We're living our best lives says Leigh's Thom Rylance ahead of The Lottery Winners Lytham Festival show

The Lottery Winners, consisting of band members Thom Rylance, Robert Lally, Katie Lloyd and Joe Singleton, will be performing on the Friday night at Lytham Festival in three months time (July 4).

Their highly anticipated Lytham performance comes in the wake of the Leigh formed band’s second UK number 1 album, KOKO, which was released last month.

Ahead of The Lottery Winner’ arrival in Lytham, we were able to catch the band’s lead singer, Thom, for an exclusive chat so take a look at what he had to say below:

How are you feeling about performing at Lytham Festival?

“Well, it's such an incredible lineup. It's just amazing to be included on a poster with all those names, like Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, Kings of Leon. It's really stacked, isn't it? And I actually feel like it might be the best summer festival lineup in the country, like I haven't seen one as good.”

Would you say this is the biggest festival that the Lottery Winners have performed at?

“I'd say it's probably full of the most legends but yeah, I mean, it's one of them and it's weird, because I sometimes don't feel like we're a proper band but we're amongst a lot of real, real musicians there. So yeah, it's going to be fun.”

Do you think performing at such a big venue will change the way you perform?

“No, I feel like we'll do our thing, as we always do, and then hopefully that'll connect with people. But yeah, I mean, I'm very much looking forward to it. I've just realized that I can get back from Paris in time to see Stevie Wonder before we play on the Friday because he's doing the Thursday so I'm going to definitely get there for Stevie Wonder.”

And will you stay for any of the performances after yourselves?

“I think I've got to fly somewhere else after we play, but I'm definitely going to see Stevie Wonder. Like, how can you not? He's an absolute legend and I think it's very important, culturally, that we get to see Stevie Wonder in Lytham.”

Back to your own performance, can you describe what kind of set you're going to give the people of Lytham?

“Yeah, we're just going to do festival bangers. We're going to play all our - whatever our version of hits are - a greatest hit set, a greatest flop set, but I dunno really, like we're just going to do our thing and it's been working so far, so we’re not going to change anything.”

If anyone’s yet to have come across The Lottery Winners yet, how would you describe your music?

“Someone once described it to me as ‘smile music’, so I'll take that, I think that's good.”

And we're talking just off the back of your second number one album so how are you feeling about that?

“Yeah, it's not really sunk in yet, but it's obviously a huge achievement. I just crave affirmation so much like, that's the whole reason that I do this, so to get a trophy with literally a number one on it, that's s a lot of affirmation points. I love it.”

If readers haven't bought that album yet, why should they?

“Because it's probably one of the best albums ever recorded and that's not my words. That's the words of my auntie Tracy.”

Well, whose other words do we need to hear?

“Exactly!”

And for fans of your music, can they expect to hear the new music and some of your old stuff as well?

“Yeah, I think so. We've not put together the set yet for the summer. We've literally just come off a tour so we're going to just have a breath for a minute and then I'm going to be hard at work putting those shows together. But it's going to be special. We've got a crazy summer, so we need to be amazing, and we will be.”

Are you open to any requests for songs from fans?

“Always eager to hear everyone's opinions, yeah!”

Which of your songs hit the best when you perform at a festival like this?

“We literally hit with every song that we do because we're incredible. But I don't know really, like we've got a lot of different kinds of songs for different kinds of people, and people find different meanings in them too. There's a song called ‘letter to myself’ which is a song that I wrote to a 12 year old me who was really struggling at school and discovering who he was and that resonates with a lot of people I know. I always see a lot of people tearful when we're playing that and that means a lot to me that people find it so meaningful.”

And if we return to this festival, have you ever been to Lytham before?

“Yeah, we've played the festival twice. We played it in 2016 in a very minor way. We played in like a church, which was not part of the main festival site, to barely anyone. Then we came back and played to a lot of people supporting Paul Weller a couple of years ago, which was incredible. And it's so lovely to be asked back again to play with Alanis Morissette, she’s, again, just an absolute icon in the music industry, and I can't wait to meet her.”

Would you say starting from a church in Lytham to being on stage for Alanis Morissette, represents The Lottery Winners exponential growth over the last few years?

“I hope so. I mean, it's going pretty well. We started off literally playing open mic nights in pubs and now we've got a summer full of main stages at festivals and stadiums. So yeah, it's quite different, it is growing.”

Aside from Lytham Festival, have you ever just been to the Fylde Coast for leisure?

“No,I haven't, actually, but I will, because it's really nice. But I don't have any time for leisure! I don't know what that even means these days, I'm just somewhere else every day, just trying to get clapped at.”

Leigh isn’t far from the Fylde Coast, did you not go as a child perhaps?

“No, I think we always hit up Blackpool when I was a kid but Lytham is also excellent so I think I'm gonna go, you know, I've got a few days off now, so maybe I'll go now!”

Ah well Blackpool is one of the Fylde Coast resorts, what are your memories of visiting the town?

“I like Blackpool because it's kind of specifically designed to have fun in. Like the whole thing is just a little tacky but in the best way and I think it really suits me that. Like the front with all the arcades and the shops and the Pleasure Beach. Yeah, I've got a lot of fond memories from being a kid and now, more recently, too.”

Being from Leigh, does it feel different performing at a festival in the North West? Does it mean more to you?

“Yeah, I think so. It kind of feels like a home crowd a lot of the time when you play locally, and that's always lovely, isn't it? Like that's always the best gigs. Hopefully loads of people know who we are.

Can you remember what the Lytham Festival audiences were like the last two times?

“Yeah, like really receptive, really good, a lot of singing. My favorite thing to do is, we have a photographer that comes with us and he takes photos from the back of the stage, and I, like, zoom in on everyone's faces, and I see a lot of joy, and if I can see that, and we're kind of providing that, then that means that we've done a good job. And that's like the greatest thing that I can take away from a show.”

Why should people, if they haven't got tickets yet, get tickets so that they can see The Lottery Winners at Lytham Festival?

“Because I will provide them with joy and then I will look at the picture of it on the way back.”

Are there any other plans outside of Lytham Festival that you want to mention?

“Well we're on a five month stadium tour with Robbie Williams which is going to be life changing, and just a bunch of festivals. Like we're just living our best lives. That thing that we always dreamt about doing as kids that's this summer, really.”

And have you still got a final dream that's yet to be achieved?

“I think I'm always moving the goal posts annoyingly and I'm quite worried about that, actually, because what if you get to the top of the mountain and there's nothing there, you know? So I think it's important to kind of celebrate every win. And, you know, we've just got that second number one album so I'm still reveling in that one at the moment but then there'll be the next thing. I think ambition is kind of drilled into us as working class North West people and yeah, I don't know what the next thing is but I'm gonna achieve it.”

For other people from a working class background who want to make it into the entertainment industry, could you offer some words of advice?

“Yeah, I can try. I mean, it is difficult. Coming from a working class background presents so many barriers and to quote Danny Dyer -so I hope he did his fact checking - only seven [ercent of people in the creative arts are from a working class background, which I think is shocking. Working class people have great stories to tell, and can tell them very creatively and in a very entertaining way. We're trying to do some work with schools and with the music industry as well, to give more people from working class backgrounds, more opportunities, and I hope that it changes going forward. But my only advice is, if you really believe in it and you think that you could get somewhere with it, then just go for it. Just keep going and like the biggest talent that you can have is bravery, and it's going to feel scary sometimes, and you're going to worry about making rent and putting food on the table, but if you really believe in it, then just make those sacrifices, and you too, can be playing at Lytham Festival”.