Virens

In the height of the 2020 pandemic an actress from Birmingham swiped right on a song-writer from Hastings. They soon discovered lockdown dating was pretty limited, mainly long walks, lie-ins and scrabble, until one evening James heard Louisa singing around the house. Having exhausted all other government-approved activities, he convinced her they should have a go at writing a song together, James’s 1000th and Louisa’s first. They listened back the next day, thought it was pretty good, and thus Virens was born.

Virens’ debut EP, the aptly named “Couples Therapy” was released in June 2023 and was produced by Fyfe at Park Studios who said of Virens: “I was intrigued about Virens harnessing the chemistry of a real relationship to write love-songs, and when I first heard their two unique voices mellifluously melding into one, yet providing edge and dissonance in all the right moments, my curiosity was rewarded. When the project progressed into intimate music that erupts into ambitious soundscapes I knew I was witnessing the start of something special”.

Without yet having a radio plugger in place, the band have already managed to garner national coverage at BBC 6 Music from both Cerys Matthews and Tom Robinson, whilst also receiving continued support from BBC Introducing in Coventry & Warwickshire, who branded Virens "one of the best things heard on BBC Introducing ever”.