Category Archives: Interviews & Features

Interviews & Features

AK and the Red Kites: ‘It’s quite an organic process really, no one fix way!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to the man himself from the blues/hard rockers ahead of their debut albums release next month. Check out the interview below!

The album’s out in just a few weeks time, right?

Yeah, 8th May, like the classic Mötorhead song! It’s easy to remember!

Is there an overarching theme to it, or is it more on an individual song basis?

It’s more of an individual song basis. It’s very much song driven so each stands out, which was very much the idea. Rather than having an overarching concept it’s more songs that stand up in their own right, I think! It’s very much song-driven, though the do go together nicely!

And there‘s four singles out of it now, right?

Yeah, ‘We Belong’, ‘Cosmic Train’, ‘Karmic Rituals’ and ‘Broken Love’ have all been released. We just released two singles on the same day, which might be a bit nuts, but we decided we would!

What went into the decision to drop two at the same time?

I don’t know really. One of the reasons is we’d already decided to put out ‘Broken Love’, and then there’s also a sync deal with Sony extreme that’s going on in the background. We just decided to drop one of those songs from that sync deal as well! So it was just to get it out there so people could sync it and stuff, really. ‘Why don’t we do both?’, and we did!

I feel like it’s harder than ever these days to work out when to drop new music, especially during an album cycle!

Yeah, for sure! We already had the plan anyway, ‘Karmic Rituals’ was almost sort of a bonus single! We’re generally putting stuff out every six weeks until the album, there’s another single two days before, on a Wednesday which is weird! It’s the title track of the album.

What went into the decision to put out an album at this point?

I think it was about finding the right time. The EP [Proverbial Storm, 2024] and the album were recorded as part of the same sessions with Mike Compus in Barnsley. It was a studio he was sharing with BMTH, they had a room in the same complex. I was going up there pretty regularly, we did it over a series of months. Then it was just deciding what to do with it. We released the EP and sorted the sync stuff out in the background and we’ve eventually just gone ‘here it is, this is the right time’.

What’s the writing process like for you guys?

It’s evolved. I do generally write a lot at home, and get a lot of the ideas. Then some of the stuff is worked out in the room. Someone will just play something, warming up or sound checking, and everyone joins in and you go ‘oh, that’s pretty cool, why don’t we do something with that!’. So it’s quite an organic process really, no one fix way. Sometimes it’s difficult, you’re not feeling very inspired. Other times it seems to be flying out everywhere.

I feel like listening to a lot of different music helps. Stuff out of your normal kinda box. For me it’s blues and classic rock and modern takes on that. But, I find if I just listen to that I get a bit stale. So I’ll go away and listen to Taylor Swift or folk music or anything, just stuff you wouldn’t tend to really listen to and it wakes something up, it comes back!

I think over the last few years it’s also become so much easier to incorporate elements of different genres in your music.

Oh yeah, there’s a lot of fusion going on. I think that’s partly the digital thing, with everything being so readily available. It’s not like the old days where you had what you had and listened to the one genre, you can find all this different music out there and it influences everyone across the board.

Is there more writing still going on in the background?

There’s new stuff, definitely. We’ve actually been in the studio recently and done a couple of tracks that are sounding cool. That will continue and could very well be the sessions from the next album. We’re always writing, though!

Are you doing much with Dust Coda at the minute?

Yes and no. We have an acoustic gig in a couple of weeks. It sounds alright! We will be looking to do another album but due to personal circumstances in the background we haven’t managed to do much. We will get back together soon though and doing new stuff!

Are there any different approaches you take to writing for Coda compared to AK?

No, not really! The writing process is largely the same, and then it’s the same sort of thing really, getting in the room with ideas. Then I do my best to do some Dust Coda-y sort of stuff!

Do you have a favourite track from Hotter than the Sun?

I like them all, to be honest. I treat them all as my children. But I think maybe the title track, it’s just got a nice bass groove and has a laid back feel to it. I like ‘Broken Love’ as well, it’s really high energy and tempo, it’s fun to play live! But yeah, there’s none on there that I’m like ‘oh, I don’t like that one!’. It’s not always the case!

You’ve got a bit of a busy year planned, right?

Yeah! Coming up to the release we’re going out around the UK on a kinda tour. Doing a couple of festivals and up north and London. We have a hometown show, the album release, on May 9th. We’re out and about! And we’re looking at doing some more a little bit later in the year, and a few Dust Coda bits as well! Spinning the plates really and see what happens!

Interviews & Features

Caroline Romano: ‘The project as a whole sort of narrates that story from start to finish!’

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We chatted to the amazing alt-pop artist Caroline Romano the other day about her latest EP and plans for the future! Check it all out below!

How would you describe your sound these days? 

I would describe it as a mix of alternative pop, with some organic band elements at times. It definitely swings between rock and mainstream pop.

The EP just dropped! Is there a certain theme or story behind it, or is each individual track a separate story? 

