Interview: The Little Kicks’ Steven Milne Gears up for Lemon Tree Homecoming

It’s been three years since People Need Love and The Little Kicks are ready to share what comes next. Their return begins at The Lemon Tree on 13 September, where they’ll mix old favourites with brand-new songs. It feels like a proper homecoming and a chance to see the band mid-stride, still pushing themselves into fresh territory.

This summer, they stepped onto a huge stage supporting Deacon Blue at The Tall Ships, playing to thousands on the city’s waterfront. Next, they bring that same energy indoors to a venue where the atmosphere can feel electric, every chorus echoing back from the crowd. With a new record taking shape and plenty of stories to tell, The Little Kicks are clearly in a busy and exciting moment.

And so, we thought it was the perfect time to catch up with singer Steven Milne to hear what’s been going on behind the scenes, how the band are approaching the next steps, and what fans can expect when those new songs finally meet an audience.

THIS ARTICLE IS SUPPORTED BY people like you

Would you like to see your message here? Let's talk.

POST highlights Aberdeen’s creative scene, from theatre and music to visual arts. We focus on showcasing the city’s unique talent and supporting local voices.

Through stories, artist profiles, and event coverage, we’re here to share what makes Aberdeen vibrant. Sign up for free or support us and go ad-free for just £3 a month.

Join POST

Hey Steven, it’s great to hear from you again. It’s been a while. With a new record brewing and shows ahead, what feels different about The Little Kicks in 2025, and what’s driving that shift?

Thanks for having me, and for all the support with the band to date – it’s hugely appreciated. I think we are in a pretty good place in 2025, quiet on the surface of social media but working away on lots of things behind the scenes. We have been going for a long time now, but we still really enjoy playing live, love being in the band, and somehow we keep finding new ways to challenge ourselves when writing and in the studio - long may it all continue.


Your drummer, Scott, has launched York Street Studios. What gap did he see in Aberdeen, and how is the space answering it?

Yeah, it’s been very exciting seeing York Street Studios come to life. We have always had a “band room” of our own of some description, but usually (due to noise and cost) these places are in the middle of nowhere, cramped, freezing, potentially hazardous and not massively nice places to spend long hours in. This was especially true in regard to our last rehearsal space, which served a purpose but ticked all of the above boxes. We were already considering a move, but when it flooded during Covid (our gear was thankfully somehow unscathed) it made us decide it was the final sign to move on.

Most band rooms are shared spaces that you have for a limited time on rented gear that you won’t be using live. You lose the first half hour of your practice time setting up from scratch, setting levels and getting set up, then the last 30 mins+ packing down again. I feel like we have always benefited from having our own space previously, where we could use our own gear (replicating a setup/sounds for live) and also not have a time constraint, so as to be able to keep working on something for longer if needed. It’s also handy to be able to store equipment in a safe location that has 24/7 access.

I think it’s a natural conclusion that Scott ended up doing York Street Studios. He knows a lot about production and what bands need day-to-day during the writing & rehearsal process.

So York Street offers all of the above. There are multiple band rooms, each with storage, and the bands that use the rooms together get an evening that is solely their own, but they also run a shared calendar together where they can discuss switching slots or booking extra time. There is a small shared kitchen with a fully stocked “tuck shop” which is a lifesaver (Scampi Fries, the top product!) and a fridge full of all sorts. Payment is a monthly fee per band/ member (as opposed to by the hour), and it’s not far from the city centre (walkable or easily gettable by bus).

There is also a DJ room upstairs where DJs can record mixes and practice sets on the latest Pioneer equipment. Which I think is a huge offering because the room is blacked out with club lights, the music can be turned up as loud as you want, and it’s the next best thing to properly playing a club, so it’s the best way for DJs to practice without annoying their parents/ flatmates/ neighbours, etc.

I think it’s a natural conclusion that Scott ended up doing the Studio. He knows a lot about production, but also what bands need day-to-day during the writing & rehearsal process. He is always down there making improvements to the aesthetics of the space and adding to the gear list in there and it’s clear he has a real passion to create a place/community for the bands who use it and it seems to be working – the spaces are full each night and between the bands and DJ’s coming in and out it’s packed at all hours.

Are you producing the new album yourselves or bringing in outside ears, and what guardrails keep it sounding like The Little Kicks? 


