“Miniseries came from a spark in my brain. A refiring of synapses that I had supposed were dormant. My name is Doug Morch, ex guitarist from the band Longview. Although the initial thing was an idea in my head, it was brought to life and held aloft by my band mates. Angela Gannon of The Magic Numbers is my partner in life as well as music and she plays keys and sings here. Dermot Watson of Brighton psychonauts The Dials plays electric and lap steel guitars, Paulie Cobra of cosmic country ensemble The Hanging Stars plays drums and sings too and my old mucker, Aidan Banks from Longview, is back playing bass. I’m singing most of the lead vocals and playing acoustic guitar.

The spark I was talking about came in 2018. It had been 6 years since I had picked up a guitar. Longview had parted ways in 2012 because there was no life left in us to keep trying anymore. I was left reeling from the experience. It was like we’d been put through a mangle as a group. I’d been in Longview since I was 21 and I was then 33. I emerged out the other side drained of energy and confidence. I put the guitar down.

Interim years were spent at first bartending, then studying and finally in an editorial role in publishing. Music seemed a long way away and I thought it would stay that way until I met Angie in 2017. Seeing her play with her band and being on the road with them jolted me back to myself - that’s the only way to describe it. I had forgotten who I was. I tentatively picked up the instrument that had sat, unplucked, in the corner and wondered if I had anything to say. What emerged was the start of Miniseries.

The name signifies a shift for me personally - from the longview to the miniseries. The expansive to the small spark. It fits with the times and how we like our culture in small, digestible portions. My mum also has the nickname Minnie so it felt perfect. The music that came at first was a kind of pastoral, psychedelic folk with finger style acoustic guitar and perhaps too much of a nod to Elliott Smith. The lyrics address what’s going on in my head at the particular moment the idea comes - themes span love, loss, alcoholism and the state of the country. In the past year, the band has elevated this beyond the sound in my head. We go from Americana-tinged, Harvest style folk to full-on motorik jams. Reference points include Syd Barrett, Spiritualized, Joan as Policewoman, Cass McCombs and Midlake. But if you peel back the stylistic layers, you’ll find at the centre, that spark. A hook or a line. Because no matter how you dress it, it’s still all about the song and the way it makes you feel. And that’s what brought me back.”