‘We love playing with the surreal, especially when it comes to Britishness.’ | The Stingrays interviewed

The Stingrays explore how their long-time friendship, rural childhood, and British absurdist humour shaped their debut EP My Everything, and reveal plans for a stranger, concept-driven project.

by Harvey Solomon-Brady |
The Stingrays Yellow Days

You’d be forgiven for thinking The Stingrays have just rolled off the set of a ‘70s British sitcom – all cheeky grins, inside jokes, and a dash of that absurdity that makes you wonder if they’re taking the piss or just having too much fun. But Hector Delicious, Milo-G, and George Van den Broek go way back. Teenage years spent knocking about the countryside, dreaming of something bigger, and eventually moving on to form the Yellow Days live band. Somewhere between all that touring and late-night jam sessions – the kind where you’re not sure if the surreal songs are coming together or if they’re just caught up in another round of tomfoolery – The Stingrays were born.

Their debut EP, My Everything, is a love letter to nostalgia, but not the weepy-eyed kind – more like the kind that winks at you from across the pub. It’s all there: the countryside, the seaside towns, and a fondness for the absurd that could only come from a trio who’ve been mates for years. In this interview, the band chat about their past, their music, and the joys of not taking themselves too seriously.

The-Stingrays-Photo-Credit-Jay-Izzard
Credit: Jay Izzard

Harvey (interviewer): You’ve all got backgrounds in Southern England, and it really comes through in your music and visuals. Can you talk a bit about how your countryside upbringing informs what you do, especially with the My Everything video?

Hector: Yeah, we all grew up in the countryside. We moved to London after school, and this video really reflects our sort of romantic memory of the place, you know, in that way our generation looks back on things before we were even born — through this totally rose-tinted lens. We just wanted to celebrate the beauty of it, now that we spend way less time there.

George: There’s also a bit of irony in it, though. We kind of over-romanticised that countryside thing, made it all kitsch and twee on purpose. The music and visuals both kind of match that vibe. It’s British summertime, like a village fête or fair, but with a slightly surreal twist. We wanted it to feel really playful, almost on the edge of being too much, you know?

Harvey: So the video plays up this sense of nostalgia, but your recording process was totally different — you did it underground in Hackney, beneath a sandwich shop. How did the contrast between these two environments shape the EP?

Milo: Recording down there, it didn’t even feel like Hackney. There’s no windows, no sense of where you are — it’s like a liminal space. You could be anywhere, really. It’s that sensory deprivation kind of thing that helps you take yourself out of reality a bit.

Hector: Exactly. You don’t feel like you’re in East London once you’re in that room. It allowed us to create a kind of world of our own down there, and that contrast with the countryside influence in the music — it just sort of worked.

Milo: It was the perfect environment to work in, actually. You lose track of time and just focus on the music. We’d go up for air, grab a sandwich, and then dive straight back in. In a weird way, we were tapping into that sense of being in two places at once — this urban, gritty environment but channeling something far more pastoral.

Harvey: You’ve mentioned before that you three have known each other since you were teenagers. How did your friendship influence the way you make music together?

Hector: It all started when we were 15 or 16. We’d just muck around together, you know, going to the pub, running around the beach, that sort of thing. It’s funny because we were so desperate to get out of that life at the time. We wanted to be in London, part of a scene, but now we look back and appreciate what we had. The music kind of reflects that — we’re pining for the past, but we also find it funny.

George: Yeah, the friendship definitely informs everything we do. We know each other’s boundaries, what makes each other tick. We’ve been through so much together, and that gives us this shorthand in the studio. A lot of our creative decisions happen without saying a word. We just know where we’re going with it.

Milo: It’s also about the silliness. We’re mates first, and that’s why there’s so much humour in the music. When you’ve been friends that long, you’re always trying to make each other laugh, and it shows in what we create. Even when we’re doing something sincere, there’s always a touch of that playful side.

