Head of Culture Evelyn Shepphird discusses ‘The Cases’ latest EP ‘Mr. Penny’ with lead vocalist Harry Hornsby and lead guitarist Will Bullen.
It’s been a month since ‘The Cases’—a Preston-based pop rock group sharing a scene with the Royston Club and Blossoms—released their latest EP ‘Mr. Penny’. Roar was lucky enough to interview lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Harry Hornsby and lead guitarist Will Bullen, a couple of weeks before the release.
The EP itself is energetic and sonically joyful, straddling pop and rock. Interestingly, the lyrics tell a dramatically different story than the music itself. Where the optimistic musicianship constructs a vibrant, youthful image for the band, the EP’s lyrical project follows the aftermath of a breakup. The effect is that of a passionate, joyful band with an acute emotional sensitivity: they’re the sonic descendants of bands like ‘5 Seconds of Summer’ or ‘Blink-182’.
‘The Cases’ don’t take themselves too seriously, which makes Harry and Will fun subjects. Funny, sweet, and witty, the two are unerringly positive and clearly close friends. They met in school, and became friends after finding themselves stood next to each other in a queue: “I think I’ve seen you every day since.” Will reflected.
They cite the indie scene around where they grew up as inspirational: “We just fell into it, really,”; “We’re trying to be the band from Preston.”
“I don’t think we’ve been playing that long, really,” Harry remarked at the start of the interview. Will explained that he started on piano around six years ago, but picked up the guitar because he got “bored of piano”. Harry started on guitar four years ago: “I could play a few chords, sing a little bit.”
“We were such good friends anyway, me and Will, that it wasn’t the case of, oh, we’re gonna be in a band, but let’s, you know, write a couple of tunes and see what happens with it!”
Constructing the band was about finding friends as much as it was finding good musicians, and roles within the band were decided without much argument: “Will was always the guitarist–slightly better,” Harry mentioned.
“We needed a bassist, but James [Maher, ‘The Cases’ bassist] is a guitarist, so he just hopped on bass,” Will explained.
“I don’t know if it was reluctantly?” Harry.
“He’s definitely fallen in love with bass more than guitar now.”
As for the drummer, Matt Barron: “All he’s ever wanted to do—always said to everyone, is ‘I’m going to be a drummer in a band one day.’”
“Before he joined, he was about to quit the drums,” Will cut in. Harry serendipitously found Matt playing ‘Waterfall’ by the Stone Roses at a local pub.
“Joining the band sparked him back into it.”
I was curious about their songwriting process: ‘Mr. Penny’ is such a confessional EP, I wondered if there was a primary songwriter, and who arranged the parts.
“Harry normally brings an idea of something, then whether he likes it or not, depending on how we kind of see it… We all definitely have an input in songwriting.”
“It’s really important that everyone gets to be as free as they want.” Harry asserted, though both boys clarify that if someone wants to play something ‘stupid’, they’ll face pushback.
‘Mr. Penny’ was written in September of 2024, nearly two years ago: “That whole EP is like a snippet in time of how we were all feeling at the time.”
“I think it was very fresh at the time—very raw,” Harry remembered.
“Me and you broke up with our.. I mean, within the month.” Added Will. The whole band would meet in Will’s kitchen and “songs just fell out.”
The name ‘Mr. Penny’ was a sort of Beatlesque attempt at creating characters, even though the narrative arc of the EP was a happy accident (“It weren’t intentional! It was the Universe! The Universe decided!”)
The songs themselves are clearly written for radio—Harry and Will thank producer Chris Taylor for that. Title track ‘Mr. Penny’ is catchy, if a bit predictable. The song has relatable lyrics, and the latter half uses electric guitar to good effect. The Curse starts slower, but retains a bit of pop energy despite the continued melancholy slant to the lyrics.
‘She Said’ starts with a remarkable electronic riff: a “‘Baba O’Riley’ kind of thing,” Harry said. Discussing the song, Harry and Will reflected again on Chris Taylor’s influence.
“[Synth] is like a new world, for guitar bands,” said Will, before Harry took a minute to reflect on the renaissance of guitar bands: “There’s loads of guitar bands out there, and everyone’s doing really well at the moment. I’m really glad that I’m hearing some of our friends on Radio One, now, d’you know what I mean, prime time.”
‘Romantic’, the closing track, is the most dynamic: it “was always going to be a bit of a slower one”, according to Harry, and was written entirely on acoustic: “as raw as it could be”. Earlier, Harry had cited this song as still one responsible for “clogging up your throat a bit when you sing it”.
I asked the two to reflect on their live sets. What works, and what are their fans like?
“Mr. Penny seems to be the crowd favourite–but they haven’t heard ‘She Said’ yet.” Said Harry decisively. The boys discuss their demographic—mostly young fans, though “the older generation love it too, because it makes them feel young again.”
Why do they think they connect so well?
“It’s just about being true, and you know, you’ve got mates that—they’ve got the ex-girlfriend’s initials on their arm, and then two weeks later, they’ve broken up—it’s just funny, isn’t it?” Said Harry. He’s referencing the relatability of their lyrics.
‘The Cases’ successfully illustrate the enormity of youth: at once devastated by heartbreak and euphoric with boundless energy and optimism, the band must be cathartic to watch.
“The loudness of the crowd in Manchester is just ridiculous—and even London—London was great,” Harry confirmed.
‘The Cases’ are looking forward to the rest of a busy festival season and the resuming of their tour. This month, they’ve been recording some new music, and keen listeners can expect “Some more fun stuff” according to Harry.
“We’re better musicians now.”
While ‘The Cases’ haven’t got a show in London soon to look forward to, King’s students can catch them at ‘Y Not’, ‘Isle of Wight’, ‘110 Above’ and more festivals this summer, or else at the Manchester Academy 2 in November.
About the author
