Charlie Barnes shares video for 'Will & Testament' - premiere

Now Hear This

It's 14 February which can only mean one thing... we're bringing you some brand new music!

This week we're premiering a video from the wonderful Charlie Barnes. You might recognise him from Bastille's live shows, now he's working on his solo project and it seems to be shaping up quite nicely - along with the new video he was just announced as Bastlle's support for their 'Reorchestrated' tour along with To Kill A King.

Check out the premiere for "Will & Testament" below (and enjoy the Queen/"Bohemian Rhapsody" nods + Bastille's Dan Smith on backing vocals) and read our quick Q&A with Charlie:

Q&A with Charlie Barnes

What are you listening to at the moment?

I just the other day (finally) got round to finishing off watching Breaking Bad… (I’m extremely slow on the uptake when it comes to TV dramas), so, thanks to the soundtrack to the final scene (featuring some of the best guitar tone I’ve EVER heard) I’m discovering the fabulous work of Badfinger.

On a slightly more contemporary note I’m also really enjoying the new First Aid Kit album (in particular that Fireworks tune…crikey…), the new To Kill A King record has proved itself to be fabulous to cook to, and I am also positively fizzing with excitement for the new Son Lux album.

When did you start writing for a solo project?

I’d been in a few different bands in my teens, but most of my bandmates were a little bit older than me, so when the time came for them to head off to University I was sort of left to my own devices (totally hilarious work-life referential joke very much intended…) and started working mostly under my own name. So I suppose I’ve technically been in a band called Charlie Barnes for 11 or 12 years. We should probably break up soon.

How did this music video come about?

As with all of my music videos to date, it was a case of me having a very vague idea about something that could go along with a song, sending a (mostly emoji based) brief to my good friend, life guru and video director Ryan Pearce, who then helped to form it into something that could work for three or four minutes.

We had a bit of a happy accident with this video; purely for the sake of having a few different visual setups for Ryan to cut between, I thought we could make a thinly veiled reference to the "Bohemian Rhapsody" video by having myself and my pals Ben and Ed miming along to a black backdrop…it was only after we’d finished filming that I realised the video’s overarching concept of reality versus fantasy is, essentially, a giant Bohemian Rhapsody reference in itself. So that’s nice.

What was the first gig you ever played and what’s been the best so far?

I’m pretty sure the first gig I ever played at all was in my first ever band, aged about 13, at a nearby Village Hall for an OAP Christmas party. I was wearing a Cyberdog t-shirt and heavy eye make-up and we played three grungy pop-punk (ish) songs to, I recall, gentle, polite applause. As for the best…that’s a tough one to choose. I do remember a particularly fantastic (nay, life-changing) night playing somebody’s kitchen in Darmstadt, where much of the onstage patter involved me asking how to refer to various appliances in German.

A show I did in Paris with Amplifier in (I think) 2013 was a very beautiful night indeed. My first times at 2000 Trees and ArcTanGent festivals were both very special. If we extend the list to include appearances with my day job at Bastille, then I suppose playing the sunset slot on Glastonbury’s Other Stage was none too shabby…

Charlie Barnes' new single 'Will & Testament' is out this Friday via Superball Music - he's supporting Bastille on their ReOrchestrated tour in April