Toast on their upcoming EP and helping new artists

By Rebecca Jones

4-piece rock band Toast have made a splash during their time touring around Cheltenham. After a year and a half of taking the local music scene by storm, Toast talk about their latest single and how they’re helping new artists.

Credit: @frankymabon, Instagram

Toast formed in September of 2021, after their drummer, Tommy Lee, and lead vocalist, Liv Haddoway, became housemates. They soon teamed up with guitarist George Goodwin, and then bassist Jamie Fox, after a quicksearch. Their debut performance at the Frog and Fiddle in December 2021 made an immediate impact, and they were soon approached by Out the Box Productions to talk recording; which prompted the writing of their first song, Child’s Play. Currently, Toast are performing around the Midlands and the South West, all while recording their new EP, titled BURNT.

It isn’t easy to put Toast in a box. With a wide variety of influences, notably Royal Blood, they dip their fingers into almost every aspect of rock; and their rocky, noisy, energetic sound has won over the local music scene. They’ve played many venues since their debut in 2021, their favourites being the Wychwood festival, and their first headline gig. “I’m a killer for a crowd that really gets involved,” says drummer Tom. More recently, they’ve branched out of Cheltenham, with performances in Bristol, Birmingham, and Bath

Their chemistry is just as strong off stage as it is on. Toast are great friends, despite initially only having the band in common. “I don't think I could spend two hours a day without them,” says drummer Tommy. With their songwritingideas beginning mostly outside of rehearsals, and their fantastic on-stage energy, it's clear to see how their close friendship benefits them musically, with vocalist Liv claiming they “never feel as happy as when I'm performing with these guys”.

Their success is not without setbacks, with illness and equipment damage threatening to sabotage their gigs. “the input in my bass stopped working, someone had to solder it,” Jamie says, “my kick drum pedal sort of snapped in half” Tom adds.

Toast are more than just a band; their parent company, Breadbin Productions, which is run in part by the band, is helping to guide and advise Cheltenham’s up-and-coming artists. “When we were fresh we didn’t know what to do,” says Tom. They could’ve used a company to help get their gigs up and running. “We wanna be that for other people,” Liv says. Breadbin’s latest project sees them collecting second-hand shirts around campus to make new merchandise.

You can find Toast on Instagram (@toast.theband) and SoundCloud (TOAST.).