Cast in the role of Matt, a hot-headed Northern Soul enthusiast, who swears a lot, wears leather, and is covered from head to toe in tattoos (one of which Josh made permanent after the film wrapped) Josh plays the ultimate brooding bad boy, which isn’t bad for someone who had previously never acted or danced before. Just as passionate about music as his character, Josh lives alongside other young musicians in a warehouse that his brother built, where he often practises with his band More Like Trees. When he’s not singing or dancing, you can find him working on his painting or teaching himself a new trick. We caught up with Josh to talk about acting, all-nighters, and getting down to Northern Soul.
How did you first get involved with Elaine and the Northern Soul project?
I met Elaine about 5 years ago, on a shoot she was doing and we got on really well. She asked me to come down to these dance clubs she was putting on, so I did. At the beginning I felt really alienated, I was like, ”’ahhh all these people I don’t know, they can all dance really well and I don’t know how to dance.” But they were all really welcoming and taught me the basics, and then some of the break dancing. I ended up doing some modelling jobs with Elaine and carried on with the dance classes for the next six months. And then she offered me private dance classes and acting classes.
With acting there’s a massive divide between actors who receive formal training and those who develop their craft naturally, approaching it from both ends of the spectrum, which did you prefer?
I think I did need the lessons; I couldn’t act before. I was comfortable in front of a camera but the hardest part was having to hit marks, being spatially aware, and repeating exactly the same movements for continuity. But once I understood that it was easy, to be fair.
Is acting something you now want to pursue?
Yeah, I haven’t done it in a while. It’s been two years since we finished filming.
What have you been doing since?
I’ve been focusing on music; I did a tour in the southwest.
Your band’s called More Like Trees, where did the name come from?
We found it really hard to give the band a name; they’re just some lyrics from one of the songs.
Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
It’s really difficult to say. When I was younger I was always influenced by what my parents were listening to, like James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Tracy Chapman, and my dad loved the Beatles. Then I grew up and got into Punk, Metal, and then I stopped being a teenager and started listening to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Weezer. Then when I was 16 I got into Flamenco.
What made you interested in Flamenco?
That came from always liking it. I was in a band with this guy called Fran – he was amazing, he was Italian and more into Flamenco than me. We used to watch Rodrigo y Gabriela, and play some of their songs. And then started playing our own stuff.
What I loved about the film is how passionate yours and Elliot’s characters are about Northern Soul, about dancing etiquette, the drugs, the clothes, the whole culture, is this something you can relate to as a musician?
I related to my character mainly because he hates chart music and he’s really passionate about trying to push away from it, and push these amazing records onto people. The main reason I made a band in the first place is because I’m sick of the radio. It drives me mental listening to all the crap that sounds like it’s been pumped through a machine. It all sounds the same. Someone takes a pretty girl, runs her voice through Auto-Tune, gets a producer to write the song, and then goes: ”there’s your product”. And everybody buys into it because all the big cats are at the top. That’s where I get frustrated. When I started listening to people that the character is based on, their reasons for liking soul music, that reminded me a lot of myself.
How did you immerse yourself into the whole Northern Soul scene?
I went to loads of soul nights, mostly just in pubs. And there was one night where we went specifically to an all-nighter in Manchester. It was me and Claire Garvey, who plays Becky, and Frank who plays Frank. We did the whole shebang, danced all night and stayed up all night.
What did you think of Northern Soul? Did you engage with it in any meaningful way, beyond what was required of your character?
I hadn’t heard of it before, but I’ve engaged with it massively now. If I go out and hear Northern Soul, it’s the only music that I will get up and dance to, partly because I have the key. It makes you go that music, it’s really powerful. I’ve also covered a lot of Northern Soul tracks with the band.
So what’s next?
I’ve just signed to United, so hopefully stick with the acting thing. But I also want to keep doing my music, and with modeling if there’s a big thing that comes up or if there’s something I’m particularly interested in, then I’ll do that. I want to keep working for Elaine, and carry on hanging around with everyone. I just want to keep doing this to be honest.
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock
Photography Amber Grace-Dixon