Lights, Camera, Questions: Before the Show with Juno Moon
A musical trio founded in the South West of England, Juno Moon have produced a catalogue full of original tunes over the last three years, experimenting with intergalactic sounds of psychedelic rock, dream pop and new wave.
Before their sold-out show at the Troubadour in London this October 12th, we had the chance to sit down and talk with the band about how they started out, what they’ve done so far, and where they see themselves heading next…
Formed in 2021, lead vocalist Zak Larkin stepped into a jazz band and met bassist Tate Jackson, where they bonded over the way they play and learn new songs on guitar - neither read music, instead learned new tunes through chords and riffs. Chatting further, Tate unveiled that he’d met a drummer the previous day during a crazy night clubbing in the city of Exeter. The drummer, Dylan Sweet, was more than happy to join the duo and, thus, Juno Moon was born.
Photo by @m.paynefilm_
All three members have musical backgrounds and have played their respective instruments for several years. Dylan, having played the drums for nearly seventeen years, reminisced on his musical influence and journey in an interview from a few moments before their sell-out gig: “I was really young when I started drumming, but my dad was a musician and, to be fair, both of my parents are really into their music, so, I’ve gone through lots of different phases of music in my life.”
Zak, who is most-known for being the lead on vocals and playing the guitar, expressed how he hadn’t picked up the guitar until lock-down, stating that until around year 10 he’d been on a similar path to Dylan, and had played the drums. However, to pass the time during the lock-down that made the world stand-still, Zak picked up the guitar and it’s been his go-to ever since.
Tate, in similar fashion, admitted he had also played the bass for a few years: “My dad loves music and there were a lot of bands at my school and so I sort of learned bass via YouTube. I then joined a blues band before joining an alternative rock band as well. That was kind of my first introduction to music.”
And it’s a good thing those introductions happened. Since 2021, they figured out the bands name; filtering through names such as June, Dune and Juno, before settling on Juno Moon, a name that fits the astronomical and celestial vibe of their music, and going on to pick up the pen and write the songs that make them so well-loved.
Insomnia was the first to come out, a song that Dylan admitted is his favourite song the band have made for the “memories and for the nostalgia.” He confessed that Insomnia holds a special place in his heart because of how “amazing it felt doing it and it being the beginning”. Zak, whilst agreeing with Dylan’s words, disclosed that it was the bands latest single, Last Train, that means the most to him.
After months of writing, recording and idealisation, Last Train is completed and has been released on platforms such as Spotify and Amazon Music. Revealing the concept behind the song, the band delved into all of the ideas that flowed from the initial writing all the way to the music video, which is also out on YouTube:
Unsurprisingly, the main inspiration for their songs is love - a typical theme within the indie-music realm - but Juno Moon’s focuses on young love in particular and the pain that can stem from it.
In fact, Last Train was based on a story from Zak’s life, although he admits it was “kind of exaggerated to the max”. The premise of the song focuses on the idea of being on a last train with someone and how intimate that moment is, and this influenced the music video, which was thought up by Dylan:
“It’s a very common theme in indie music videos to have a storyline that is flitted in between you actually playing the song and I wanted the video to be like that. We decided to write a story about a last train because Millie Rankin, who performs with us a lot, is featured on the track. So the storyline follows the three of us, metaphorically, battling for her, battling to be on the last train with her. And at the end, it shows Tate and I getting on the wrong train, it’s not the last one, and we go in the wrong direction. Zak is the one to get the actual last train and Zak ends up with Millie on the beach in a very wholesome ending.”
Last Train has been received incredibly by fans, having been played at several sell-out gigs in venues like the Troubadour and Ronnie Scotts in London. When asked if there was a famous venue they’d most want to perform at, Jackson immediately - with no hesitation - answered “Glastonbury. Easy”, with Zak answering “Wembley” soon after.
But, despite their quick answers, Jackson explained how their venues were chosen specifically and with care: “We like picking venues that have a little bit of history. And we always think about the people who have started at our age and have gone through the same journey, so we definitely think about that when we pick a venue. It feels special walking on knowing who's played before you.”
With great things and even bigger venues on the horizon from Juno Moon, make sure to follow them on Instagram and listen to the rest of their music on Spotify: