St Albans duo Finley and Zac Pile formed Princes to Kings to raise money for epilepsy charities, but more crowning moments are yet to come, discovers Natalie Li
Surprises come in the strangest of places and when brothers Finley (Finn), Zac and Josh Pile found themselves centre stage on Michael McIntyre’s Big Show it was a bolt out of the blue.
The trio were nominated by their mum Becky and eldest brother Luke to perform Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars as Unexpected Stars of the Show on the BBC primetime programme. The threesome were led to believe that they were spending the day at an escape room in London.
“That show is something we’ll remember forever and was one of the best days of our lives. We were in shock and performing in front of the Palladium was amazing,” reflects 19-year-old Finn as he recalls their biggest performance to date in 2019. “We chatted to Michael, and he was really nice, and we even saw The Chase. Zac and I are huge fans! There was so much going through our heads it’s hard to describe the feeling.”
The three brothers formed Princes to Kings in 2015 to raise awareness and funds for epilepsy research as their older brother, Luke, 25, who lives in residential care, has a severe and complex form of epilepsy. They have since performed in London and Hertfordshire, on TV shows like Blue Peter, and most recently at the Camden Assembly, raising thousands of pounds.
Last year 22-year-old Josh left the band to pursue other passions leaving Finn and Zac to continue writing and producing music. Their first EP Back Before Dusk has since amassed 150,000 Spotify streams.
Now, the humble duo is determined to grow their talent and take it to the next level. “We produce music in a small room in our house – it used to be my bedroom, but it’s now our studio,” explains Finn. “It’s brilliant as we both live at home in St Albans, and we don’t need to travel up to London. At the weekends we wake up and get to work straightaway. We film a lot of social media content at home and perform in our garden.
“Zac and I have similar interests and passions and we just love to create; I can’t remember a time when we’ve argued about music making. People have said they’ve never seen two brothers get on so well. We know each other so well, it makes it easier. It just works,” Finn smiles.
Growing and shaping a sound is an exciting prospect for the pair who live on the edge of St Albans, near Highfield Park, where they escape to play football in between school, work, and music. They chat excitedly about the eclectic range of music they’re currently listening to – from Phoebe Bridgers to The Japanese House and The Weeknd.
“The Weeknd is incredible and so nuanced, it doesn’t fall into formulaic patterns in pop music. We’re really into Bon Iver, Damien Rice, Elliott Smith, and Death Cab for Cutie too – we are exploring intimate, acoustic writing styles,” enthuses Finn.
“Mum and dad are into their music, and we’ve grown up listening to the likes of Crowded House, Radiohead, REM, and The Beatles. We love anything from Debussy to Justin Bieber. Our music has a sort of coming-of-age and nostalgic feel. Our sound is always changing, and we don’t want to be constricted by a certain genre,” Finn continues.
Listening to their tracks reveals a whimsical, hopeful yet wistful edge – a maturing sound for the brothers. “Our track More and More is nostalgic, the words ‘how the summer goes so damn fast’ was about exploring lost time and the instrumental section encapsulates that,” Zac explains.
Music has been in their veins since they were little; their mum has a degree in music and encouraged violin and piano lessons from an early age. “I decided to learn the drums as I connect with that instrument,” says Finn. Zac, 17, adds: “I had one guitar lesson and I decided to play – so I picked it up, but it’s trial and error. During lockdown I was teaching myself. Our mum wrote a lot of music, but didn’t have confidence to perform – she has always encouraged us. She plays the violin on our track Love You the Same, which is special.”
“We’re not afraid to try something new and the only way you learn is by getting it wrong. It’s great to creatively push ourselves and tap into whatever we feel connected to,” adds Zac, who won BBC Young Composer of The Year Award in 2020.
It’s early days, but with a slew of songs under their belt and “plenty more to come” next year, the future looks bright for the self-deprecating and accomplished pair. Finn focuses on music full-time alongside various acting jobs and Zac finishes at Sandringham School in 2023. “I am not going to university, and I am looking forward to next year so I can focus on creating music. School has been difficult, I found out I had dyspraxia when I was younger, and I struggled. It’s good to have music stuff planned. I am trying not to wish school away,” Zac laughs.
A growing fan base is something they embrace, and love being recognised in the street.
“We have lots of fans in Asia, the US and all over the world,” adds Finn. “It’s hard to promote music as everyone is trying to get people’s attention on social media, it’s a busy space. I am grateful that we can do live streams and respond to messages.
“We played a gig at The Ned in London recently and a fan approached us – we recognised him from our Camden shows,” ends Finn. “It’s great to know that people follow you around from show to show. We went to see To Kill a Mockingbird, and someone messaged to say they recognised us outside the theatre. It’s a nice feeling.”
Follow @princes_to_kings and visit princestokings.com