Harvey: Let’s talk a bit more about that humour. Your music has this mix of sincerity and whimsy, and you’ve mentioned how you’re influenced by these quirky, almost absurd British bands from the ‘60s. What’s the role of that absurdity in your music?

Hector: Oh yeah, we’ve been diving into some really strange stuff recently. It’s this mix of discovering new old music, you know? There’s this joy in unearthing all these forgotten British bands from the ‘60s and ‘70s who made brilliant, weird music that’s just fallen through the cracks. There’s something about the absurdity of British humour from that era that we connect with.

George: We’ve been listening to bands like Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, and even stranger stuff. There’s this song called ‘Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps’, which is literally about a guy at a bar shouting his order over and over because the bartender won’t listen. It’s ridiculous, but it’s also so British. That kind of surreal, playful side is what we love.

Hector: Exactly, we’re leaning into that absurdity. Like George said, there’s a lot of joy in writing absurd lyrics or coming up with ideas that feel whimsical but have a deeper meaning underneath. We’ve actually got some tracks that are a bit too weird to release just yet, but you’ll hear them one day. There’s a whole concept album brewing that’s a bit like a surreal pub experience.

Milo: Yeah, the absurdity is definitely part of our DNA. But we balance that with sincerity. You can have something that’s whimsical or surreal on the surface, but underneath it’s really heartfelt. It’s all about not taking ourselves too seriously, but still caring about the music.

Harvey: You’ve all come from Yellow Days, and while there are clear similarities, there are also big differences with The Stingrays. How does this project differ from what you’ve done with Yellow Days?

Hector: It just kind of happened naturally. We’ve been jamming for years, just messing around and recording stuff, and eventually, it started becoming more serious. We were like, “This is actually good,” and that’s how The Stingrays came to life. It felt like a natural progression, not forced at all.

George: With Yellow Days, it was more about George as a solo artist and us working as part of that project. This is completely different because it’s the three of us, and we all contribute equally. There’s also a lot more focus on Britishness here — looking at ourselves, our identity, where we come from.

Milo: Yeah, we’re more reflective in The Stingrays. We’re drawing on these British influences, from the countryside to old-school rock, but we’re also thinking about what it means to be us now. It’s like a journey back to our roots but with all the experience and perspective we’ve gained.

The Stingrays 2

Harvey: You mentioned some stranger, more frenetic material that didn’t make it onto the EP. Can you tell me a bit more about that? What’s the “weird stuff” we might hear from you in the future?

George: Oh man, there’s a lot. We’re working on this concept record with all these characters who hang around in a pub. It’s all a bit mad. There are songs that feel almost like sea shanties, and then there are parts where we lean into the absurdity full tilt. There’s this skit with three drunk guys singing nonsense — it’s completely out there.

Hector: We love playing with the surreal, especially when it comes to Britishness. I think there’s something about British culture in the ‘60s, particularly in rock music, where people were really embracing the absurd. It was almost like a response to the times — like, let’s not take everything so seriously, let’s have fun with it.

Milo: Yeah, it’s something we’ve been working on for a while, but it’s not ready yet. We’re just letting it evolve naturally. It’s going to be very different from the EP, that’s for sure.

Harvey: So, what’s next for The Stingrays? You’ve got the First Fifty show at The Great Escape coming up. What can we expect from that?

Milo: It’s exciting, because this is our first proper show as The Stingrays — where we’re really putting ourselves out there. Live, it’s a bit different. We’re all on electric guitars, and it becomes more of a party. It’s like we’re turning it up a notch.

Hector: Yeah, exactly. We’ve always enjoyed making the live show feel like a proper knees-up. The EP is more laid-back, but live, we really want people to have fun. It becomes about having a dance, having a good time. That’s what we want to bring to this show — just a lot of energy and a lot of fun.

George: And because we’ve all toured before with Yellow Days, we’ve already done the big festivals. Now we’re really excited to do this smaller, intimate thing. There’s less pressure, and it’s just more about connecting with people and having a good time. We’re enjoying the freedom of doing things on our terms.

The Stingrays

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