We came to this interview with a few contributory factors leading to it. Firstly, we last spoke to Grace and Aaron back in December 2022 when they released their double Christmas single, “Christmas is Here” and “It’s the Time of Year.” So not only was it time for a chat again, but there was a Christmas prompt! Next, I went into HMV records and (being annoying, as we try to be!) asked them about whether they had the new albums on vinyl by First Time Flyers, Morganway, When Rivers Meet, – “no, no, yes.” So…When Rivers Meet continue to drive through into the mainstream and are a massive powerhouse in the world of British independent blues rock. The last album “Addicted to You” (2025), produced by Adam Bowers and co-written with Bowers and Foxy (James Fox) reached number 4 in the charts, and that is a huge achievement for an indie album.
Also…in July 2022 we interviewed Matt Long about his band Catfish. Matt was such a lovely guy and the interview remains one we love here. Sadly, after our interview Matt fell severely ill, passing away on October 6, 2024 aged only 29. Grace and Aaron are contributors to the album “With a Little Help From My Friends” – a Tribute to Matt Long that is available for presale now (link here).
Lastly, the band is currently crowdfunding for their new album “Rhythm, Rust and Static,” (link here). The band tells us about what awaits- “With this record, we’re stripping it right back — raw, rough, and back to our roots. This new record is all about dirty, overdriven guitar tones, that raw blues-rock energy, and the kind of honesty that first defined our sound. We’re recording it as a three-piece: us and Foxy (James Fox), who many of you will know as our drummer and co-writer on “Addicted to You.” Foxy’s an absolute powerhouse — playing drums, percussion, guitar, and backing vocals (all at the same time). He’s just ridiculously talented. We’re working on this album with our long-standing producer Ads (Adam Bowers), and writing with him as well as Foxy. As always, he’s creating the most epic sounds, and making sure at every step that we’ll be able to recreate it all live. We’ve deliberately put creative restraints on ourselves so that everything you hear on the record can be recreated live — no tricks, no layers.”
So with all that in mind, on to the interview. We began noting how HMV records had 3 copies on the “Addicted To You” vinyl in their store. They said one was being bought by me, one appeared to have been stolen (!!) and one other had sold. We love vinyl and know how important it can be for artists too. When Rivers Meet have been committed to vinyl from the outset, their debut album was on vinyl and CD too. Many people now (me included) buy the albums as they are great to collect for the covers, information and feel – but often play on digital. What is the process like for independent artists getting the vinyl out there?
Aaron: The vinyl side of what we do has changed a bit over the last five years. You put your order in and tell the company what you want. For the art work we design everything ourselves and if it is colored vinyl then you get to pick what you want, from what they have and can do. Sometimes you have to get the order in right from the start, it could be months ahead. You have to say how many you want and, especially during COVID – because all the major labels were taking up all the slots. For people like us being independent we were struggling to get any slots that were within seven months or whatever. But it has changed for the better since then, you still have to book the slot-but you can’t book straight away you have to give them the masters. So you have to record the album and give them to the masters before you can order the vinyl. Then that can take up to three months if there are no problems.
Much as we love The Beatles, Kiss and all these greatest bands of the past, there is a real importance that major outlets like HMV do stock more contemporary vinyl as well, we need to get behind bands breaking through as well. We first found When Rivers Meet during the pandemic when the guys did live streams. I remember in these difficult months looking forward to them coming online, their shows were always friendly and fresh, the music enjoyable. Were they aware of the audience out there, or were these surreal months when they appeared to be playing in a void?
Aaron: They were surreal to be honest. When we first started doing it…we had seen a couple of other artists do them within the first week or two of lockdown. Like other artists we lost everything, shows and everything were cancelled and for a time we honestly wondered if we would ever be out there again, no-one knew what would happen. It was like a concerted effort to live stream, put on a show and do something. It was ‘forget about the world and talk about music.’ It was ‘pretend we are down the pub, have a drink, play a few songs and have a laugh.’ That is how we went about it and it grew from there. There was never a great plan, we were texting friends and family to watch us on the live stream and to start with there were 20 people or so and then it gradually grew into thousands and it was a Wow feeling. Even though lockdown was a terrible thing in some ways it helped with the online community side of things.
The last time we spoke, When Rivers Meet had two Christmas songs out: “Christmas is Here” and “It’s the Time of Year.” The down side of Christmas songs , we guess, is that there is a very narrow window of about three weeks when they can be played live (we refuse to review Christmas songs here until December 1, no matter who sends them to us!) Does that mean those two tracks never get a play?
