Nat Jenkins and the Heart Caves

Nat Jenkins and the Heart Caves are definitely on our ‘Artists you need to know’ -list! Finally their debut studio album ‘Now Here This’ is out and available on iTunes and Amazon!

So finally the new album is out! How would you describe it yourself?
Sketches of a certain moment in time

Is there a tour planned for 2014?
Yes! We’re back out on the road at the end of February for a few European dates and then out on a fuller tour in May.

Which musicians influence your work most?
My deepest roots are always in rock and roll, blues and
folk – but who I’m listening to changes all the time.
At the moment – a lot of the latest Arcade Fire – which personally I think is their best yet.
I’ve also been digging quite deep into Nick Cave. I only discovered him and the Bad Seeds fairly recently – after Dig! Lazarus Dig!, but since then I’ve been trawling back a little further – into Murder Ballads and Let Love In. Our new keyboard player- Johnny Manning – is a big fan so he’s been pushing it on me too. Otherwise – I’ve also re- discovered Jimmy Cliff after our driver played it constantly on the last tour. I haven’t stopped since.


Have you got a ‘dream venue’ you’d like to play?

I’d like to do the Paradiso in Amsterdam. I have a lot of memories of that place but I’ve never played there.

You played ‘Lost and Lonely’ together with Luke once, you also got a band together with Hugh, so could you imagine to work and record with The Kooks at all any time soon too?
No I don’t think I’ll ever work with The Kooks as a band – they are good friends and very talented guys all of them – but The Kooks is The Kooks – they are their own unit and band. I enjoy working with them as individuals.

By the way, is there anything new to expect from the Primarys?
Yes! We will have an EP out sometime before the summer but at the moment I couldn’t say when. Marco Sandeman just completed a beautiful and eiry video for ‘To be Stray’.

Are there any other artists you would like to work with?
I’m doing some writing with an Australian singer called Coghlan Rue at the moment – helping him get some tunes together for his EP. I’d like to do some more with UK rapper Zac Phonix at some point. One of these days I’d like to get back in a room with The Atlantics guys. There’s a whole load of producers I’d like to work with – but the list is too long to put down here…!

What was the first album you bought?
Bought? … probably something fucking terrible. The first album I can remember listening to – as an album rather than a compilation – is The Beach Boys ‘Pet Sounds’ – an incredible record – but that was not my doing. I think someone with better taste than an eight year old handed it down to me.

Have you got any goals you want to reach in the near future?
I’d let to get back out to New York and have a big breakfast covered in syrup and drowned with coffee.

Which advice would you give young musicians who are just starting with music?
My only advice would be don’t listen too much to anyone’s advice. If there’s anything people love doing in the music industry it’s giving advice. Just do what ever feels right … and always keep a spare pair of socks and pants in your guitar case. It comes in handy.