BOLTON-based Babytiger have paid tribute to David Bowie in their debut single.

The five-piece outfit released Sunsets this week.

“The song is a purposeful tribute to the late David Bowie and features prominent Ecuadorian guitarist Roberto Yanez Schmidt who I met whilst travelling in South America, and who recorded the guitars remotely from his studio in Vina Del Mar, Chile,” said the band’s singer Nicholas Miller, who lives in Smithills.

“As a result of his contacts the song is set to feature on the soundtrack of the film Qué onda Po? which is set for release later this year across Latin America.

“I like to think our songs will appeal to people who like music that has depth and atmosphere, both lyrically and musically. I would describe our core influences as a Venn Diagram of The Smiths, Radiohead and David Bowie for that exact reason.

“So if artists like those appeal to you, then perhaps our music will too. Our debut record is set in a world heavily influenced by records such as The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and OK Computer.”

Babytiger is made up of Nicholas, drummer Mark Hesford from Lostock, guitarists Bobby Love from Ramsbottom and Matt Evans from Bolton and Roberto.

The band formed in 2016 when Nicholas and Mark who originally met at Thornleigh Salesian College started performing together. Bobby, a former St Gabriel’s RC pupil, then joined after meeting Nicholas and Matt at university and Matt was added to the line-up after getting to know the others through the Bolton music scene.

The band have released their single through the Mourning Recordings Label, with the album Death of the Book due to be released later this year.

Nicholas said: “The core inspiration comes from the almost exorcistic process of songwriting as a medium to expel subconscious thoughts and feelings through music. You could call it therapy.

“We are also driven to try and write songs that are timeless, and that have such depth of character that they take on a life of their own.

“Artists like John Lennon, Ian Curtis, Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye, Jim Morrison and Johnny Kidd all died before we were born, but their music will live forever as new generations discover them in the same way we did.”

“The Record Deal means much less now than it once did as technology and the internet allows you to produce music, graphics and videos and promote them all from your computer as little cost anywhere in world. Musicians no longer need big labels and distribution but they do need to be good to stand out, perhaps more so than ever before. We’ve worked incredibly hard and carefully considered all aspects of the band,” said Nicholas, who described the music industry as a “strange place” with people having greater access to music than ever before but also “less money to be made by labels so artists enter a flooded market”.

Nicholas’ advice to musicians — “Make music that you love, write songs that you care about and be true to yourself and where you come from.

“Focus on the quality of songs.

“Whilst quality of musicianship, musical direction and image are obviously very important they are fairly superficial and short-lived without really good songs. Music should mean everything, and yet nothing at all.

“It’s only music after all.”