass, acoustic, microphones, my keys are digital though, but record organic performances and capture the midi (and play it back through a sampled Steinway grand, that kind of stuff). It’s also essential for it not to be raining, or else it’s too noisy to record – my mics pick it up!
Night Wolf: For me it is mainly my laptop, a MIDI keyboard and my DAW, along with a selection of VSTs that I know well. I also use a lot of recorded sounds and textures now from my sound design work, which has become a big part of how I build tracks. I have my home studio set up again to where I am happy to work with other people. I am enjoying a lot of Spitfire plugins for orchestral sounds and have grown with many others. Over the next year I am focusing on upgrading certain instruments at home studio to allow me to be even more flexible and creative. I miss playing the drums!
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
The Fods: Rob – I am fortunate enough to have my own show on indiemusicfans.com, so I get to hear loads of new bands and music. Two I will mention, and there could be literally hundreds are Tuesday Night Whites & HeyDreamer…..but at a different moment, or a different day you will get a different answer. Have a listen to the show to hear more
Night Wolf: I am always listening to a mix of older and newer stuff, but recently I have been going back through a lot of trip hop and more atmospheric music again. It changes daily though depending on what mood I am in. When the sun comes out I am often going back to my favorite songs from the 30’s and 40’s!
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
The Fods: Rob – Minimally from my perspective. I tend to write from a position of juxtaposition, so the opposite of what I am actually feeling. I don’t think i have written about a real life situation
Night Wolf: A lot of what I create comes from how I am feeling at the time, even if it is not directly obvious in the final track. I tend to build music around a mood or a scene in my head, so personal experiences definitely shape the tone and direction even if they are not literal. I have done a lot of travelling around the world and have learnt a lot of hard lessons growing up. I feel I have been subconsciously or even wanted to be influenced by the new countries I visited, bringing a sort of Balkan infused Asian feel to some of my works after my travels.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
The Fods: Rob – Interpretation is wholly in the listeners court
Night Wolf: I just hope people feel something from it. Whether that is motivation, reflection or just getting lost in it for a few minutes, it is really up to the listener to take what they want from it. Hope they enjoy it enough to come back and listen again to our future collaborations.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
The Fods: Ol – The act of music creation varies between career choice and self-indulgent hobby. Sometimes you’re feeling it, sometimes you’re not. The most important thing about it is that it’s a constructive, creative release, and making nice sound is a very rewarding process if you’re that way inclined! There’s no need to be too deep about the importance of the art or the craft of it. Some things sound nice. Making those sounds makes us happy!
Night Wolf: To keep going and keep creating regardless of what is happening around you. There is always going to be noise, opinions and obstacles, but if you enjoy making music that is what matters most. Do not make stuff you think someone else will like, make what you like and what makes you feel something, then add some polish , not too much now, we do not all want to sound generic and the same as the next.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
The Fods: Ol – there’s a ton of small indie venues that i’d love to play with The Fods, seminal places like The Dublin Castle in Camden, or Band on the Wall Manch, King Tuts Glasgow. I’ve played some of these places with other acts in the past, it’s The Fods turn now.
Night Wolf: I think anything with a strong atmosphere would suit what I do, but playing at a big festival with a proper visual setup to match the music would be something I would like to achieve. We are starting to get our live show in order and will have our music videos finished by this point I would have thought. I personally like the idea of performing alongside the video being shown, maybe even bringing to life the video on stage!
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
The Fods: We did a song called Shopping, a boy/girl duet and our vocalists Aura and Birch (who is the voice of Kickback) did an AMAZING job on that song. But I’d also like to hear it as a duet between Debbie Harry and John Lennon. Or Amy Winehouse and Freddie.
Night Wolf: There are too many to name properly, but I have always been inspired by producers and composers who have a strong identity in their sound. People who create worlds with their music rather than just songs, I would love to work with anyone both small and big in the music world to see how we can better push each other. You can make some magic where you would have not thought it was possible by working with others across genres.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
The Fods: https://linktr.ee/thefods
Bandcamp: thefods.bandcamp.com
@TheFodsBand (Socials)
Night Wolf: www.nightwolfuk.com – where you can find my releases, back catalogue and more information about what I am working on.
@NightWolfUK (Socials)
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ZG439LjY39kjc6JcROx8l
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
The Fods: Rob – Completing this first album will be huge for us, and we are now in a writing pattern where we are happy and have more songs brewing. Hopefully, a second album will follow, but we don’t put a timeline on anything
Night Wolf: The next chapter is really about building everything properly and continuing to release music independently. I want to grow the label, push more collaborations like this and also expand what I am doing with sound design and No Paw Audio. It is about connecting all of it together and taking it to the next level. Our song Kickback releases on my label EscaVolt Records on 26th April 2026. We are also in process of starting to film for the music videos for each song starting with Lost My Way Home with Lois Powell, and more collaborations to come in the near future!
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
The Fods: Rob – I hope they find us competent and entertaining, and that they come back and listen again, and there is a bit of excitement when a new song appears from The Fods
Night Wolf: I hope they see someone who is just trying to create something honest and different, and someone who is building something from the ground up. If people connect with that and stick around for the journey, that means a lot. I have 9 albums out already you can listen too and I think can hear through that now my progression both in my music and my mind.
If you want here you can add a representative Youtube video to insert below the interview 🙂
Links
The Fods:
Night Wolf: Well keep in mind I am working now on some really good music video ideas so would love to share that, but for now here is a showreel of where my music has been placed :
Thank you for taking the time to read about us and keep in mind our song Kickback – The Fods + Night Wolf is set to release on 26/04/26 under EscaVolt Records on all major online platforms.
