November 25, 2020 12.41 pm This story is over 40 months old

Lincoln band entertain millions during social media boom

Their new single is out now
The Rills - Callum Warner-Webb, Mitch Spencer and Mason Cassar. | Photo: Lewis Budd

The lead singer and guitarist of a Lincoln indie rock group believes they are “changing what it means to be a band in the 21st century” after their social media following boomed despite the pressures of coronavirus on the music industry.

The band’s rise to close to 100,000 followers on TikTok happened in just one week, while their Instagram following is now up to around 17,000.

Before lockdown The Rills also had around 300 monthly listeners on Spotify and that number has now soared beyond expectations to 50,000.

Mitch Spencer, 23, formed The Rills in 2017 with friends Callum Warner-Webb (bass guitar) and Mason Cassar (drums) after music saved him in his recovery from a skateboarding accident seven years earlier.

Social media platforms, especially TikTok, saw the band’s profile soar including this video entitled ‘Why you should stream our music instead of the Artic Monkeys’ that attracted over 1.5 million views in just three days.

Their latest single, Stardog was released on Wednesday, November 25.

The Rills already have tour dates planned next year in Southampton, London, Manchester and Birmingham, with a Lincoln date still to be confirmed.

In addition, The Rills also have plans to feature on national Dutch radio station KINK Indie and in German music magazine The Postie.

The band’s 2020 single The Angler was played on BBC Radio 6 Music and Amazing Radio, while their debut EP is expected to be released in spring 2021.

The Rills released a new single in November 2020 entitled ‘Stardog’. | Photo: Lewis Budd

Mitch told The Lincolnite he believes The Rills are “currently one of the only bands in the world that’s managed to keep active during the pandemic”.

He said: “Most bands have been limited to just releasing new music and updating their fans once a month, but we’ve grown a huge online fanbase through TikTok and Instagram Reels.

“We’ve done it all by experimenting with music marketing and completely changing what it means to be a band in the 21st century.

“There are a lot of famous artists on Tiktok now, but we’ve been one of the first to do it, and only a handful have been as successful at it as we have! We’ve managed to adapt to the times and are really lucky to still be growing in such a turbulent music industry.

“Obviously we want to try get this as big as it can be, and the dream in the next 12 months would be to sell out the big room at the Engine Shed and do a headline UK tour! We’d love to play Glastonbury too, that would be incredible.”

He added that the comments and messages from fans is what’s getting him through the “never ending rescheduled live shows” during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Rills in China Town in London. | Photo: Lewis Budd

 

Music was crucial in Mitch’s recovery from a Skateboard accident, which caused a bleed to the brain. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Last summer, Mitch played an acoustic version of the band’s track ‘Us and Them’, which you can check out below: