Brief Bio
Cloaks are a five-piece guitar band based in Glasgow with a contemporary indie rock style. The band formed in 2020 through a shared passion for music and sound, with four of the five band members meeting while studying Audio Engineering. That solid grounding in music production and sound composition gives Cloaks a sophisticated and confident sound, and one that’s technically accomplished. Cloaks’ five song EP ‘The 8th Floor’ was independently released in November 2022, with ‘Meaning of Life’ released in October 2023, and follow up single ‘Headhunter’ released in December 2023.
A five-piece Scottish guitar band based in Glasgow. Aiming for the big time with their contemporary indie rock style, Cloaks cite Coldplay, Radiohead and Muse as a triumvirate of inspiration.
The band was formed through a shared passion for the technical side of music and sound. Four of the five members of Cloaks - Finlay, Jamie, Lewis and Thomas - met while studying Audio Engineering at Riverside Music College near Glasgow. That solid grounding in music production, audio engineering and composition gives Cloaks a sophisticated and confident sound, and one that’s technically accomplished.
Vocalist Thomas Trainer and guitarist Finlay Harrison take the lead on composition, with the band using technology to collaborate digitally over group chats to build out structure and arrangements. This means that time spent in rehearsals and in the studio is highly productive, and a rapidly growing catalogue of tracks is the result.
Their five song EP ‘The 8th Floor’ was independently released in November last year with track ‘Coloured Pictures’ being publicly praised by influential actor Robert Carlyle. Their most recent single ‘Meaning of Life’ was released in October, and follow up single ‘Headhunter’ is due for release on 15th December.
Cloaks play regularly in King Tuts in Glasgow, and have supported other up and coming bands there, including Fauves, Midnight Alleys and Milk.
Music
Press photos
What Others Have Said
“They might just be my new favourite band”
Billy Sloan, BBC Radio Scotland
“From Glasgow… got to be good!” and “…cracking tune!”
Robert Carlyle (source: X / Twitter)
“Get yer lugs round this! What a future these guys have got”
Deliberator Records MD ANT (source: X / Twitter)
Interesting Info
Ben Troy (bass) is an ordained minister and can legally perform weddings (although he hasn’t actually done so – yet).
Earlier this year Cloaks reinterpreted Auld Lang Syne for Robert Burns Ellisland Trust to support a community consultation on the development of the site.
Thomas Trainer
Vocals | From Ardrossan“Robert Carlyle tweeting about us just about blew my head off because I was actually watching The Full Monty when it happened.”
Finlay Harrison
Guitar | From Carnoustie“A good analogy I’ve heard other musicians use and that I totally relate to is that creativity is like fishing. You have to sit down every day with the guitar, piano, or whatever and just play. Most of the time not much happens but occasionally an idea grabs you and that’s when I will take it to the band.”
Jamie Wallace
Guitar | From East Kilbride“Recording our first EP was really special. Although we all met at Riverside music college, in a sound production course, and quickly bonded over music, recording the EP was something new for all of us.”
Ben Troy
Bass | From East Kilbride“It’s all about the substance for us. We’re no posers, our music is what it’s all about, so a highlight for me was flying out to Texas to meet Ed O’Brien of Radiohead. I gave him a Cloaks cd but I don’t know if he’s listened to it, I hope he has.”
Lewis Findlay
Drums | From Hamilton“I’d love Cloaks to support Coldplay one day. We share almost the exact same story of how we met and Will Champion’s story of how he became the drummer is the exact way I became the drummer.”
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