Aaron: We have our last two shows this weekend (we spoke to Aaron at the end of November 2025), and they won’t make it on the set list. However, over the last couple of years we have had a couple of winter shows, we did Cambridge a few years back and Wolverhampton last year- specific Christmas shows – but this year we decided not to, and the last show is Bury St. Edmunds on November 28, so we can’t play them. I love Christmas but don’t want to hear anything Christmas related until December 1, then go for it.
Let’s talk about “It’s the Time of Year.” Where “Christmas is Here” is a rocking along Christmas track, “It’s the Time of Year” is more of a contemplative duet, rather lovely. It seems to consider the time of year for both being with those we love and feeling sad for those we can no longer be with.
Aaron: One of the things about Christmas is the sentiment and it can, as you get older, be a time when you look backwards. You are looking at past family members, your grandparents and friends no longer there, people no longer in your life. But those people who are still there matter now and that is what the song is about – feel grateful both for what you have and also for what you once had. Christmas is a special time.
On Wikipedia, that great source of information, it has only four singles down for you guys as released, “Christmas Is Here” (2022) “Play My Game” (2023) “Golden” (2024)And “Addicted to You” (2025). That can’t be right, surely?
Aaron: We released four singles off this last album alone, that’s definitely not correct!
However, what they do have correct is that you have four live albums out, Flying Free Tour – Live (2022) Breaker of Chains Tour – Live (2024), Live in London ’24 (2024) Red Rum Duo Tour – Live (2024). We reviewed Flying Free at the time of release (link here). On the subject of live albums, one of our favourite guitarists Ace Frehley who we were so sad to lose this year (obituary here) commented that he had been asked to do a new live album but declined as he felt the times had changed- audiences now constantly filmed with their phones and your show was up on YouTube within an hour of finishing. Did Aaron feel this has validity, or do live albums still retain the magic?
Aaron: I’m not bothered about filming on phones, you want to come to a concert and do that, that’s fine. It’s one of those things, if you film it on a phone, it won’t be the same as a professional videographer who we have when we do a live album. We have professionals with 4 to 5 cameras from different angles and you get a real sense of the show. We always release a DVD and CD alongside vinyl. We want to give you the full sense that you are there, put it on your television, turn the lights off and you will be there. If you watch YouTube, filmed by phone you won’t get the same impact. One of the good things is that when people like what they see and place it on YouTube then they have enjoyed themselves and want to share that enjoyment with others.
With the live shows comes a look. They band does seem to have developed aesthetically over the last five years, less leather now we think?! The leather epoch has gone maybe, is it a conscious evolution?
Aaron: Yes, although to be fair I still wear a lot of leather! Not necessarily black. I think we wanted to be more colorful and how we write, or what we are influenced by, is not one genre it is blues, rock, country and Americana. We look to bring those elements into our music and style at different times. Classic sixties and seventies rock, Cream, these are huge influences for us. You have to be comfortable and own who you are, there is no point in trying to be someone who you are not as people will see through it. Be genuine and write and perform the music you love, embrace yourself as a person and artist. But, yes, our evolution aesthetically has been a very conscious decision.
(Christmas image © Rock the Joint Magazine)
Last question – your tour van breaks down in the middle of nowhere, it is winter, the wind howls round the trees and there is a small cottage nearby with no one living there. One book and one film to get you through the night?
Aaron: Book wise, I’m reading a lot of Wilber Smith material at the moment, I love what he does and the Egyptian stuff he is doing. I love all that. As for a film, it would be the original DieHard, it isn’t Christmas until Gruber falls from that building!
And that ended the interview. In a world where everything is polished, layered, edited, filtered and streamed instantly, Aaron still believes in real sound and real connection. Whether it’s the tangible crackle of a vinyl release, or the unfiltered emotion inside a winter ballad, the band keep choosing honesty over illusion—because that’s where the soul lives.
So, if you’re the one grabbing the last vinyl copy from HMV (not the tea leaf!), or the one refreshing a crowdfunding page in the small hours—good. You’re part of the story too. Independent music doesn’t just survive because of artists like Aaron and Grace. It survives because of people like you. Until next time—keep it loud, keep it honest, keep it independent.
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By Mark C. Chambers
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Anna-Louise Burgess
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