HANDS OFF GRETEL WHO ARE YOU? We are Hands Off Gretel a four piece alternative rock band from South Yorkshire. I (Lauren) founded the band back in 2016 with Sean (Guitarist) and to be honest it took ages to find the right members. I had such a strong vision when I started the band, I knew exactly what I wanted from the music to the look, I had it all mapped out in my head and I think that was annoying for people. I’d never had a band before Hands Off Gretel began so finding my feet as a woman in music was pretty hard at first. Sam saved the bloody day when he came into the band, I knew him from a previous solo project where he played guitar and I invited him in to cover for the bass player who at that time decided she didn’t want to commit to the band leaving us pretty screwed with an upcoming Photography by Andrew Benge
tour. Sam then replaced the drummer within the same month as we came to jam together in practice and all fell out. The second the drummer walked out the room that day Sam jumped to the kit and we smashed through the set as a 3 piece. It was one of those movie moments where we all just looked at each other like “wow”! It sounded heavy as hell, something we’d been lacking previously. Becky joined after we recorded our latest album, she’s the freaking best player I could have asked for so I’m pretty confident now I’ve found people that are going to push this band to the top! WHAT DO YOU DO? I (Lauren) write all the songs for the band along with designing all the merchandise and directing and editing the music videos. I am a control freak for sure, 26
people always told me that was a bad thing but I think that’s just a thing people say to young girls, I feel like if I was a boy people would see me more of a leader rather than a dictator. Sean works at Sainsbury’s in his non-music time. I think every musician just dreams of quitting their day jobs and doing it full time. It’s a weird feeling when you play a run of sold out shows, feeling on top of the world with the reviews of the new album and riding off that buzz then realising you have to go back into work the next morning. WHY DO YOU DO IT? A lot of people will say that music means everything to them and I totally feel this, I think I would die if I quit music. I’ve never had a plan B. Growing up at school every single teacher told me I would never make it, that I was being stupid and all the kids in my
