Snuts frontman reveals why band won't collaborate with fellow West Lothian star Lewis Capaldi

Jack Cochrane, frontman of indie sensations The Snuts has revealed why the band has revealed why they’d never be able to collaborate on song writing with Lewis Capaldi, despite playing in the same West Lothian pubs before becoming famous.

Jack has also revealed why the Snuts have “held back” from playing bigger venues.

The insights came as Jack spoke with host Chris Difford – a founding member of band Squeeze – for the latest episode in a new, fourth series of the podcast I Never Thought It Would Happen, from the charity Help Musicians.

In the episode, Jack - singer, songwriter and guitarist in the band, who are currently riding high in the wake of their third album going to Number 1 in the Scottish charts and Number 2 in the UK - also covers why wellbeing is key to the band’s success.

The Snuts and Lewis Capaldi all hail from Whitburn.

When discussing Lewis, who the band know well, Jack is full of admiration, remarking: “Lewis is impressive in understanding the art of a song, and now he is past that and understands the art of a hit - something that most people never get near.”

Given they come from the same place, played all of the same pubs growing up, and know each other well, host Chris asks if he could see The Snuts and Lewis collaborating on song writing. However, Jack believes that they “came from too similar an environment” to be able to work together.

He expands: “We were trying to be a rock and roll band. Lewis always wanted to be the pop star songwriter. He was never false about that. We were still trying to work out what we wanted to be.”

When talking about the band’s choice to continue to play smaller venues, despite their significant success, Jack explains that, “we could do that [play larger venues]. We could probably do an arena in Scotland, get a payday…that would be great, but that doesn’t feel like the reason we’re in a band.”

Instead Jack says he and the band - which includes Callum Wilson, Joe McGillveray and Jordan Mackay - just want to ‘get everywhere’ and love the ‘steps, process, and journey’.

The next stop for the band is a significant one - the USA - which Jack, who hails from Whitburn, describes as ‘humbling’ and like ‘starting again’.

To the surprise of some, the band decided to part ways with Parlophone - the record label with whom they released their first two albums and enjoyed breakthrough mainstream success - to set up their own label, Happy Artist Records, for the release of their third and latest album in February. The move was aimed at putting the mental health of artists front and centre and avoiding the stress and pressure of being signed to a major label.

In the podcast, Jack explains how it is important for bands who want to survive to be aware of their wellbeing rather than treating life in a band like one big party. He reflects: “We need to be OK, we need to be healthy - that’s changed massively. Twenty years ago it wasn’t considered, so you saw these incredible artists burn out, and never be able to recover. That’s something we’re super aware of. For us, there’s a lot of exercise and healthy eating.’

Jack recognises that the idea of wellbeing and mindfulness is somewhat of a juxtaposition for a rock band: ‘It’s not necessarily what fans of rock and roll bands want to hear - they want that image of a band that goes for it all the time and parties hard. There is a mythology in how great that can be.”

This even extends to the language the band use - instead of going on ‘tour’ they refer to it as going ‘away working’ to ensure the band retains the right mindset. Jack believes that years spent working in ‘normal’ jobs before the band took off helps ensure they approach being in a band in the right way.

“There is a start and an end to this job, and you need to do it well”, the singer remarks.

The revealing podcast series from Help Musicians is presented by one of the charity’s ambassadors, Chris Difford, and has previously featured many big names, from legendary artists like Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sting, and Robbie Williams through to contemporary superstars like Olivia Dean and Yungblud. Upcoming guests in the fourth series include Gabrielle, Wolfgang Van Halen and Sharleen Spiteri.

Help Musicians is a charity that loves music so it supports musicians across the UK in times of crisis and opportunity - ensuring musicians across the UK can achieve their creative potential and sustain a career in music. Sister charity Music Minds Matter puts mental wellbeing centre stage in music by providing everybody who works in music with the early support, knowledge and tools they need, at exactly the time they need them.

Find out more about Help Musicians’ services, or to make a donation to support its work, on the website www.helpmusicians.org.uk

The full podcast episode is available to listen to at all the major podcast providers now, with further episodes being released weekly here

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