Exclusive Interview: Hovercraft

Feature

12 Aug

Hovercraft’s “The Promised Land” is living, breathing proof that great songwriting can time-travel, shapeshift, and come out sounding fresher than ever.

Hovercraft’s original run was the stuff of cult-band legend. They formed in October 1995 after Piers “Charlie Pepper” Wildman answered an ad in an off-licence window. The lineup—Wildman on vocals/guitar, Dave “Golly God” Marsden on guitar, Aaron “Ron Nasty” Downing on bass, and Daniel “Mr Shimble” Downing on drums—managed to pull off the holy trinity of critical praise, a devoted cross-generational fanbase, and the kind of sonic punch that made people compare them to Paul Weller, Oasis, and The Only Ones.

By summer 1996, they had disbanded. That would’ve been the end of the story, if not for technology catching up. Using advanced AI music generation, Hovercraft’s lost catalogue has been reconstructed from those archival fragments. “The Promised Land” is the crown jewel of this revival—a track originally known as “New Pine Overcoat,” reborn as a sleek, horn-soaked contemporary R&B anthem.

It’s not just a re-creation, it’s a reimagination. The core DNA of Wildman’s original composition—its sophisticated chord changes, layered emotional undercurrents, and lyrical depth—remains intact. But the AI-powered arrangement and production give it a new skin: lush female lead vocals glide over warm brass swells, syncopated beats snap in all the right places, and the groove rides that perfect mid-tempo sweet spot between introspection and celebration.

What’s wild is how natural the transformation feels. You’d think a 90s indie rock track would creak a little in R&B clothing, but instead it struts like it’s always belonged there. That’s the power of strong songwriting—it transcends style, decade, and even the original performers.

Lyrically, “The Promised Land” resonates even more in 2025 than it might have in 1996. Written during Grimsby’s post-industrial shift, it explores transformation, uncertainty, and the stubborn belief in a better tomorrow.

And make no mistake—this AI resurrection isn’t just about dusting off old tunes for retro kicks. The process has opened a door for the entire Hovercraft catalogue to be reinterpreted by contemporary artists across genres. Imagine those harmonic progressions morphing into jazz ballads, alt-pop bangers, or even cinematic scores. The potential is massive.

Listening to “The Promised Land” now, you can’t help but wonder how different the 90s indie landscape might have been if Hovercraft had stuck around. But maybe this is the better story—a band whose songs were too far ahead of their time finally finding the exact moment they were meant for.

So whether you come to it as a piece of music history, a proof-of-concept for AI’s potential in art, or just a flat-out great tune, “The Promised Land” delivers.

Turns out, you can go home again. Sometimes you just have to take the long way—via 30 years, a lost demo tape, and a little help from artificial intelligence.

We spoke to God & Nasty from Hovercraft about their journey so far.

Do you have an interesting moment or story from your early life that has had a significant impact on your journey into music?

God: The moment that changed everything was when Piers "Charlie Pepper" Wildman replied to the card in the Grimsby Spar shop asking for a "Chilled out lamppost to front retro space pop band." We thought we were being clever and ironic, but Pepper showed up and he was exactly what we didn't know we were looking for. He arrived on the last train from Winchester, "pissed and potless, but with the blues in his soul and the H-word in his brain." That meeting in 1995 led to nine months of the most creative musical period of my life. When Pepper took the first train out of town in 1996 and the band disbanded, it left me with this sense of "unfinished business" that's driven me for 30 years - first preserving everything in cardboard boxes, then digitiziing it with cheap converters, and now using AI to bring his songs back to life because I can't let them die with his disappearance.

Nasty: I was hooked on music from the moment I watched the needle drop on one of my dad's 45s. I can still hear the static and remember the feeling of astonishment at the sound of rock 'n' roll filling the room.

Are there any artists that were influential to your musical journey? How have they inspired your sound as an artist?

God: We had a common love of the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Peter Green, Blur, Oasis, Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene, Small Faces, Alexis Korner, The Creation and Ellmore James. But honestly, Pepper was our biggest influence. His songwriting had this spiritual, yearning quality that was trying to break free from indie rock constraints. Me and Ron always loved the horns in Blaggers ITA songs, but we didn't have a horn section. Now, through AI reconstruction, I'm discovering that his songs naturally want to live in Neo-Soul and Contemporary R&B territory, complete with those horn arrangements we always wanted.

Nasty: I guess I'm influenced and inspired by everything I hear. If I had to select individual artists I'd struggle to answer concisely. Within the scope of Hovercraft we were listening to everything from jazz, soul, blues, rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues to rock, punk rock, grunge, Britpop, ska and reggae.

How would you describe your sound to new listeners? What do you think sets you apart?

God: We're not really a band anymore - we're an archive brought back to life. The original Hovercraft was "cataclysmic rock and roll of the most intense order" with spiritual undertones, but the AI-reconstructed version reveals what those songs always wanted to be. What sets us apart is that we're doing musical archaeology and resurrection - using AI to resurrect a missing songwriter's catalog while actively searching for him. We're proving that artificial intelligence can preserve and enhance human creativity rather than replace it.

Nasty: The quality, arrangement and emotional depth of Pepper's songwriting is definitely up there as far as I'm concerned. I don't know if it sets us apart from any other band but I think we were tapping into and expressing what it is to be human. The sound is Hovercraft, it's us creating a collective identity through individual creativity.