The entire EP tells the story of my experience falling in love for what felt like the very first time. In that process, I realized why all of my previous heartbreaks and “falling” into the wrong relationships were so necessary. The project as a whole sort of narrates that story from start to finish. 

What is your writing process like? Is your band involved at all? 

My writing process looks slightly different for each song I write. I’ll often start with a lyric or a concept I’ve written down in my phone, then go into the studio with a producer to build the track around that idea. Other times though, it will start with a track, and the lyrical idea will be written based on that. I’m very fortunate to live in a city like Nashville, where I’m able to collaborate with so many talented producers and instrumentalists. My band for the most part isn’t in the room when I write and record songs, but I definitely keep their specific parts in mind when writing, as I think that plays a big role in creating a fun live show.  

Do you have a favourite track on the EP?

My favorite track from the EP is “There It Is.” It’s a song that’s super personal to me, and one I’ve been waiting my whole life to write.

What went into the decision to release an EP instead of a string of singles or even another album?

The decision to release an EP came from listening to this collection of songs I had written, and realizing they all played a part in telling the same story. I think an EP was the perfect length to tell that story as well. 

Have you planned a busy year of live shows to support the release? 

Yes! I just played my very first Nashville headlining show on release day, and I’m working on some exciting other live show opportunities for the rest of the year. 

I saw you recently did a tour vlog, is that something you’d look to continue? It seems so hard to keep up the content grind these days!

I absolutely love touring and the process of getting ready to play a show each night. I’d love to continue doing tour/show vlogs, as it’s content that I genuinely enjoy making. It can be hard to balance everything on a show day, but looking back, I’m always so glad to have it documented. 

Any plans/hopes to come to the UK for a show or two soon? 

I don’t have any immediate plans to be in the UK, but it would truly be a dream come true to play there soon!  The second I’m able to make it happen, I’ll be over there. 

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Any artists you’d want to support or friends you’d want to bring with you?

There are so many artists I’d absolutely love to tour with, so this is a tough one. Lorde, Erin LeCount, Paramore, and Taylor Swift are all artists I’d absolutely love to open for. And I have so many talented friends I’d want to bring with me, like Sierra Annie, Carter Rubin, and John Harvie. 

If you could have written one song from history, what would it be and why?

Oooh maybe “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift? I think that is as close to perfect as a song can be written, and it also just played a major role in my childhood.

Interviews & Features

RiotWeekend: ‘I couldn’t care less what box it goes into aside ‘is it good’!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to the amazing alt-rock/pop-punkers RiotWeekend about their upcoming sophomore EP, their future plans and the state of the scene. Check it out below!

How would you describe your sound?

It’s a hard one to pin down! I joined the band in October ‘24, and listening to their first EP and learning the stuff, you had two very distinct sounds to it. The heavier and the more pop punk sound. We were recently on BSBTV; we won song of the month back in November and they said we can’t put an influence on this, they sound like RiotWeekend. Comments have come in saying Holly has a very 90s pop-esque vocal. Then alt rock, pop punk instrumentals. Somebody mentioned Evanescence and that made me think are we somewhere between that pop-punk, Blink-182, Simple Plan, but with a more Evanescence style vocal. I said to the guys are we like a UK version of ADTR. Not quite as heavy, but we mix that sort of metal and punk.

It seems to be a lot more of a prominent thing these days; bands not necessarily fitting into one specific genre. I don’t think it particularly matters as much any more!

From our point of view, ‘is it listenable and is it fun to listen to? Great’. I couldn’t care less what box it goes into aside ‘is it good’. The guys at BSB were saying you get a lot of guys pushing for that Being Me sound or that All Time Low sound, and they said it was refreshing to see artists do something that is their own.

The EP is out soon, you have a couple of songs out from it already, right?

So ‘Harry’ is the first single that we released back on the 1st of November. Then ‘Days in December’ was released in January, I don’t know why! We are also releasing ‘Smile’ as a single, and we have a video coming out of that as well!

What can we expect from ‘Smile’ and the other track, compared to the other singles so far?

‘Autumn Leaves’, much more pop punky. It fits in with ‘Never Again’ and ‘Fine’ off the first EP. ‘Smile’ is in line with ‘Harry’, and is jointly our favourite track on the EP. We’re really excited for that one to come out!

What’s the writing process like for you guys?

Most of the tracks that I’ve come to were already written. The main song written from scratch was ‘Smile’. It’s going to sound mad; we organised a writing session on the day and I had work, and by the time I got back Rabi and Rob had essentially completed the whole track. They programme the drums and then I make alterations, but they had essentially done the whole track in the day. We tend to find they get a riff and then just go with it!

Is there more writing going on even with the EP coming out?

Yeah! Without saying too much, it’s a bit of a secret, but there are a lot of tracks in the background. We want to keep the momentum going!

What made you choose an EP over an album or multiple singles?

For us it was kinda easy. A) three of the tracks had been there quite some time. There’s been a few changes of the lineup and we had these tracks in the background throughout that we wanted to get out. Rather than drop them one by one, let’s do them collectively with a new song, and then we’ll carry on work with the other stuff. This EP buys us a little time to do something else for the end of the year or next year. And B), they hadn’t dropped a song for quite some time!

As much as I like singles, it’s so much nicer to dive into a handful of tracks and really see what the band is about.

I mean, I don’t know too much about how the guys like to listen to their music, but I’m an LP guy. I still buy CD, I like having the sleeves and everything. I like listening to bundles of tracks all in one go. So I think the next one might be a bit longer!

What would you say the state of the scene is these days? We’re so focused on rock, metal and country that we don’t get to see much punk and alt often!

I think the problem Gilford way, there is a scene for the heavier stuff, the New Cross Inn do really well on metal nights, like proper death metal. It’s packed out! I think the biggest problem however, and there are some really great promoters and venues out there that I don’t want to offend, but a lot of them expect the artist to do things. That’s where it becomes difficult. Back in the day I used to put on shows and it was very much… I would find an artist that I knew would sell the venue out, maybe two, and then have one or two others who I expected nothing of. I’d build them up, and I had artists that built up and I could put on headlining them venues later on.

That doesn’t happen any more. We find promoters do hardly any promotion. You’ve got all these Facebook pages where you don’t see the posters put up unless you the band do it. So, yeah, it’s struggling, but we are noticing pop-punk, alt rock, is there. It’s popular!

It’s just so hard getting people out these days, even if it’s a show geared to a younger audience, compared to pre-Pandemic times.

They’ll go up to the O2 and watch a band that is known. They almost forget that those bands started out where we are. We are noticing a slight pickup in cover bands and tribute acts. We’re playing Shinefest this year and they have some fantastic band, but a lot of them are tributes. Same with Gilfest. In fact the best show we played last year was with Not Green Day. We played to a packed venue and we did really well on merch sales! We’ve noticed to try and get on with a few of these tribute bands to help grow! We are seeing when we do that, the fans are there, they then get your name, and they’ll come and see you next time!

Have you got a busy rest of the year planned live?

Yeah, we’ve got the EP release on the 28th, the day after it launches! We’re in Gilliam on the 30th. We have the festivals, including Chesham Fringe Festival. There’s a couple of shows that we’ve working on in the background as well!

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of?

If we’re talking establish bands and me personally: anything with Dallas Green, so Alexisonfire, You+Me. If it was a lineup of four it would be Alexisonfire, Thrice, Blink-182! A bit different, I know!

Interviews & Features

Violent Omen: ‘My emotions are very positive because this is a huge event in my musical life!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to Serg MP, bassist and vocalist of the technical thrash Ukrainians Violent Omen! Check it out below as we talk about their reunion after a decade, writing new music and hopeful plans for the future!

Firstly, what prompted the reunion of the band after all these years?

I had a conflict with drummer Yuri and guitarist/vocalist Dmitro. In fact, it wasn’t something spontaneous, because it had been building up for a long time. A band is like a family, and sometimes there are moments of crisis between members, so it would have happened sooner or later because there were misunderstandings and hidden resentments towards each other. Since we were still young and inexperienced, these misunderstandings turned into a huge public scandal and mudslinging. Now, with the passage of time, Yuri and I deeply regret allowing this to happen, because the band was at its peak with three albums and had great prospects, but unfortunately, we destroyed everything ourselves. Ten years later, I happened to meet Yuri near my home, and we were able to talk and resolve all our issues from the past. After that, we decided to create a new death metal band, Tria Prima, and only then did the idea of reviving Violent Omen come up. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Dmitro since 2014, when he left the band. When Yuri suggested that they get back together, he refused and said that he was ashamed that he had been involved in it and had accidentally ended up in Violent Omen. Dmitro was always strange, so I’m not surprised by his response.

‘Path of Illumination’ has not long dropped, what can you tell me about the track?

The new single is based on the book Angels and Demons by American author Dan Brown. Angels and Demons is a fascinating journey into a world of mystery and intrigue. I had this idea back in 2014 for a new album, but as you can see, it took more than 10 years to realise it, but better late than never. In fact, we planned to make another song the first single, but due to problems with electricity in the country caused by rocket attacks, our plans changed, because everything was already ready for the track ‘Path of Illumination’, and we really wanted to release our single on the band’s 17th anniversary, because it was very important and symbolic for us. In part, this track reflects the direction, and in part it doesn’t, because we ended up making all the songs on the album different so that they wouldn’t sound alike, and you’ll hear that for yourselves later, but at the same time, this track shows our crazy thinking, which is also present in other songs on the album.

How does it fit onto the album as a whole? Is there a certain theme or story behind the album?

No, it’s not a concept album, and each song is about a different topic. I am inspired by various topics, from the Aztecs to Japan’s Unit 731. I am very fond of history and its colorful characters. For example, the new album will feature songs about Billy Milligan and Killdozer, and each of these characters has their own dramatic fate that captivates you with its details and outcome. Incidentally, my inspiration for lyrics is similar to Steve Harris (Iron Maiden). The most interesting thing is that I never tried to imitate him in this regard; it just happened that way. I remember watching the movie Inception and being so impressed that I couldn’t wait for it to end so I could sit down and write the lyrics, and it happened many times with other songs. It’s cool when inspiration for ideas comes spontaneously and out of nowhere.

What’s it like getting together and playing in a room again after all these years?

My emotions are very positive because this is a huge event in my musical life. A lot of time has passed, more than 10 years, since I left the band, and there were still many unresolved issues within the band itself and between the members. But as you can see, time heals everything, and fate itself leads you to the right decision at the right time. To be honest, I thought it would never happen, but I was wrong. It will be very exciting to see the reaction of our fans when the long-awaited album is released! I am very pleased that this has happened!

Is the writing process still the same for the band now compared to back in the day?

No, because we have a new guitarist, and thanks to the new experience I have gained over the last 10 years, we have developed a new structure and approach to new music, which has become more sophisticated and professional. Previously, we took a simpler approach, especially to arrangements, but now we work hardest on arrangements to make them our strong point in music. Also, in the past, it was a completely different time, and we were younger and less experienced, but now we take this very seriously.

Do you have a favourite track on the upcoming album, and if so why?

I like all the songs in their own way, but I would probably single out the song ‘24th Faces of Lunacy’ about Billy Milligan. The song turned out to be my favourite crazy style in every way. It was the first song I wrote for the album, and it remained almost 90 per cent unchanged because it was already so cool and ready. It has everything! Two bass solos, a cool intro guitar solo, crazy vocals, technical and difficult riffs, as well as killer drums that bring it all to a climax. This song also has a special schizophrenic atmosphere!

Do you plan on doing some live shows to promote the album once it’s released?

There are no concerts planned for the near future because the country has been at war for four years now and there are no favorable conditions for this. Maybe in the distant future we will do some kind of tour if the opportunity arises. In the past, when times were better, we performed a lot and we didn’t have a single plan for preparing for concerts. Since we are a non-drinking band, we didn’t get drunk before concerts, but simply went on stage sober, put on a great show, and went to rest. Sometimes, right before the performance, I would play a couple of songs by Dark Angel or Raven on my player to get energized before the show.

Do you have a five year goal for the band moving forward?

Not really, because we’ve already done something unreal and recorded a new album. For us, the band isn’t a job, it’s more like an expensive hobby, so we don’t have any obligations, contracts or business models. But it would be nice to record another 1 or 2 albums in the next 5 years, that’s a realistic goal to achieve. Time will tell, but we are living in wartime and anything can change, and then there will be no time for the band.

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you’d want to support, or friends you want to bring with you?

For us, going on tour in Europe is already a dream, because it’s a complicated operation for a band from Ukraine without a big label. It would be cool to go on tour with Atheist or with our Luxembourgish friends Fusion Bomb, that would be awesome! There are many great bands that I’ve been friends with for years, and it would be great to go on tour with many of them and have a blast. Tour life is always fun!

If you could have written a song from history, what would it have been and why?

Almost all of my songs are about history, so they’re already written! And if we’re talking about something new that I haven’t gotten around to yet, I’d like to write a song about the Unabomber. Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski (1942–2023) was an American mathematician, social critic, and terrorist known as the “Unabomber”. He conducted a 17-year mail-bombing campaign (1978–1995) targeting people involved with modern technology, killing 3 and injuring 23, driven by an anti-technology ideology detailed in his manifesto I recently watched a cool series about him based on real events, and it made a big impression on me. So maybe you’ll hear a song about him on the new album, but I can’t promise anything.

Interviews & Features

Otis: ‘All the music we love listening to is in album format!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to the amazing southern rockers Otis the other week about their recent single, plans for 2026 and what they make of the UK. Check it out below!

How would you describe your sound?

Oh yeah man, we get thrown into the blues and classic rock pot, as well as the Southern one! It’s kinda weird for us, the Southern rock thing, because really all rock comes from the south. Little Richard, Elvis… it took this combination of gospel and blues and standardised country music to make all those things happen. But we’re grateful for anybody who listens to us and they can call us whatever they want!

We’re happy to do it. And we’ve really been welcomed into the classic rock community. We’ve spent a good amount of time playing with bands like Foreigner and Cheep Trick and UFO. On the Southern rock side we’ve played with Wet Willie and members of the Almond Brothers… we’ve been very lucky that the older guys have seen the spark in us and said to come out with them and learn the ropes!

