Dom sits down and talks to Steph Hebdon all about playing the keys in Low Hummer, growing gig confidence, living with M.E (chronic fatigue) and how you can do anything you want to if you put your mind to it.

“I’ve always been a massive book worm as a kid, I used to write stories and stuff. Maybe five years ago now, I have a thing which I started at that time where I try and say yes to things that push me a little out of my comfort zone, so I decided to start writing again.”

Steph joined a band to play keys and within weeks she’d gone from not playing much to doing her first gig with the band.

“It was really scary! I really wanted to join a band and play in a band, but I’d never played keys before. Dan asked me if I was willing to learn and just to scare myself a bit, I said yes. We had four weeks before our first gig, so that first gig was terrifying! It was very intense but very good.”

From first being in the band, Steph expresses that her confidence has grown over the last few years with being apart of Low Hummer

“I think its grown, I enjoy gigs now. I still get nervous, that never really goes away, the first few gigs, it was shear terror. Whereas now I think we’re all comfortable with each other’s company we’ve known each other for a long time, they’re all my closest mates.”

Looking back on touring with the band, Steph reflects on what she has learned as a band member and how her confidence has blossomed.

“I’ve learnt that I can do it and pushing yourself and doing scary things is a good thing and taking a chance is a good thing, I think I’ve gained a little bit of confidence and I think when you’ve not been in a band before, especially as a female, id wanted to join a band for years and years but its so intimidating and very male dominated and now I feel so much more comfortable and quite passionate about getting other people to just do it.”

Steph opens up about coping mechanisms she has used over the years to get through the worries and anxiety of performing.

“The firs time is the most difficult because you don’t know what’s on the other side, one of the best things for anxiety is to do the thing that your anxious of because it proves the anxiety either right or wrong, so for myself It has been just doing it.”

As a musician it is pressurised and difficult anyway, however for musicians with disabilities/hidden disabilities it can be even harder. Steph talks about her anxiety and living with M.E.

“I have anxiety and depression but I also have M.E, which is a neurological condition and I’ve had that since I was 11, which is like you say, its like a hidden thing, you wouldn’t necessarily know unless you spoke to me about it or kind of lived with me on a day to day basis, when I’m out its because I’m a having good day, when I have a bad day I’m at home by myself. That’s probably the biggest thing I deal with on a day-to-day basis. I know I’ve been in much worst state when I was first unwell, I was bed bound, nothing is certain when you have chronic illnesses, it could improve or it could get a lot worse, it very much depends on, and I think that’s scary. One of my main symptoms with it is tiredness and exhaustion, playing gigs doesn’t fit that well.

With having M.E it is the smaller things that people don’t realise the kind of uncertainty, like I have been a wheelchair user in the past and I was only a kid, and it wasn’t as much of an issue but accessibility in venues is terrible!”

Living with any type of disability of mental illness can impact day to day life and other milestones in life, one being meeting new people, Steph discusses about how she deals with meeting new people and the challenges it can bring.

“It can be a challenge but its scarier and nerve wrecking in your head than it actually is in person. Its when you first sort of meet someone and start speaking to someone and you’re like at what point do I bring this up? But for me it’s usually as a joke, it can be a big scary thing to bring up, so I usually do it in a jokey way. Most the time people have been accommodating and are nice about it. Whether its disability or mental health, everyone’s got something they’re not so comfortable about.”

What advice would you give to a young person who is maybe wanting to go into music but are unsure or are living with a mental/chronic illness?

“It’s not as far off as you think, there are huge hurdles and it can be difficult to get into, but it is possible, its about being around the right people, that helps! If I can feel the same way as some young people do now just after coming off tour and being in a band for 3 years, then its fine for you to feel like that. Its fake it till you make it a little bit. You can still do it, you just must be prepared you might have to do things a little differently, but that’s not a bad thing.

Also, difficulties arise with being a female in the music industry and what kind of challenges that unveils.

“The guys in Low Hummer are lovely, they’re understanding, supportive and they let me learn and make mistakes which is important, but you do come across challenges, same with disabilities it’s the little things, like a venue we went to pre-pandemic, no bins in the toilet and no toilet roll. Practise rooms have disgusting toilets most of the time, some of the bathrooms are unusable as a woman, it’s not prejudice but just not the thought that a woman would ever be there basically.

And other things like comments “you’ve got two pretty girls in the band” and apparently “it’s a good marketing move”.

What do venues need to do now to cater for different people?

“The main thing is awareness and for every venue to be wheelchair accessible which would be amazing and to have staff that know how to help people who need it. It is just understanding that disabled people are in music, and they go to gigs, and they are in bands. The same with women, women are in music and they like music.”

Interview: Dom Smith || Words: Katie Lovatt