What's your creative process? Where do you normally start when it comes to writing and recording? Do the lyrics come first?

God: Our process now is unlike anything else in music. I start with Pepper's original chord charts and lyrics - handwritten artifacts from the '90s that Ron lovingly transcribed from our old four-track recordings. Then I feed the music into Suno AI, sometimes with up to eight minutes of original audio. The AI interprets Pepper's musical DNA and generates new performances, but we're making all the creative decisions about style, arrangement, and production. It's the closest I get these days to being in a band and recording everything we do to listen back and find the magic. It's a collaborative process, which was always the Hovercraft way. Sometimes it's horrible. Mostly it's ok. Every now and again you get one, and as soon as you hear it you know it's special.

Nasty: As a collaborative musician it's about listening to what's being presented to you and creating a complimentary or conversational voice within the song structure. Recording is really more about refining your musical voice within the song structure/arrangement. There's always a bit of back and forth, the creative process can sometimes be quite messy. Sometimes it just happens.

Have you had any challenges or adversities in your life that you feel have shaped you as an artist?

God: Losing Pepper twice has been the defining challenge. First when the band dissolved in '96, then again in 2015 when we reconnected via Facebook and he told us about his spiritual journey to India before disappearing again. For decades, I've been carrying these songs that couldn't be properly heard because of technical limitations - degraded cassette tapes digitized with cheap USB converters. The frustration of knowing there was something beautiful trapped in unlistenable quality drove me to keep experimenting with restoration tools. Every few years I'd try again with the latest free software, never quite getting there. Pepper's absence forced me to become both archivist and innovator.

Nasty: The same struggles as the majority of working class people. All experiences shape you and all conflicts hurt you.

Are there any moments or achievement from your career so far that you're most proud of?

God: Being number one in the South Bank Demo Charts in the Grimsby Evening Telegraph was pretty special back in '96 - we were Grimsby's top band, briefly. But honestly, I'm most proud of what's happening now. When I hear "The Promised Land" - reconstructed from the full original audio and transformed into this wonderful uplifting R&B ballad - I know we've finally done justice to Pepper's songwriting. Getting it distributed through BandLab and knowing it might reach him wherever he's chosen to be feels like vindication for refusing to let these songs disappear.

Nasty: The first time I got on a stage and played rock 'n' roll and every time after that. Working and playing live with Pepper and Hovercraft was and is the highlight of my career.

Which do you prefer, the creative process or live performance? Or do you enjoy both equally?

God: The creative process is everything for us now, because live performance isn't really possible - our singer-songwriter is missing, our drummer emigrated to Australia, and our bass player Nasty is in a covers band. But the creative process has become something entirely new and fascinating. Working with AI to resurrect these songs is like being in conversation with ghost versions of ourselves. Each reconstruction reveals new aspects of Pepper's songwriting that we couldn't hear in the original lo-fi recordings.

Nasty: I enjoy both. Live performance is exhilarating, it makes you feel alive. It's the fulfilment of the creative process. It makes it feel worthwhile.

Do you as an artist require fans to fully understand your message in each song or do you encourage subjective interpretation from every listener?

God: The songs have to speak for themselves now because Pepper isn't here to explain them. What's interesting is how the AI reconstruction process has revealed new layers of meaning. "The Promised Land" has become a metaphor for artistic resurrection and the hope of reunion, but it started as something else entirely - "New Pine Overcoat" had final verses about suicide that I realised didn't sound right with Alicia Keys-style vocals, so I worked with Claude.ai to rewrite them into something more hopeful. I encourage people to hear whatever they need to hear. If someone in Bharath or Bournemouth hears these tracks and thinks "that sounds familiar," that's the most important interpretation of all.

Nasty: No, not really. My hope is that listeners can identify with and find meaning in the song that resonates with them. I guess we all experience life in different ways. If the songs help people through hard times or are used as a source of celebration it's all good.

Does the political landscape have an impact on your music, or do you keep your personal opinions separate from your work as an artist?

God: The original songs came from the mid-'90s, so they're more about personal and spiritual searching than political commentary. Pepper was always more interested in inner landscapes than political ones. But there's definitely a political dimension to what we're doing now - we're making an argument about AI's role in preserving human creativity, about musical archaeology and resurrection. The concept of owning songs is a very western, capitalist one. Rock and roll was all about young people being able to play music, and punk was all about anyone being able to play music. AI is just a further democratisation of music creation.

Nasty: I suspect politics impacts everybody regardless of whether you're a musician or not. Our music is bound to be influenced by what's going on around us. It's all part of the human condition, man.

What are your future plans? Any new songs/projects on the horizon?

God: We're continuing to reconstruct the entire Hovercraft catalogue through BandLab's distribution service. Concrete Hill has already been released as "Higher Ground" - transformed into a high energy Afrobeat/Neo-Soul/Jazzy tune. Ones to look out for? Mr Tooting Brown, Crazy, Here Now. Most importantly, we're still actively searching for Charlie Pepper. Last heard of in the Bournemouth area ten years ago. My eleven year old loves Mr Tooting Brown (the original version) and it would be fantastic to expand our historical audience of students, musicians and pensioners! The real future plan is a reunion of some sort - everything else is just preparation for that moment when the music finally reaches Pepper.

Nasty: Yeah, we aim to release the whole catalogue and hope Pepper hears them and contacts us. There's a lot more to do.

”The Promised Land” is available now on all major streaming platforms