I feel like genres blend a lot more these days. You can fit into all sorts and people are a bit more open-minded about it!

Yeah, absolutely! Especially in the UK and EU, it seems more welcoming to loose Classic rock bands. In America, at least radio-wise, you had a rock hit 30 years ago, or you’re more active rock like Shinedown or Nickelback. But for what we’re doing, we’re kinda in that in-between place and they don’t know what to do with us on the radio over here!

You’ve just returned with a new single, right?

We have! We released a song called ‘I’m Wicked’ on February 5th. We won Classic Rock Magazine’s track of the week when it came out! There was tough competition so we really appreciate people getting in there and voting!

So far so good, people really seem to be enjoying the song! Last weekend was the first time we got to play it live so that was a lot of fun!

I know it’s been a couple of years since you put out a single, what prompted new music now?

Man, we were going wide open ‘till about 2020. Then I had thyroid cancer, I had to get it removed and take radiation treatment, and the original guitarist for the band went over to play bass for Black Stone Cherry, and the drummer wanted to stay home and do the family thing. So, we brought two new guys into the band and started touring and releasing music again in 2023. We released ‘There’s a Break in the Road’ in 2023, ‘Last Fool in the Line’ in 2024, didn’t release anything last year but released ‘I’m Wicked’ this year.

It’s good to get some new music out there, and we’re working to try and get a full release out! Doing all the behind the scenes business stuff to make that happen. People seem to really be digging what we’re doing, so we want to get some new music out!

That was going to be my next question! Are you looking for end of the year for a longer release?

That would be great! We don’t really have a date down yet but it’s something that we’re working on. All the music we love listening to is in album format, and it’s kinda hard to release music in the single format because people only get a little glimpse of what you’re able to do. When you put a record on and you listen to it front-to-back you get a really clear picture of what a band is about.

I have found it’s so much effort to keep up with the crazy single release schedule Spotify wants you to do these days, there’s so much that goes into each release.

Oh man, it’s exhausting! And really expensive, too! Ideally they want you to release a song every three months or so to keep the numbers where they need to be. At a point you have to look at yourself and go ‘am I putting out music out at the right pace for me and for the right reasons, or just keep the numbers happy?’. We always want to serve the music and put out the best thing we can, but you do have to kinda play the game sadly.

What’s the writing process like for you guys?

We’re a get in the room and hash it out kinda band. I may have a riff or some lyrics or an idea but I try not to develop it too far because once the other three guys get a hold of what’s going on it always changes into something far better than I’d have gotten to on my own! A lot of times I do end up using that root idea, but they manage to take it somewhere completely unexpected, which is a lot of fun. We all feed off each other during the writing process just like we do live. I think that’s the cool thing about being a band over being an artist, you can showcase that. With bands that we love like Humble Pie and Faces, it’s that interaction between those players live in a room that makes it so unique!

I imagine it’s still a nice groove writing with the newer band members?

Oh yeah, I think this lineup of the band, our songwriting has really improved. The two new guys, they’re so energetic and they were into what the band was doing beforehand, and then ended up being in the band, so it gives them even more of a renewed energy!

You’re right in the middle of a run of shows, right?

Yeah, tomorrow actually [at the time of recording] we’re playing with a band called The Damn Shames and Nigel Dupree. This will be a lot of fun as I’ve known Nigel, son of Jesse James Dupree of Jackyl. I’ve never got to see him play, and he’s never seen me play! Then we have a show in Ohio, so the touring’s kicking up for us! We’re still doing the weekend thing, which works for us as a lot who see us are blue-collar people, they can’t really swing going out on a Tuesday night. We’re weekend rock’n’roll warriors!

Have you got a busy rest of the year planned?

Yeah, there’s new shows coming in every day, so from now until November we’re gonna be hitting it! Hopefully some time to get back to the studio and get some songs down and get this record out!

Do you have any plans to come back to the UK any time soon?

Yeah, we’ve been over twice and really enjoyed our time, we’d love to come back! It’s just finding the right opportunity and make as much of an impact as we can while there. It’s tricky; we wanna go everywhere and see everybody but it’s hard to do! We wanna do festival stuff and club stuff, we’ll eventually make it happen. I know people want to see us!

Have you got any comparisons you can make of the scene here compared to back home?

For us we feel a lot more respect when we come over and play for y’all. There’s so much to compete with over here, with people on their phone or watching the game, but over there people just have a greater reverence for live music. Not that people don’t enjoy it over here, I guess our type of music is just something that doesn’t get seen as often over there. So we feel very respected when we come over there!

Interviews & Features

Pil & Bue: ‘It’s always very exciting and a little scary to put out new work!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to the amazing alt duo Pil and Bue the other day. Check out as we chat about their latest release, touring plans and the state of the industry!

How would you describe your sound? I tried all sorts of different ways to describe it in my review!

Atmospheric and…someone called it fusion rock. It’s hard to say… hehe.

