“We want to carry on building on the momentum of the last 18 months and play as many gigs as possible in the weeks and months ahead.”

That’s the message from Janek Davis, one of the founding members of alternative rock band ‘Second Self’. Since getting together in February 2017 the band have created quite an impression on the music scene here in Gloucestershire, and with a debut album to be released next month the band are certainly looking to the future with a determined look on their faces.

The four-piece band contains Janek Davis (guitar & backing vocals), Barny Barnfield (bass & backing vocals), Simon Bond (lead vocals), and Pablo Rodriguez (drums). 2018 has been a real breakthrough year for the band, who are hoping their new album will help cement their place as one of Gloucestershire’s top up-and-coming bands.

Janek Davis, 32, has been playing the guitar for more than half his life and says the opportunity to play music with his three band mates is always a real thrill. He said: “Ever since we got together eighteen months ago we’ve made a lot of progress. Originally it was just Barny and I, so we advertised for a drummer and a lead singer. Pablo joined us as a drummer then we met Simon who joined us as our lead singer. All our songs are written by ourselves, we don’t do covers.

“The last year and a half has been really positive for us, we’re starting to play more gigs and build a bit of a name for ourselves in Gloucestershire. Our recent performance at The Cotswold Inn was a lot of fun. We’ve played there a few times before, it’s a cool venue. We’ve been asked back to play a gig in November which is great news, it shows they like our music.”

Janek has a tough time trying to nail down a favourite gig but admits their performance at one of Cheltenham’s most popular music venues stands out. He added: “We were given the opportunity to support a band called ‘Hed PE’ not long after we all got together. They were quite a popular band in the 1990s, so it was a big deal for us. The gig was at The Frog and Fiddle which is a great venue, there was a big crowd in and it was an amazing night.

"It’s nights like those that really give you an amazing buzz, it’s hard to describe the feeling of seeing people sing along to songs that you’ve written. We love interacting with the crowd and make a real effort to make them feel part of the show. We’re seeing quite a few regular faces at gigs now which is amazing, it shows we’re building a fanbase.”

The band’s musical style has been compared to some of the biggest bands of years gone by. Janek continued: “The vague description we give when people ask us what kind of band we are is alternative rock because a lot of our musical influences fall into that category. We’ve been told we sound a bit like ‘Faith No More’ ‘Incubus’ and ‘Red Hot Chilli Peppers’, that end of the rock spectrum if you like. They’re bands we look up to so it’s quite nice when we hear those comparisons.”

Next month the band will be releasing their long-awaited debut album, titled ‘EP1’. It will be available on all major online platforms and Janek is hopeful the record will receive a warm reception. He said: “We’ve put a lot of hard work into it and are proud of what we’ve achieved. We’re all looking forward to hearing what people make of it and can’t wait to play some of the songs from it at our upcoming gigs.

“The main thing for us is to carry on creating music. We’re all ambitious and want to really build on what we’ve achieved so far. We’re currently applying to some of the big music festivals in Gloucestershire like 2000trees and Wychwood, it would be great for us to be able to play gigs at those festivals next year. We’re having fun and just want to carry on doing what we’re doing.”