Gloucestershire band Junomoon is made up of friends Harry Jones, George Lunn, David Libson, Lewis Dickenson and Will Downes-Hall.

Based in and around Stroud and Cirencester, the boys have been playing music together for years, as lead vocalist and guitarist Harry explains.

He said: “We first met when I put out a Facebook ad looking for some musicians to play with, and David (guitar) and George (keyboard) got in touch.

“We went to the same college, though I’m a couple of years older than them, so we had mutual friends. One thing led to another, and now we’ve added Lewis (bass) and Will (drums) into the mix.”

After working on a few different projects together, Harry and the rest of the band formed Junomoon towards the end of 2019.

“I was playing around with a few new song ideas, and brought George in to help,” continued Harry.

“At the time, George played guitar as a main instrument, but played the keyboard in this session, and it really felt like the synth/keyboard vibe added a whole new dimension to the songs.

“We decided after that first session to start Junomoon, and really lean into that classic sound.”

Junomoon take their influences from a wide range of sources – from iconic bands like Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles to modern pop groups like Flyte and Clean Cut Kid.

Harry says they try to blend the old with the new, creating a synth-driven indie pop sound.

“Each member has slightly different tastes to each other, and I think that really comes across in the range of genres that our songs could each fall in to.

“I would say that our sound definitely takes its roots from modern singer-songwriter pop, but there’s something about the synthesizer vibe that also gives it a real nostalgic 80’s feel.”

But it’s just a coincidence, adds Harry, that Juno happens to be one of the more famous synthesizer brands – “I’d love to give you a great story behind the name, but honestly, we just thought it sounded pretty cool and was unique enough for people to easily find us!” he said.

So far this year Junomoon have released two singles – ‘Matador’ and ‘Please, Just Go’ – with more set to come throughout 2020.

The process of making their own original music is something the boys enjoy, with everyone getting involved in the production side of things.

Harry said: “It’s always a fun journey to see how the song sonically shifts and re-shapes throughout the process of adding everyone’s ideas into the mix. It’s quite a feeling when you end up with a final product that far surpasses what we could’ve achieved individually on our own.

“I think the music industry has shifted quite considerably over the last decade, and the fact that we can record studio level recordings at home and release them pretty much whenever we want to all of the main streaming services is a great thing for the consumer.”

Junomoon will be performing their latest tracks at local gigs this month – first at Dick Whittington’s in Gloucester on Saturday 11th April, and then supporting their good friends, Wiltshire-based Neon Mirrors at The Vaults in Cirencester on Friday 17th April.

“I think it’s a very unique feeling getting to play songs that you’ve written, surrounded by a bunch of great musicians, who just happen to also be your closest friends,” added Harry.

“It sounds a bit cheesy, but honestly, it’s just a barrel of laughs and there’s a great energy between us when we’re playing music that we enjoy!”

To keep up to date with Junomoon, visit www.facebook.com/junomoonband/