Our room in York Street is the Studio Room, where York Street’s in-house producer, Michael McDonald, works from – he is in there recording bands most days, and we use the room to rehearse in at night. The arrangement is that anyone who books the studio can either bring in their own gear OR use ours if they like, as part of their booking – so all of our equipment is in the space. We will be recording our new album in there with Michael producing it, and have already started capturing things.

Process wise I usually demo the songs at home to give the guys a good idea of what I have in mind but then once in the room Michael has been coming down with us at rehearsals and because he keeps the room setup in a way that it’s possible to record at anytime it means that we can record practices and listen back to then inform how we may approach a potential final recorded take. This is a process that works well as it means we are getting Michael’s input at an early stage, but we are also capturing that early energy a new idea can have (before you rehearse it to death), which I think we have come to learn is the key to a good recording/ song.

In terms of making it sound like ourselves, I guess I hadn’t thought about that. I feel very lucky that we as a band seem to have a sound that can go in many directions, whether that be a short pop song or a pared-down moment, to us throwing out a long disco song with a few left turns along the way. Our audience seems to like that variety in style, so we have some leeway there, but I think ultimately it will sound like us because of the way I sing and the way we play.

What musical and non-musical references are guiding this record right now? People Need Love was a very personal release. Has your process changed this time around?

Sonically, we will still be using things like synths, piano and guitars to get the songs across, but we are always aiming to try new things when arranging songs, so that’s an influence- to not repeat what’s gone before (tricky on your 6th LP!). Harmonies and melody are always up there as an important focus and as well as the equipment that we know well, we each have some new toys to play with. The fact that we have our own studio to play with is probably a massive influence/factor as it opens the door to more time for experimentation. This could also be a bad thing, so if we speak again in 2028 and the album has not been released, then we have a problem.

Musically, our influences are all pretty varied and across the board, so it’s hard to pin down – as I write this on a train, I am enjoying the new Barry Can’t Swim LP Loner as I loved his first LP. It would be fair to say his use of keys/ synths and the way he builds songs is an influence, as well as that I think his sense of fun in his music is something that I admire.

I totally agree that People Need Love was very much a personal record, and it’s funny because I was going through some of the songs the other day, and it caught me off guard a little. There are whole songs in there about some really difficult things, and wee lines here or there that are actually about some pretty catastrophic personal memories for me, but I wouldn’t change it. I’m really happy with it, and while it helped me work through some stuff at the time of writing it, I have also had people tell me it helped them too, and that to me is what it’s all about.

We learned so much making that record (especially working with Paul in Chem19), and it was a really special time putting it together and doing the release shows/ the BBC sessions that followed. Our aim would be to again have a focus on good production and interesting sounds/ variety within the songs, but moving forward, I definitely don’t want to just repeat it, particularly lyrically. We are a little further down the road, and I am keen for this new LP to be pretty upbeat and a different beast entirely – it’s already heading that way with the songs we have worked on, where the energy and tempos are up, and I’m excited to keep going.

Are there any guest players on the new record? Might the Cairn String Quartet appear again?


As it stands, we have no plans for guests, but not ruling it out – I do love collaborating in the studio. The Cairn team are great, and those live shows we did for the last record really were special. I think at the same time, it’s good to not repeat things of the past, and we have had strings be fairly prominent on the last two records; maybe it’s time to mix things up. Strings can be an amazing way to lift a song, but you can sometimes have too much of a good thing. I think if we use strings on this one, it would maybe be more sparingly than PNL, but it’s too early to say!

Lyrically, what questions or stories anchor this record, and was there one line that unlocked the theme?

I think with the last record, there was a fairly clear theme in the lyrics and what the songs were about, to the point that my friend refers to it as a concept album about grief and loss. I think the new songs we have for this next one are much lighter and broader in scope, and hopefully different, but it helps that I have set myself a rule not to touch on those things covered in PNL. If they creep in here or there, fine, but the main aim is to be lighter and more upbeat. Songs about the pandemic are also a definite no as nobody wants to be reminded of that (though I have since finished one that I realise it’s semi about lockdown, but not in an obvious way thankfully!)

Tell us about your Tall Ships gig with Deacon Blue. Did you learn anything new from that experience? And beyond streams, what does a good year look like, and how can people here in Aberdeen actually help you reach it?


