I caught Jora The Fortuneteller along with two other Brighton bands (Belmondo and Joe Perfect and The Champagne Socialists) at The Smokehouse here in Ipswich earlier in the year and they impressed greatly with their stoner rock sounds, dynamic stage presence and a storming cover of 'Come Together'. In between university studies the guys are planning to release their debut EP early next year and drummer Josh answered a few questions for 'Ballroom Blitz's Man At The Back' on the band, how the writing process in the band works and recommends a few other upcoming Brighton acts amongst other subjects below. Check out the Q&A below and do check them out live if they come your way - a band well worth catching.
Jora The Fortuneteller are Sam Howlett (Vocals / Guitar), Gui Leadbitter (Lead Guitar), Dawid Tondryk (Bass) and Josh Shave (Drums).
Singles 'Invincible' (2020), 'War' (2021) and 'Vultures' (2022) are available on all the major digital sites. An EP should be with us early in 2024.
Hi Guys, thank you for taking some time to answer a few questions for 'Ballroom Blitz's Man At The Back'. First off for those readers who may not be familiar with Jora The Fortuneteller, could you give a short history of the band?
Hi Simon! Thanks for getting involved and coming to our show! Yes absolutely, so we’re a four piece rock band that met at Access To Music College in Norwich around 2018. After Covid we moved down to Brighton where we are stationed now and study at two music universities across the city.
And who would you say were the main influences on Jora The Fortuneteller?
We’re a very desert/stoner rock band so we’re heavily influenced by Queens of The Stone Age and others like Royal Blood and Tigercub.
You've released three singles so far - 'Invincible' in 2020, 'War' in 2021 and 'Vultures' in 2022 - how have they fared out in the 'big wide world'?
‘Invincible’ and it’s B-side ‘Invisible’ (although they’re a few years old now) still get monthly play-listed plays and we often receive messages about how to play the songs! ‘Vultures’ is a lively part of our gigging set list and gets great reactions but ‘War’ is still our number 1 played song approaching 20,000 streams across the platforms and the lockdown released single is still loved by all.
Any plans for a longer release - an EP or full album?
Yes! We have recorded 6 tracks this summer at Vada recording studios and we’re super excited to get these finished off and released! We’re looking at releasing our 5 track debut EP in the new year and the behind the scenes work is currently being put together for another single to come soon!
And are there any songs you've not yet released, that you're particularly excited to get out there?
We’re very stoked about our new tracks on the way. The mixing and mastering process is an egg shell operation but we’re equally excited about all of them!
What is the writing process within Jora The Fortuneteller? Does somebody come along with a near finished song that the others add their parts to or do the songs come from a more 'jamming' scenario?
That’s a great question as we use both! Our general process includes a verse-chorus structure being brought to the table with basic parts of each instrument. We then learn/spruce the individual parts and put them together. This is then followed by a team effort to create a bridge, breakdown and ending. This is a very general rule of thumb but we always go for the idea that creates the most resistance… For example if we find ourselves on a path that we imagine anyone else would be on, we immediately change it up and go for the weirdest option out there. We feel this will be best represented in our upcoming releases.
You've been gigging consistently since the opening up after lockdown - any particular shows / tours that stand out from the ones you've played?
Our craziest stretch of time would be the nearly two month tour we did back in 2021 supporting the wonderful Millie Manders And The Shut Up. It was a beer filled, van sleeping, crazy part of our lives that will never be forgotten with thanks in the hand of Millie herself who fought for us to be there. Big up Millie! We’ve also had the pleasure of playing shows in Copenhagen and who doesn’t love travelling abroad to play amazing festivals and supporting friends!
And any upcoming shows you can tell us about?
We’ve got a headline show in Brighton on October 9th at the Prince Albert. Apart from that we’re behind the scenes working on our upcoming tracks, music videos and other media forms.
I would imagine Brighton has a pretty good rock / indie scene! Any bands from the area that you'd particularly recommend to readers?
Absolutely! We have many bands on our scene and would heavily recommend to check out Mindframe, Tigercub, Belmondo, Congratulations and so, so, so many more.
And finally, what plans for Jora The Fortuneteller going forward in 2023 and onwards into 2024?
So, as mentioned we have our headline coming up on Monday 9th October, we also have an EP in the works and another single coming soon. As it stands we’re back at our third year of uni still learning the ways of the industry and networking our way to find partners who believe in our work and will help fund future projects.