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Interview with
JOSHUA KEOGH

(26th February 2026)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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Watch the full interview on YouTube HERE soon

Interview: Amber Run — Growing Up, Letting Go & Coming to Australia

When Dave Bruce caught up with Joshua Keogh from Amber Run, the brief was simple: move fast, cover ground, don’t waste time.

What unfolded was something more layered — a conversation about longevity, family, ego, football, and the strange tension between emotional depth and detachment.

Amber Run have been around for over a decade now. If you don’t know them yet — you will.

Where It All Started

For Josh, the roots go way back. He and some of the band met at school — around age 11 — sitting in art class and English lessons, talking about the things they’d rather be doing. By 13, they were playing local shows, getting dropped off at venues by their parents.

The band as we now know it properly formed in their first year at university. Then it happened. They uploaded music to the BBC. It moved. Quickly.

“You work hard on something for a long time and then it just… starts moving.”

That early wave of momentum was huge. But as Josh admits, rapid success can be a poison chalice. When your first run explodes, expectation follows — from the industry, from audiences, and from yourself.

The difference with Amber Run? They didn’t chase the noise. After that first surge, growth became gradual. Organic. Built on connection rather than radio hype.

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“I Found” — A Slow Burn

One of their most enduring tracks, I Found, never relied on traditional radio play.

No big commercial machine. No aggressive push. Just people sharing it. Fan edits. Word of mouth. Emotional connection.

That’s how Amber Run has travelled — not in bursts, but in waves.

The Sound: Indie With Emotional Currency

Josh describes the band’s sound simply as indie — but with emotional motive at its core.
“There needs to be a reason we’re doing it at all.” That pillar hasn’t changed in 10+ years.

What has changed? Perspective. Age. Life Experience. The way they say things may have evolved, but the intent remains constant: create something that moves people.

Influences: From Hardcore to Art Rock

Growing up, the band were influenced by the UK alternative and hardcore scene — bands like Funeral for a Friend and Bullet for My Valentine. But alongside that heavier edge sat artful introspection, with Radiohead looming large in their formative years. And like most musicians raised in eclectic households, Josh absorbed everything — including folk influences from his parents’ record collection.

As he puts it: “When you listen to a lot of music, you start to realise it’s all kind of the same — just dressed up in different forms.”

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Coming to Australia

Amber Run are finally heading to Australia to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their debut album. For Josh, the excitement isn’t about scale — it’s about connection.

“It feels a shame we haven’t made friends with these folk before.”

Australian audiences have a reputation for diving in emotionally — and if Amber Run’s music thrives anywhere, it’s in rooms where people feel. Expect that connection to deepen fast.

The New EP: Sunflower

The band recently released a new EP titled Sunflower, shaped by one of the most intense years of Josh’s life.
He got married.
He welcomed two daughters.
And in the same year, his parents separated.
Two sides of the same coin.
Growth and breakdown.
Beginning and ending.
Light and shade.

One track in particular, “Jane,” explores the emotional fallout of his parents’ divorce — an experience that, as Josh admits, can destabilise you at any age.

“It’s been difficult to watch someone else’s reality feel like it’s collapsing while yours feels like it’s growing.” That tension — joy alongside grief — runs through the EP.

Letting Go of Control

A striking theme in the conversation was detachment. After more than a decade in the industry, Amber Run appear to be entering a new phase — less driven by expectation, more by instinct.

Josh acknowledges they’re starting to dip their toes into that place where you stop obsessing about outcomes and focus instead on being present.

When musicians reach that space, something shifts.
The work loosens.
The pressure fades.
The art gets truer.

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Quick Fire with Josh

Dream Collaboration? Prince — no hesitation.
One topic he could talk about for hours? Liverpool F.C.. Family loyalty. Generational devotion. No bandwagon here.
Favourite album? Trouble Will Find Me by The National.
Favourite venue? Roundhouse in Camden.
Favourite food? Indian.
Favourite drink? Cheap American lager. (No shame.)
Favourite person in history? His nan.
Tattoos? None. Missed the boat.

The Takeaway

Amber Run aren’t chasing trends. They’re not rushing the process. They’re not trying to recreate their first wave. They’re building something slower. Deeper. More sustainable.

Family, football, heartbreak, joy, detachment — it’s all in the mix now. And if the next phase of their career leans into that grounded freedom Josh hinted at, the best chapters might still be ahead. Australia — get ready.

AMBER RUN (UK)
Australian Tour April 2026

Friday 17 April – Factory Theatre, Sydney
Saturday 18 April – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Sunday 19 april – The Triffid, Brisbane
Tuesday 21 April – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
Thur 23 April – Rosemount Hotel, Perth

Tickets on sale: Friday 15th August from 9am local time
DAL pre-sale: Tuesday 12th August from 9am local time
Early bird pre-sale tickets: Wednesday 13th August from 9am local time

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Follow AMBER RUN
Website – Instagram – Facebook 

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AMNPLIFY – DB