What made you stick to a duo after all these years? Was there ever a point you considered adding other members?

It was only in the very beginning that we planned to add more members. We wanted to write a few songs first, and then get a band on its feet. This never happened, as we discovered the freedom of two. It was fun, and uncomplicated. It felt good. Still does. Sometimes it is challenging. Not many things to lean on to catch our breaths, haha. It is intense!

The album has been out a few days now, it seems to have been very well received!

We have received a lot of compliments and good reviews for it already, and of course that feels good. It’s always very exciting and a little scary to put out new work. We have spent a lot of energy and time on this, it’s a strange, meaningful and vulnerable thing. And right now we feel proud and satisfied. 

Is there a certain theme running through the album? Or is it more individual stories?

It speaks about the strange times we live in and a feeling of overwhelmingness. Everything seems to go faster, and wars are on the rise. We need peace and love. We need to slow down. Some of the songs are more about what goes on within. Internal matters, in order to try and stay reasonable and sane. We are getting older, but not sure if we’re getting wiser. Times are strange.

What made you return to the (Level) tag after a few years away from it?

This is our first release on our own label, except from level 1, and therefore it felt very natural to go back to it. 

What is the writing process like for the band?

Jam based. Often at soundchecks, we discover a riff. Record on our phone or similar. It is very often very inspiring to jam at soundchecks. Good sound, new room, new energy, new city… And then we listen to it after a while. A couple of months later, or so, to find out if it is something we want to build upon. And then we play around with it in the rehearsing room. Often the lyrics come last. However, sometimes a line or two appears in the beginning, and it stays with me through.

Do you have a favourite track on the album, and why?

I think mine is ‘that LITTLE sting’ at the moment. It has an untypical structure. It is two different song ideas merged into one. It is very playful and free. I like that. It’s fun to play it live too. 

Do you have a busy year planned touring in support of the album?

Indeed! Lot’s of gigs!

I saw you’re in the UK in August for Arctangent, right? Any other shows planned over here for around that?

That’s right! Not at the minute, but let’s see what happens. We have heard that Arctangent is great, so we are looking forward to that one. 

What would you say the music scene is like back home? If you’ve been to the UK before, do you have any comparisons you could make?

This is a good question. Here it is obviously much smaller than in the UK. a lot of DIY spirit here too, though. We haven’t played much in the UK thus far. 1 show in London, supporting Long Distance Calling. I think living up here makes the scene here a bit isolated, which also can lead to a unique sound, I guess.

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Any bands you’d want to support or friends you want to bring on the road with you? 

Both of us started playing instruments because of Metallica, so it would be fun to open for them. We would love to bring our friends in Féleth (Death metal from above the arctic circle) with us. 

If you could have written one song from history, what would it have been and why?

Queen – The Show Must Go On. Because it is brilliant, and the show actually must go on. 

Interviews & Features

Scratch One Grub: ‘Full of emotion, heaviness and melodies!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to Welsh metalcorers Scratch One Grub the other day about their recent debut album, plans for the year and the state of the scene. Check it out below!

How would you describe your sound?

The Grubman – “Energetic, aggressive, furious, heavy, in your face. Elements of many genres combined.”

What inspired the release of an album practically to start with over an EP or more standalone singles?

Lewis – “Me and Grubman wrote an EP’s worth of material together and in the meantime, I had an EP’s worth of material. It just made sense to combine the 2 and create a full album. We could have released everything as singles or EP’s, which would have been good to keep up the streaming engagement. However, having an album to your name is something to be proud of and quite rare for grassroots bands to say these days. I think going forward, it will be more single and EP focused just so we can maintain listener engagement.”

Grubman – “Also gives the audience more to listen to and gives us a chance to tell a story and have more songs for the crowd to know before seeing us live.”

Is there a particular story or theme around the album, or is it more a story for each individual track? 

Grubman – “Individual based as a whole. We feel like the album in its entirety is showcasing the songwriting abilities. The album is paced very well and that takes you on a journey in itself.”

Lewis – “I like the idea of a concept album, but in my opinion, the idea for one has to be truly solidified and consistent. I’m not sure if we have the patience for that. Lyrically there are some cross cutting themes I suppose.”

What is the writing process like for the band?

Grubman – “Lewis and I come together with ideas and build upon them. They are passed onto the band for them to contribute any ideas they might have.”

Lewis – “Sometimes the initial ideas are very basic and brief which I love, as it leaves plenty of space for creative opportunities. My approach specifically is to riff around with a drum track and piece things together. Sometimes I set myself up to write something with a specific sound, otherwise sonically, we might lack diversity.”

Do you have a favourite track on the album? And if so, which is it and why?

Lewis – “‘Ysbryd’. There are so many layers to that song in every element of the music and it’s just a beautiful track in general. Full of emotion, heaviness and melodies.”

Grubman – “‘Absolution’. It’s the first song we wrote together over 5 years ago.”

