(Interview) Lastelle: "I want to be able to have the freedom to write the things we care about."
- Kirsty Bright
- Apr 10
- 11 min read
LASTELLE are a band who have undoubtedly caught the eye of many over the past 12 months. Following the release of their EP Exist. Vol. ii, in 2025, the five-piece are currently in the midst of a UK/EU tour, with their rise growing show by show. Their sound mixes post-hardcore with the musical ambience reminiscent of Hans Zimmer. Having caught their set at Takedown, it was another experience in itself, almost hypnotic at times. We were lucky to catch Jonjo and Freddie a short while after their set, which drew in a big crowd for a slot early in the day.
Both were nothing but warm, funny and, most importantly, passionate about their craft. Hearing them talk at length when asked about writing and incorporating various elements into their music was not only refreshing but interesting to listen to. It’s clear they deeply care about the music they make. The rest of their year looks packed with dates in Europe and upcoming festival appearances in Asia. 2026 looks set to firmly be their year. We discuss their takedown, set, ambient music, and much more.
Your set earlier was fantastic. Your music is very immersive. How do you not only come up with that concept but also want people to feel when they see you live?
Freddie: I think what we try to do is that post-hardcore thing, but slowed down more, down-tempo. Jonjo and I are both really into post-rock and ambient, soundscape-type-sounding stuff, so we try to bring that in too. It’s hard that we’re just not that trendy… but maybe we are. (laughs)
Jonjo: Yeah, it's like we just hope that people think we're just nice. (laughing) I think that we're just not that trendy, which I think works.
No, you can definitely tell people love it.
Freddie: That's very kind, thank you. I think the thing is, if people don’t like our music, that's totally fine. We're absolutely not out to try and change anyone's mind. We just make the music that we like and that we would want to hear.
Jonjo: For sure, we just make the kind of music we’d want to listen to.
Watching your set earlier, you all really stay focused and interact with the crowd. How important is it to make them feel involved?
Jonjo: It's a nice show where you actually get to see the crowd. Usually Adam is in the crowd, but with barriers it can be harder. We’ve always made a conscious effort to be as over the top on stage as possible. I think starting in small venues, you had to be incredibly aware of the person next to you when you're playing and moving around like a madman. Because if you're not, then you end up butting heads, and I think because of that, we are quite aware of who's where on stage.
It’s such a strong set, and it translates well on stage. Have you found being on tour at the moment has helped that?
Freddie: Thank you, that’s a nice compliment to have. Yes, we're on tour at the moment, and I think we do try and make a conscious effort to try and engage with people. You know, I think it also is a bit of a testament to us having had quite a busy few weeks. So I think we're just in a good rhythm with it. Sometimes if you take a break, you just have to kind of ease your way back into it. This is our sixth show in the last couple of weeks.
You’re on tour with Casey, right?
Freddie: Yeah, we're back out with Casey, and then off to Europe for a couple of weeks. And then we're off to Asia for about two weeks. It's crazy busy, so we're doing a festival in Malaysia, which literally got announced today. Then a festival in Indonesia, plus a couple of shows that are yet to be announced.
Jonjo: And then we fly back to Germany for a festival there and then back to the UK. So, we've got this like week and a half just flying everywhere. (laughing.)
How do you curate a setlist for those sorts of shows?
Freddie: To be totally blunt, we're playing a very similar set for most of these shows. But we did an hour back in January for our headline, and for any of the hour-long shows that we do, we would probably play that similar set. Today, we were doing a shorter set, so you know it's a little bit less, but I think the idea is that we know what songs we want to start with and how it ends and then create that journey in between.
What song do you know to be the fan favourite to get the crowd going?
Jonjo: I think we have two in the set. I think "Breathe In" is the fan favourite, which is the one that gets everyone singing along, but "Bitter Seeds" is the one that gets everyone moving.
Freddie: We open the set with a song called “Pine”, which is one that people like, and it does quite well. Obviously the only problem is that it is the opener for the set. So when we're playing to our crowd and it's a headliner, it's like, we know it's our fans. Sometimes they just go nuts in that first one. If not, people sometimes need a few songs to ease into it, “Bitter Seeds” kind of kicks in. People will then go, 'Oh cool, we get what's going on now.’ As in the first couple of songs, people can be like, not in a disrespectful way, but they don't know what to make of it.