The Tall Ships concert was incredible, and we had such a good time. Truth be told, our last gig before then was a Christmas show at Drummonds, then we went on a break to write, so it was quite a jump up! It’s hard to cram all of your “best” into a 30-minute set, but I think we achieved a good balance, and I thought we played well and gave a good representation of ourselves

Though we are an Aberdeen band with a good home following, it was an amazing opportunity to play to a lot of people who have probably never heard of us before or at best have maybe only heard the name in passing. To get up there and open up for THE band that soundtracked every car journey with our parents growing up is a big deal, and I felt quite emotional at the end, thinking my Dad would have loved to have seen us play that show. The main thing I took from it in the end was that I somehow wasn’t nervous; it was a comfort to find the big stage felt like it suited us, and to have got such a good response from the crowd only made me want to gig more and get cracking with these new songs.

Off the back of that thought, I think more gigs would be what makes a good year for us because we love playing live. It’s tricky with us each having young family, but it makes the gigs mean much more when they do happen, and we will no doubt be back doing more very soon. Beyond streaming our music, all we can ask of our home crowd is to come to the shows and buy the merch when you can – I’m aware we are one of a million bands and things are tight, but that kind of support is 100% what allows us to keep going.

How are you balancing life and band right now, and what helps you keep it fun?


I am a bit of a night-owl, so while it’s not a healthy practice to get into, I go a bit nocturnal when I get an idea that I want to pursue; it will eat away at me. So I have a little home studio in my garden out-house, and I will go through phases when, after the kids are in bed, I will head out for “an hour or so”, but in reality it becomes much later/longer. So a lot of these new songs are being demoed or worked our very late at night – thankfully we have a good coffee machine at home for the morning after! I do love it though – that exciting bit where the idea can be all-consuming, but it’s new and fresh is the best.

I find that time best for switching off from work, and there’s no guilt because the boys are in bed as opposed to heading out there on a weekend trying to work on something while they are battering a football outside, while you feel guilty for not joining in.

I’m no dictator either and feel lucky to have the guys work on my ideas – you couldn’t ask for a better group of people, and they are all passionate about the band.

I have also come to learn that the more time I spend on the idea at home, the less we will have to strain as a band in the rehearsal room together to get the idea into shape, as the more I can present what I hear in my head to the guys, the clearer the idea is for moving forward. I am also recording keyboard parts, which are then potentially keepable for the final recording, so it’s all productive. I would also say some songs get a full demo with multiple parts, and some songs I just stick a guide down and we flesh it out together – that second approach is what keeps it fun as it allows everyone to contribute to the arrangement and feel.

When we gig it’s always fun, and we love hanging out as a unit, so that keeps it fresh. I’m no dictator either and feel lucky to have the guys work on my ideas – you couldn’t ask for a better band/ group of people, and they are all passionate about the band. While I can be excited about a demo, they always take my home noodlings and boot them into a different level, so I am very thankful for that. 


Checking in on the Aberdeen scene. Who deserves a shout just now, and what are people getting right or wrong about the city’s music culture?

Aberdeen bands we have become friends with via York Street would be the likes of Capollos, Ross Dillon, Deaf Turtle, Cameron Stewart Grant, Titans, Moody Moody and quite a few others. We also have enjoyed seeing artists from the North East like Calum Bowie, Katie Mackie & Rosie H Sullivan rise in profile from afar. There is a lot of talent in the North East! I think there is an assumption that all the best bands are from the Central Belt but if people make the effort to travel that bit further North they would be surprised - almost every weekend in the city there is a gig of note you could go to and the venues here are very busy most nights with touring and local talent – it’s an exciting time.

 You’ll road test new songs at the Lemon Tree. Is there particular feedback you are looking for at this point, or are you there to have a good night and give fans something new?

We will be playing three new songs as well as the best of our back catalogue, and it feels exciting. I think for us, committing to air new songs gives us a self-imposed deadline to share them, but also the chance to let people hear an early insight into where the next record may go. We will no doubt get a sense when we play them of which bits have worked well or which bits may need tightening, which will then feed back into recording them.

I have to say we are so excited for the Lemon Tree show – the venue is always so special, both in the sound quality of the PA but also the atmosphere that room can generate, so it’s going to be great. We are looking forward to seeing the new faces of those who hopefully bought tickets after seeing us at the Tall Ships gig, as well as the loyal ones who keep coming back (for which we are very thankful). I love a sweaty weekend hometown show – we have a great line-up of support bands and everyone is always up for it, so it’s going to be a special night.

Thanks very much to Steven for making himself available and his thoughtful answers. The Little Kicks play The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on Saturday, 13 September. There are still tickets available if you get your skates on. It's going to be a brilliant night. We'll see you there.