Busy year planned promoting the album with live shows?

Grubman – “We did an album launch show and have an anniversary gig coming up too. We have other gigs lined up across South Wales with some amazing bands. The friends and connections we’ve made over just a year’s time are great and we love hitting local venues.”

Lewis – We’re constantly looking for shows, especially to follow up from the batch we already have that lead into the spring and summer. Can’t get enough of it!”

What do you think the scene is like these days? Welsh scene seems especially good! 

Lewis – “I think the South Wales metal scene is awesome! There genuinely is a great selection of gifted artist here and we are proud to say that we have made strong connections with a lot of them. I think South Wales will remain this way forever.”

Grubman – “We are proud to be a part of the Welsh metal scene!”

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Any bands you’d want to support or friends you want to bring along?

Grubman – “Playing with Slipknot would be a dream, also playing some major festivals such as Bloodstock and Download.

Lewis – “Agreed, especially Download since we have attended many. Metallica is an easy and unoriginal answer, however my reason is that it’s because they play stadiums. Don’t get me wrong, I love Metallica and being a part of their lineup would be an honour alone, but not many metal bands can play the stadiums that they do.”

If you could have written one song from history, what would it be and why? 

Grubman – “‘Money for Nothing’. Best riff ever.”

Lewis – “My answer used to be ‘Happy Song’ by Bring Me The Horizon. Now though, I don’t really know. Does that mean that music history would have to be re-written to some degree? That can be considered a consequence to this wish and I wouldn’t want to do that. I am grateful that all the music we have now exists, no matter who wrote it. If you want a short answer then it would be this: History is constantly being written. Now that Scratch One Grub are here, we will create our own part.”

Interviews & Features

Paulie Boy Blues: ‘It felt like a monumental experience for me’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to the upcoming blues guitarist the other week about his recent UK shows, plans for more and what it’s like in the UK compared to back home. Check it all out below!

You’ve exploded onto the scene over the last year or so, how as that time been?

It’s been a great year! As a fan of this blues scene and UK blues players like Robin Trower, Philip Sayce and even Jimi Hendrix, it’s been a real thrill actually getting to have a stab at it myself!

How did you get into the blues scene? It’s not something as mainstream as it used to be!

Honestly, my answer for that would be that when I was in highschool, I took a music history class. My teacher took a special interest in me, really helped me get into this stuff and turned me onto the blues specifically. That’s where I went down the rabbit hole, right there. From there it was straight Stevie Ray Vaughan!

Definitely a good place to start!

You were over in the UK at the start of the year, right? How was the tour?

Yes, I just got back here Sunday last week [at the time of recording]!

It was the best tour of my life, man! I definitely feel like it was the most significant part of my career so far. It felt like a monumental experience for me. The Cluny [Newcastle], that crowd, the amount of love I received was unreal. I literally jumped off the stage into the crowd on the last song!

What’s the scene like back home compared to over here?

I mean, I don’t want to talk bad about my local music scene, but I would say for me personally that the scene in Scotland and the North East of England is incomparably better for me. I have better results.

Is it a case of it being a bit more saturated out there for that kind of music?

I guess so, yeah.

Your band for the tour were called The Yorkshire Puddings, how did that name come about?

Well, I met the guys on my last tour back in August with my band from America, we came and played like six shows in England and Scotland. These guys were opening for me in Newcastle. I met them there and we were borrowing their drum kit. The name came from… I wanted to have a way to separate the bands. One day when we look back on it, I didn’t want everything to be under the same name, I wanted the backing bands to be documented. The same way Jimi Hendrix had the Band of Gypsys and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, I wanted to do something like that! We wanted it to be something that people could look at it and instantly tell that it’s a British band.

And then you’re back over here in September, right? I saw you were announced for a festival!

I’m actually back in August! September is the last date of the run. I think we already have like eight shows in August. Then we’ve got Europe too, we’re playing Berlin in July.

Have you done much out in Europe before?

Never, just England and Scotland. I’m so excited to get into the German scene! It’s been a real privilege getting started in England and Scotland, I have a serious appreciation and love in my heart for both. The way these countries have embraced me has really helped my early career.

In terms of studio stuff, are you sticking to singles for now? Is there a longer release on the way?

We plan on something longer, of course, but for now we’re just trying to write songs, record them and put them out, you know. We’re recording one right now, actually!

I feel like it’s quite hard to put out these days. It’s geared towards singles but it’s so hard to keep up the grind sometimes!

Yeah! I’m going to put out some live recordings, too. I love live recordings; if I ever get one I really like I’ll put it out! From our last tour we got some, just takes a couple of weeks, you know!

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of?

I mean, not so much a dream lineup, more so a lineup of countries. There’s so many people I’d love to tour with, I could list 30 people right now! You know, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, the guys who are still standing! A tour with Eric Clapton would be great!

