Indigo Fire: Three Decades, One Song, and a WhatsApp Message That Lit the Fuse

Some bands form in garages, others on stage. Indigo Fire began in a garden after a Cure gig — and finally found their voice three decades later in a WhatsApp chat about life’s messiness, missed chances, and the magic of friendship. Their debut single “Lyrics For A Song” is equal parts nostalgic and fresh: a brooding, synth-soaked track echoing the emotional gravity of Joy Division and Depeche Mode, but born from a deeply personal moment between two lifelong friends. With early radio support and online buzz building, we caught up with Indigo Fire to talk about pandemic creativity, musical obsessions, and why it took 30 years to make their first track — and why it was worth the wait.

1. “Lyrics For A Song” began as a WhatsApp chat about life’s frustrations and the  creative process. Can you take us back to that conversation—what was going  through your minds, and how did those thoughts evolve into the track we hear  today?  

It was just one of those spontaneous text chats that started one weekend after we’d both  had a busy week. We probably should have just picked up the phone and spoken but  when we started, we didn’t realise it would turn into a longer exchange. Also, text chats  can be easier when you’re juggling the demands of kids. Anyway, it was all an  unstructured mix of reminiscing, sympathising about some of the different challenges in  our lives (past and present) and discussing the difficulties of finding an audience for our  various creative projects, literary and musical.  

I already had some music in my head which I’d been playing around with for a while but I  was struggling to come up with lyrics. I asked Guy on the off chance he had anything  suitable… he didn’t but a few hours later he pinged me back with some draft lyrics based  upon our conversation. It didn’t immediately fit with what I’d been working on but I played  around with it. The first effort turned into something of a ballad which Guy was okay with,  but he’d imagined it as a bit more… hacked off and frustrated. After a few more attempts  we landed on a version we both liked, which was subsequently much improved when our  friend, Dan Skinner, helped with the production.  

2. You cite an incredibly broad range of influences—from Joy Division to Joe  Sample, Tom Waits to The Future Sound of London. How do you balance such  eclectic tastes when creating music together?  

Yes, it is quite a mix. Indigo Fire is probably best described as a fusion of electronica and  rock… we’ve had various comments of ‘you sound like a cross between’ or ‘X meets X’  so it’s difficult to really say and we’re not consciously trying to sound like anyone else. 

We’ve performed and listened to many genres over the years, including classical, choral,  jazz, blues, ambient, pop and rock. Guy also plays the violin and I play the tenor sax. So I  like to think that all of those different experiences, listening and performing, get mixed up  inside your head and then by some strange alchemy, out comes your own music.  

Luckily we don’t have too much of a struggle to balance our tastes because we generally  like the same sort of thing. I can’t think of a time when Guy has suggested I listen to  something and I’ve not liked it. Our friendship started because we liked the same band  and played music together, so Indigo Fire is all just a continuation of that really. 

3. Having reconnected creatively after three decades and careers in medicine and  the life sciences, does making music now feel different than it did in your school  days? What’s changed, and what’s stayed the same?  

Somehow it doesn’t feel like we ever really disconnected creatively. Admittedly, we didn’t  play music together for many years but we continued to share music with each other,  occasionally managed to get to a gig and I always read Guy’s books and poetry.  

The main difference is that we didn’t really have a clue how to go about writing and  producing a song when we were young… we just thought it was something we’d really like  to do. 

Then I had a bike accident just before the Covid lockdown and banged my head quite  badly. After this I seemed to be able to play the piano much better, which was a bit odd -  not like concert pianist good but I could definitely find my way around better which really  helped with song writing. I managed to combine this with using my saxophone or EWI to  develop different ideas, as the fingering on a wind instrument is still more intuitive for me.  Then I started recording music during the pandemic to help my kids continue their music  lessons virtually and then one thing led to another and we started collaborating… and  suddenly the dream of setting up a band all those years ago became a reality.  

The other main difference is that we have more experiences and a broader perspective to  draw upon now, both for lyrics and for music.I don’t think I really had that when I was  younger. I’m always rather in awe of younger musicians who do.  

4. There’s a strong undercurrent of friendship running through both your story and  the song. How important has that lifelong connection been in shaping Indigo Fire’s  identity and sound?  

It’s great to hear that and we’re pleased it comes across. We started Indigo Fire because  we always said we’d do it and sometimes you just have to make these things happen. I’ve  written songs on my own and it doesn’t compare to collaborating with Guy. It’s not always easy because we live in different countries, so we can’t just jam together live as we did  when we were young. But coming up with something new that we both like gives such a  buzz and a real sense of creative fulfilment. And if someone else likes it too, then so much the better.  

5. You’re now working on your debut album, Incipient. Can you give us a glimpse  into what we can expect—sonically or thematically—from the rest of the record?  

This is a difficult question as we’re still working on material and have not made any firm  decisions yet. I think Lyrics for a Song and Heaven or Hell give a fairly good idea of the  sound and themes for the album. At the moment there seems tbe an undercurrent of love and loss, but we’ll see. I think the songs will all have a foundation in our own  experiences anyway.