Holed up inside a rehearsal room, situated above a pub, you’ll find a pensive Pusher; honing the hair-raising lashings of guitar that characterise the group’s soon-to-be signature sound. Twinned with James Gilroy’s far-reaching vocal and armed with as much equipment as they can cram in their van, Pusher’s atmospheric and anthemic live shows have been gaining appraisal from each and every corner of the country they have travelled to.

Bottling up such vociferous showcases is by no means an easy feat, but having a heavy hand in their own recording process has recently allowed Pusher to spread their sound over six meandering tracks, which make up their impending EP release 10,000 Hours.

By way of the EP’s title, Pusher provide nominal insight into the estimated amount of hours practice it apparently takes to become proficient, professionally at a given instrument. By way of the EP’s musical content, they prove that no amount of time spent toiling over your guitar alone can be substituted for the chemistry of a passionate five-piece bringing to life song ideas scrawled whilst travelling between venues on tour.

Lead-track On Your Own is a result of the aforementioned, four minutes of the now recognisable pulsing drive created by Ben Scarff and Thomas Hemingway on drums and bass respectively; allowing the sliding guitar work of both Nevyn Stevenson and Matthew Clayton to wrap the track in hypnotic appeal.

Matthew Liam Fogg: After your previous single releases, why was the time right to move forward with an EP?
James Gilroy: It’s now just over a year since we’ve been together and we felt confident enough to put out a bookmark of what we have achieved.

Nevyn Stevenson: It feels like the natural ‘next step’, we have released numerous singles but we wanted to write a collection of tunes that flow as an extended play. Something to give people more of an insight into how the band sounds than say a single could.

MLF: What is the story behind the EP’s title?
JG: I read an article that stated it takes 10,000 hours to become professionally talented at any given instrument being learned. It was an interesting read because it’s obvious that all music is subjective to the listener; one person’s professionalism is another one’s pompousness and vice versa. I liked the idea of it as well, because it is roughly, there or thereabouts, how long we’ve been together as a band.

MF: You have had quite big hand in the recording process of your songs, including on your new EP. What are the benefits of being in control of the output?
JG: There are no time issues. With time issues come money issues, of which we have neither. It’s the best way of working and we get what’s needed to be done, done. It’s also mixed within ourselves so we can keep coming back and tweaking to our heart’s content. It’s all a learning process and it’s an enjoyable one.

MF: Given some of your members have been in previous groups together before, why was the time right to start afresh as Pusher, with a new line-up?
JG: It’s the same line up we’ve had since day one with Nevyn, Clayton, Tom and myself. We have been wanting to create and play music since the first day we all got together, it’s just some people aren’t as willing to make the sacrifices we are willing to make. It isn’t martyrdom or ‘woe us being artists’ and suffering for it, because nobody cares about that and neither do we. It’s ‘plod along and get on with it’.

NS: Although the line up only changed due to adding Ben on the drums, the name change and fresh start was vital. We have had a very different approach to writing than we had in previous bands. Ben is the drummer we have always wanted though and needed to move forward.

JG: We’re just lucky that we found a drummer who loves playing as much as we do and is happy to forgo luxuries, such as a steady income and a pension.

MF: You’re unafraid to step things up a notch when it comes to the ferocity and drive of some of your recent songs. What influences come into play when you are writing?
JG: Frustration. Frustration and wanting to make an impact. We’re living in an age we’re music is trivial. It’s banal; what is here today is gone tomorrow. There is always someone behind filling in a gap. It’s understandable, time has gotten faster; the sun now apparently rises and then sets quicker than it has ever done before. It’s part of being aware of that and using it to an advantage. We write as if we’re playing live; captivate your audience, hold them and don’t let go, hopefully they will love it or they will despise it. Either way is fine, so long as it is at extreme differences and not just someone being indifferent towards us. Nothing worse than a ‘meh’.

MF: This weekend saw you play the Water Rats, London, after a summer of touring and appearing at a number of festivals. How is your live show growing as you move into the bigger venues?
JG: Confidence is growing. There are times on stage when the band hits their stride and the music is all surrounding and inescapable, it’s otherworldly. Then there are other times, when you are completely aware of yourself and your surroundings; things aren’t going right and you are just a fool with a microphone or an instrument doing the same as every other band in the world. We don’t talk about those times.

MF: What motivates you to drive around the country playing shows, especially considering you are undertaking a do-it-yourself style approach?
JG: We want to be the best there is. We know we’ve only just started and we haven’t even scratched the surface now that we’re moving on. We play music and people that watch us know that we’re something to look out for; even people that don’t like us think that. We had a bloke say to us that he thinks our music is terrible but thinks we’re going to make it. How at odds is that?

MF: After driving around relentlessly touring, do you find motivation comes easily to hole up in the studio and write new material?
NS: Motivation to write and be creative is not something we struggle with; penning ideas between gigs and in the period of time we have between tours is something we constantly do. But the fact that we have a DIY approach, as you put it, can restrain us in some respects. Arranging and doing tours, recording and mixing everything as well as working can sometimes limit the time we have to be together writing. Again this is not martyrdom, it’s just the reality, but the frustration of this only adds to the motivation to succeed and develop as musicians.

MF: Your setlist has changed to the extent that often your early single Shoot Life doesn’t make the cut, for example, to accommodate for new material. Are you still experimenting as a group, trying to find your perfect sound?
NS: Leaving out early songs like Shoot Life is just progression. It’s not a tune we feel best represents us any more and doesn’t fit with our current set-list or the direction we are heading. We see no benefits in standing still. The sound is still evolving but 10,000 Hours is a bookmark of where we currently are.

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