Like you said, because newcomers aren't quite sure what to expect, it makes it more exciting to watch.
Jonjo: Right?? Because the first thing you do is bash out a trumpet. (laughing)
I will say I too was like, 'What is going on?' (laughs.)
Freddie: (laughs) The fuck is going on here? So, you know, we'll try and do stuff like that, and sometimes you have to win over a bit of the crowd.
For anyone who caught you today and are now new fans, how would you describe the band to them in a sentence?
Jonjo: I mean, I think at the basic level, we're a post-hardcore band. We look at a lot of our big influences by bands like Alexisonfire and Underoath. But then, as I said earlier, a lot of post-rock influence and a more ambient thing.
It has film soundtrack vibes interweaved in the musicality too, which is interesting.
Jonjo: Yeah, in a previous interview we've been described as Underoath meets Hans Zimmer. (laughing)
That's spot on, as I can picture the Hans Zimmer vibes to the set, as you create a very nice chill setting in the beginning. Again, is it an intentional thing to create songs that play out like that?
Jonjo: Definitely, I think that is a big part of it, it's that textual thing. It's so layered and intermediate. It's just going to be thick and immersive. I think it would be heavy in a different way; it's not loud and heavy, it's fast-paced and aggressive.
Freddie: Sometimes things are thought out, and sometimes things are happy accidents even when it comes to writing as well. Sometimes you can spend ages crafting a song, and sometimes we can write a chorus in a car. Then that's the one that people love, and you know, I think there's no right or wrong way to write music.
Jonjo: We have quite different perspectives of what we don't want the band to sound like, but I feel like it was really up to us. I think it would be quite different. I think we are very much at the middle point of all of it. If it was probably up to me. Then maybe all our songs would end up being 10 minutes long and instrumental (laughing).
That works well in an album, though no, like, it's your art, and interweave it in that way that works for you.
Freddie: Yeah, I think Jonjos hit that on the head. Like, we all want different things out of it, as we're all influenced by different things, and then the middle point is where we all meet. That what it shouldn’t be – just one person dictating. That would be my advice to anyone who's starting a band or currently in one. Write what you guys like, and also it should be about compromise and writing things that are best for the song and not just one person's vision for what the band has to look like. Sometimes you do get that with bands, and it's fine, but, for me personally, I don't want to be a session musician in my own band. I want to be able to have the freedom to write the things I care about.
There's a softness in those tracks, like chaos and peace. Is that deliberate or again just how it transpires in the moment?
Jonjo: I would say it is deliberate in the sense that we don't want it to be all loud. I think the bits that sound loud only feel loud because of the quiet moments. That contrast is very much like an active decision to have. I think that one of our biggest defining factors is dynamics; so that is a conscious choice.
It transfers well on stage. Do you ever think about that when you're making a song, like, 'Oh, how is this going to sound live, and will it translate well?'
Jonjo: Yeah, to be honest, I think there is a big part when writing for me, like, how will this work, and as a band, how will we do this song?
Freddie: Yeah, I mean, so with that, but also in what Jonjo was kind of saying as well, I think like, for example, vocally, we've got three vocalists. And sometimes we might have a few extra layers of guitars or vocals or whatever in the recorded version, but for the most part, if it can't be done live, I don't want it to be done. Because if someone loves that song, you're never going to hear it live, so sorry. (laughs)
Jonjo: If there's an element that you would be expecting to hear live that can't be done live, we try to not do that.
Freddie: And there are some of the brass lines that have three-part harmonies, so I will play the lead one. I can't play three parts at once, but I just think we try and do it as real as possible, really.
When it comes to those moments, as it seems very well thought out, do you prefer to do music over the lyrics first? What works for you?
Jonjo: I mean, for us, because we write music, it comes instrumental first, then vocals, and then the vocals will influence changes to the instrumentals. It’s what serves the music? Then we write vocals and go, well, how can we make them now? How can we make the music serve the vocals? And then what you end up with is the bit afterwards.
And how does it feel when people say they connect to it and you make the full last time?
