A Bristol couple has opened up about what it was like to meet their partner in an uncommon way - through Gumtree.
Gina Leonard, who is from Cambridge originally, relocated to Bristol to continue her music career but was on the lookout for a bass guitarist to complete her band. She decided to post an ad on Gumtree to see if any budding bass guitarists were interested and available.
"I didn't know that many people in Bristol at the time," she said. "I didn't really know how to go about it [forming a band] so I just posted an advert on Gumtree."
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She added: "We tried a few different players but no one was the right fit, so we wanted to branch out from the people we know. I put the advert on Gumtree and had a very good response.
"Ryan shone through as the best candidate. We found a drummer on Gumtree as well - it was a very good place for us to meet people as I was a bit nervous about putting myself out there."
Ryan Rodgers said that he was living in Cornwall at the time, but wanted to move to Bristol to pursue his music career more seriously.
"Bristol has a very good reputation for its creative arts scene," he said. "But I realised I didn't know anyone and I struggled to network and put myself out there."
Ryan said that lots of exciting music projects are advertised on Gumtree and that, in there, he found this long sprawling message with which he had lots in common. That was Gina's advert and, after going for an audition, they started working together.
Ryan said that, when he first joined the band, he was in another relationship and described the relationship with Gina as gradual and slow, but bound to happen. He said they were spending a lot of time together, going to gigs, and that they both loved the music scene.
"When Ryan was in a relationship, I didn't look at him in that way - when he split up, that changed," she said. "We were having all this time together in the car, having long conversations that got deeper.
"There was a lot of crossover in the bands we were excited about and it felt you had found someone who is into the same kind of stuff.
"I was really impressed by his crazy knowledge of music, he was like a library of information which I found attractive. He approaches music production in a great way and we always just have a great laugh together."
Ryan said that he had always put Gina in "a bit of a pedestal" because of her skills but that she is also the kindest person he has ever met. At first, they kept their relationship secret as they were worried about the impact it would have on the band. However, they were outed by their manager when they were in America playing at a festival, Gina added.
They have now known each other seven years, Gina added, with both of them arriving in Bristol shortly before that. They stayed in that original band for four years before creating their own indie rock band as a duo, Mumble Tide. It was around this time they became a couple as well.
Gina said that playing just the two of them revitalised their love of music and found their creative freedom around each other. As a double act, they have gone on to perform gigs all around the UK and have had their music played on 6music and Radio 1.
Mumble Tide is now around two years old, with Gina saying it has solidified their relationship. However, she said it can be quite intense sometimes to spend that much time together as they have now been living together for around three years as well as doing music together.
"Sometimes it can be difficult to get the right balance to relax and do coupley things and doing band stuff," continued Gina, who is now living in Easton. "Sometimes we just have to make ourselves stop and try to just be a normal couple."
Ryan said that being friends and working together as musicians prior to becoming a couple created an honest starting point for their relationship.
Ryan said: "If the project has a rough month, then the relationship will also have a rough month. But when it is going well, we have been doing lots of shows in the past few months for example, then it is a really awesome pay off.
"We have very few boundaries left, which is both a good and a bad thing."
Ryan said that their singles have been produced in a DIY set up, having to do things the cheaper way but still having to make it work. Between them, they have sourced six keyboards, guitar pedals, microphones, speakers, an accordion and a comically small violin, all from Gumtree.
The extra kit has helped Mumble Tide to record and produce their own music at home, saving them from having to fork out for expensive studio hires.
Ryan said: “We are both conscious of climate change and it's good for the planet to minimise waste and reuse where we can.”
Gina added: "Gumtree has been great for finding stuff. I feel like it is a great way to save money and reduce waste."
You can listen to Mumble Tide - whose vinyl has just been released - on their YouTube channel here or on Bandcamp.
