News Only Real: ‘You Need To Have A Free Spirit’

Niall Galvin is a confident guy. There’s very little that’ll throw him. Music that’s poppy, cheeky, with rapping from a skinny West Londoner in his teens? He can handle that. Being thrown into the spotlight as some genius ‘slacker’? No problem. But cereal… This is where things get complicated.

Asked if he had to eat one breakfast good for the rest of his life, the mood turns. There’s a serious pause. ‘That’s a really tough question.’ When he first emerged with his ragged, rude bedroom indie, announcing himself as a cereal fan was the only thing that went alongside his music. There’s passion in his answer.

‘I love the sugary ones,’ he eventually replies. It makes sense. The songs on his ‘Days In The City’ EP are innocent at face value, a fresh face bringing a new perspective on guitar-pop. ‘They don’t really put that much sugar in them anymore… I think they’ve lost their way a bit,’ he continues, before joking: ‘Personally, with sugar, overstimulating children’s minds is a beautiful thing.’

Only Real is a project that keeps things sweet and fresh. At times, he’s just like the giddy kid who’s on a rampage after too many bowls of Frosties. But there’s wisdom under the youthful sheen. ‘I’m 22 now, so over the last, probably 10 years, it’s been about being old enough to experience independence in London.’ Galvin’s love for the city could be linked to fellow bright-eyed redhead, King Krule. But where Archy Marshall might dive into garish, urban nightmares, Niall’s more about the escapism, the crux of youth: ‘Without sounding too corny… No matter how old you get, you need to have a free spirit.’



His second release holds no punches. Free spirit is evident at the very core. A song like ‘Lemonade’ - which throws a term like ‘merk’ in the lyrics, just for the hell of it - is enough to alienate any old fogey. Maybe that’s the point. It’s difficult to imagine someone who’s seen the undercurrent of a city like London being able to subscribe to this EP. Only Real is all about the sun, the skyline views, the charms of a big, scary place.

‘I aim to speak to people of a similar mind-state to me,’ he declares. Music is about ‘everyday things,’ but the intention is to speak volumes. ‘I might take over the world - I don’t know, one step at a time.’

Signed to Universal imprint Luv Luv Luv Records - ‘I think they just kind of understand what is important about being a record label’ - the spotlight’s beginning to cast its eye on this relative newcomer. Still, ‘Days In The City’ feels like an ultimate mission statement. ‘This is who I am - take it or leave it,’ it might as well be shouting from its damp West London rooftop.

‘I’m very glad that I’ve grown-up here,’ he states with hindsight. ‘The things you see when growing up are obviously going to have hugely sculpted your outlook on things, and the way you view the world.’ For Only Real, this capital consumption has all led to a musician fit to burst with bright ideas. Whether the exuberance will fizz out like a half-open bottle of Vanilla Coke is anyone’s guess. One thing’s for certain: It’s not going to turn rotten like the milk in Niall’s sugar pops.



Only Real releases new EP ‘Days In The City’ on 7th October via Luv Luv Luv.

Read the full interview in the new edition of DIY Weekly, available from iTunes now.