Jonjo: It's really nice to hear those things, because I think that was purely our intention. When we made the band, the whole point was to be like, 'This is how I want this band to be and how I'll feel about certain art that I listen to.' I want it to be that really deep connection of 'I listen to that song, and I feel like I want to cry every time I listen to that song.'
Freddie: And that's not to say we're not like silly people because we're very, very silly (laughing), but I think my favourite kind of music is music that makes you feel something. Whether it's because it makes you feel miserable. That to me is still cool. Even if it's really heavy, it makes you feel really energised. Music should make you feel something. If music doesn't make you feel anything, you might not have found the right songs.
It’s almost like what are you listening to? They haven't perhaps found their genre yet. But when they do connect, that must feel special?
Jonjo: Absolutely, and that's all it really is for me. When I hear people say that, I'm like, 'Cool, that's exactly what I wanted this to do.'
Is it surreal when people tell you how deeply they connected with specific songs?
Jonjo: It's surreal, but it's also a bit like, hell yeah. (laughs) We did the damn thing. That's the whole point of it.
Freddie: Yeah, I mean, it's always humbling when people actually care and connect with what we do.
When the songs are strong and lyrically deep enough to connect, too, in the first place.
Freddie: Thank you, and when it connects with people, we're just like, Cool, it's not an accident. We feel humbled (laughing).
If you're getting that reaction from people, you should be proud of them.
Jonjo: We're definitely proud of it, though.
Freddie: It is still a surreal thing sometimes.
Jonjo: But it's almost the element of, like, we write these songs, and there are people out there that are connecting to it on a deeper emotional level,it is very much like wow.
Freddie: If someone comes up to you and says, 'Oh, this song reminds me of blah blah,', or XYZ passed away, and this song reminds me of them, and it’s like, You know, we wrote that song in a car. So, to hear it helps is still, 'Oh wow.' It’s a privilege.
Do people open up to you about the deeper stuff?
Jonjo: Yeah, they do, but it's nice to hear. It can obviously at times be a bit like, 'Whoa, that was a bit too heavy. 'The fact that it made that maybe a little bit easier for them, but it’s nice to hear them connect and help them in some way.
Freddie: It's one of the reasons I struggle when people say, 'What's this song about?' And I'm like, it doesn't matter. It's up to them. And if it doesn't mean anything or connect with someone, then it doesn't matter what I write.
In moments like that does it make you hold back on explaining in depth what specific songs are about to stop listeners from perhaps connecting?
Jonjo: For sure, when writing lyrics, there is a little bit of that where it's like, 'I don't want to be too specific.' I want someone else to be able to go, that could be my story, not just, 'That's them telling theirs.' Then the perspective is not left open, but there is an element that I don't try and make it obvious that this is exactly what's happening. So you can go, okay, I can twist that in a way that relates to me. Where if it's very specific, it might be that I can only hear it that way. So that is kind of an active decision.
Freddie: I don't want to tell a listener how to feel. And then for that same reason, if you're telling someone exactly how to feel and they don't feel anything and they're listening to it, it's not for them.
Speaking of music, will there be any new music coming? I know you released the EP last year.
Jonjo: Possibly so; we don't really know yet. As we've got loads of shows coming up, we're very busy with live shows.
Freddie: We're always writing stuff, but as far as right now goes, we've got nothing.
Jonjo: Yeah, we take some time to just go out and go to new places and play songs that people have been wanting to hear. This next month is crazy. And then we've got a few festivals over the summer.
Some UK festivals, right?
Jonjo: Yes, we'll be doing 2000 trees, which will be really good fun. We haven't played that before, which we're super psyched about.
Freddie: We've got smaller day festivals. So, we're in Birmingham in August and then Newcastle, I think, at the end of May, but I might be wrong about that. We’ve got a busy few months, but it should be calmer after that; maybe it'll be a time to settle back and reflect on where we've been and use that time to create something.
Can you even find creativity and new material in those moments, as you must be knackered?
Freddie: Yeah, it's not really something that we do too much, but like at the same time, you never know you might feel creative in a car on a bus? I mean, we got back from the first weekend, and then on the Monday morning, Jonjo will send like a bunch of music that he's written on the road. I mean, this guy never rests. I want to rest, but apparently not. (laughs)
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