Guy Garveysongwriter, vocalist
By 2007, we were dealing with some nervous energy; it felt like a conflict that had been ramping up for years. We had released our first three albums with V2Label, but then they started winding down operations. When we signed with Fiction, they didn’t even hear the notes for our fourth album, which felt a bit off. It wasn’t until the funds dried up that it seemed we might be done. I could have ended up behind a bar, and Mark Potter probably would have become a chef, while his brother Craig might have worked as a nurse. Thankfully, things started looking up.
It was a whirlwind time. We had lost our friend Brian Glancy, which was hard. So I was leaning on Emma Jane Unsworth, who I’d been with for nearly ten years.
Out of the blue, I got a call from David Joseph, the head of Universal Music. He congratulated me on the album and asked if I had any other material for radio. I responded, “Well, it took me two and a half years to write those ten tracks, so I really doubt it. But I’ll see what I can do.”
Something had to emerge before we finalized the album. In the following days, I began jotting down ideas and recorded some rough notes at home. The first spark hit me while I was in the bath—I thought of the phrase “blinking in the morning sun.” It had a strange, rhythmic quality. I shared it with Craig at the studio, saying, “Let’s run with this.”
I’d had that lyric, “Throw those curtains wide,” in my back pocket for years. I’d played around with it before in a song about leaving home at 17 and struggling financially, but no matter how tough things got, seeing the dawn always lifted me.
At BluePrint Studios in Salford, Craig laid down the chords. I envisioned every line being underscored by strings. We added strings to the track, creating a feeling of warmth and care; it reminded me of moments in a bittersweet symphony—think Massive Attack mingling with the primal rhythms of Lambchop. The song transformed into something vibrant and joyful.
I knew we had created something substantial. I was experiencing new love, and the vibe in Manchester felt electric. The future appeared bright, and it just seemed too fun to hold back.
The most rewarding part of this song’s legacy is that at least a couple of times a week, someone tells me they played it at their wedding. Once, someone sent me a video of crowds along a road celebrating it. That’s just magical.
Craig Potterkeyboard player and producer
The rarely seen Kid was my first album to produce and mix. We’ve drawn inspiration from bands like the Beastie Boys—especially around that time—and a particular Rufus Wainwright album that had some standout tracks. Interestingly, “A Day Like This” is probably one of the shortest songs we’ve crafted. It’s funny how we sometimes labor over songs for months, but then manage to complete something impactful in just weeks.
Guy had a simplistic ascent sound, and I shaped the chords around it. Once we had the final chord, everything just clicked into place. Honestly, I didn’t think too much; it felt right from the get-go.
Many assume we had a full orchestra behind us. In reality, we used three musicians we had on tour: Stella Page, Jot Osaan, and Ian Bursing. I arranged them in a large room and placed stereo microphones to capture different sounds depending on their positions. This added depth and a classic quality that worked beautifully.
I also encouraged them to bring along old instruments to mix things up, creating unique textures as they played differently than they normally would.
At the end of our recording sessions, it became customary for us to gather around a mic and applaud, a moment that reminded us of what we were doing and how lucky we felt to be enjoying this journey.
