On a cold, wet but nonetheless busy night in Scarborough’s Merchant Irish Bar, Bridlington’s Beth Pilling graciously makes time before and between her sets to have a chat with YCG co-directors Kath and Dave about her music career and the band, Beth Pilling and the Bootleggers.

There is much in the way of exciting news in the ether right now for Beth and The Bootleggers; one piece of which is their upcoming headline gig at the New Adelphi, Hull, on Saturday 8th March. Beth is clearly exuberant in anticipation for this, and although we can’t yet share the identity of the support acts, we will let you know as soon as it is officially announced; Beth herself describes them as being ‘both beautiful!’ – and with an intriguing mix that we are sure will complement the headliners well, keep an eye out for the announcement soon!

The Bootleggers themselves came together in 2022; Beth says the first year was ‘quite tough’ but then things really got going in 2023. She had previously been performing solo but a number of promoters had encouraged her to get a band together, and once she tried it, she admits she loved it.  Besides Beth, the band consists of Aaron Green on keys; a friend she’s known for years through university but had not previously played music with. This was the starting point, with further band members arriving organically through their music networks. George Garnett plays lead guitar, with Elliott Joesbury on drums. At the point we meet, they are just in the process of recruiting a new bass player; by time of publishing we’re pleased to be able to announce new bassist, Charlie Holdsworth, completing the line up.

Their EP, Bootleg Vol. 1, came out recently, preceded by track Spinning, described by Illustrate Magazine as “a fearless anthem that hits hard both musically and emotionally.” Other tracks on the EP include Poison, a dark delve into alcoholism and drug addiction whilst being trapped in a relationship; and Wait, a refrain about the stagnant times of lockdown.

Looking back to her own background with music, Beth tells us that her family were not musical, but definitely had good musical taste and that started her on her path. She says she could sing before she could talk, learning keys from age 7 and guitar from age 12, with that proving to be a pivotal direction for her. She loves to try her hand at different instruments, having taken up bass, clarinet, and violin along the way, and now having a crack at tackling drums and piano. She explains that different instruments seem to take her down different paths of songwriting. “Piano currently feels so like an alien language, whereas guitar is something I’m fluent in, so in a way that newness takes out some of the restriction, and I can surprise myself.”

Influences include a litany of strong female performers but from a wide range of genres, be it Lana del Rey or Katy Perry, citing albums Born to Die and One of the Boys as inherent influences. Other deeply loved albums include It’s Not Me, It’s You by Lily Allen (to whom Beth is often compared – “well, a Northern Lily Allen, anyway!”) – alongside Made of Bricks by Kate Nash, In Rainbows by Radiohead, and Nirvana’s In Utero. It’s clearly an eclectic mix and may go some way to explaining the wide appeal that Beth Pilling and the Bootleggers seem to engender.

Beth talks fondly about the music scene in Bridlington, and the community that there is around it, citing the ability of people like promoters Alex Verda (Metalines Studios) and James Williams to listen to what the community wants, and take the risk of booking things based on bringing something new or different to join the healthy base of local bands. Beth herself has hosted numerous Sunday Sessions; and, with the band, appeared at Bridlington Spa as part of This Feeling by the Sea in 2024. The Adelphi gig is a collaboration with the This Feeling promoters, and equally the band hope to get involved in more festivals this year.

They have a studio session booked in May as part of a studio-and-media organisation collaboration, but again, the finer details can’t yet be announced – but having been let in on the secret, we can at least tell you that it sounds amazing, and we’ll keep you updated, dear readers. We can also tell you to keep an eye out for another release soon – their recently recorded ‘Beckview Presents’ session will be available for viewing on 12th February. Talking about the experience of recording this, she was thrilled to be approached for the opportunity by studio owners Chris and Kristina Jones, and tells us that the experience in the studio was amazing – “When we saw it all, the whole band really nerded out!”

Beth’s aims for this year are to really achieve a forward focus and, having described how challenging it can often be to make headway with a music career, to ‘not let people take the piss’ – her forthright attitude merged with the best of Northern charm. Charm is also a word she uses to describe tonight’s venue, as the bustling bar prepares to hear her set; “something great about travelling to Scarborough from Brid for a gig, is it’s the perfect warm up time in the car, singing all the way!” She launches into her set, a solo covers set for this one, replete with her inimitable takes on There She Goes (The La’s), Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye), Radiohead’s Creep and of course, a smattering of Katy Perry and Lily Allen. Always worth seeing, whether alone or with the brilliant Bootleggers, there is no doubt that we’re excited to see and to share more of what Beth Pilling is serving in the coming months.

Upcoming Gigs and Links:

12th February – Beckview Presents – online video release

Saturday 8th March – Hull’s New Adelphi headliner w/support TBA

Sunday 13th April – Femme centric-queer-tastic party pt3 with Twisted Nipple events at the New Adelphi – line up includes CLT DRP + SØWT (Eindhoven), Beth Pilling and The Bootleggers, The Evil Litter, Wormfood, Pleasure Centre and more