If you could have written a song from history, what would it have been?

Low key actually, ‘Johnny B. Goode’. I was saying this just the other day, that I can’t believe Chuck Berry made that song. Like he’s not covering it, he made that song. How someone wrote something so good is amazing. So I think I’d go with that!

Interviews & Features

Matthew C Whitaker: ‘It is sentimental, yet understated!’

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We chatted to the incredible Matthew C Whitaker the it her day about his latest solo album, current UK tour and future plans with HENGE. Check it all out below!

Is there a certain story or theme around Songs for the Weary, or is it more each track is its own, individual thing?

The lyrics are not necessarily linked by a theme. Rather, the eight gentle songs that make up Songs for the Weary are threaded together sonically and through a shared mood, a lightness of touch, a soothing whistfulness…

It’s been ten years since your last solo album — what prompted a return to this project now?

I am always making lists of the songs that I haven’t yet recorded and dreaming up albums out of the material. This never stopped during the decade between solo albums. My first album, The Man with the Anvil Hat, came out in 2016 just as HENGE were on the cusp of going full time. Four albums of cosmic, rave-infused prog rock and a tour schedule of 100+ shows per year soon followed.

Then 2020/2021 came with all of its cancelled plans, so I approached my dear friend and neighbour Alan Keary (who makes his own music under the name Shunya). He is a brilliant producer and string arranger/player. When I showed him the list of songs on the latest album I had dreamed up, he got really excited about putting string arrangements on them. And so we cracked on…

How does writing your solo work differ from working on stuff like HENGE?

It’s not actually as different as it might seem. Nearly all of my songs start with chords or groove and end with lyrics as the last element to be added. The pmusic is often highly developed in the middle of this process. This is partly because I find writing lyrics to be the hardest part, so I need to be sure the music is good enough before I go to the trouble… combined with a little procrastination around the most toilsome part of the job.

The main difference in the process is that there is usually a longer period of research for HENGE lyrics, as the songs often have scientific subject matter.

Do you have a favourite track on Songs for the Weary?

Yes, I think “Mind How You Go” is my favourite song on the album. It is written from the perspective of a worried mother as her loved ones embark on a car journey in icy, foggy weather. The simple elegance of the melody and loving concern in the lyrics are set against an extremely sparse arrangement. It is sentimental, yet understated. I am particularly happy with how it sounds on the record.

Is solo writing still going on after the release? Or is it back to focusing on HENGE or other projects for a bit?

Yes, I am always knocking around musical ideas. I have a couple of guitars hanging on the wall of my living room (one of them — a ¾-size antique Italian classical guitar — makes a cameo on the front of the album cover). So I only have to pluck one off its stand and see if anything comes out.

That said, there is always some HENGE going on. I also manage the band, so there is a constant slew of emails to answer. Between starting Songs for the Weary and releasing it, we released the HENGE album Alpha Test 4 and wrote/recorded/released and toured Journey to Voltus B.

My solo stuff has to fit around HENGE, not the other way around. So these solo albums might take a bit longer to make it from conception to release. However, I think it’s healthy to have contrasting musical projects running in parallel. I can always find a few hours to work on solo ideas.

You’re right in the middle of your UK tour to support the album — how’s it gone so far?

It has been wonderful!

As Alan was so deeply involved in the album, we decided to tour the record as a duo, with Alan playing an opening set of his Shunya material.

I wasn’t sure how many people would turn up to the shows, but so far each one has either been sold out or packed out. The audiences have struck the perfect balance between being attentive and up for the craic.

Do you have a Busy year planned for after the tour?

Yes, HENGE are touring Europe in the spring and then we have a very busy festival season. Plans are shaping up for the autumn but that is all top secret!

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you’d want to support or friends you’d want to bring along?

It would be great to tour my solo show with a full band including a string quartet. With HENGE I’d love to open for The Prodigy.

If you could have written one song from history, what would it be and why?

Sorry to be boring but I don’t really think about this kind of question. I wouldn’t want to write someone else’s song. They have their songs and I have mine. I’m happy with that.

Interviews & Features

Barrel: ‘Some of us love slow proggy buildups, while some of us want to blast out thrashy riffs!’

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We had the pleasure of chatting to the amazing Finnish metal band Barrel about their recent debut album, the general scene and live plans. Check it all out below!

How would you describe the bands sound?

I rather wouldn’t but would let everyone decide for themselves. I find it increasingly difficult to describe our sound – where to begin, when no genre feels like home. There’s thrash, there’s heavy metal, there’s even a dash of black metal and some cello solos thrown in, so you tell me. Music is an artform and unless you as a musician set out to replicate a certain sound, it escapes verbal definitions. The more it does so, the better, as music speaks its own language.

Let’s put it this way: Barrel is the amalgamation of five sometimes very different musical tastes and interests. Some of us can’t agree on bands, but can work together seamlessly. Some of us love slow proggy buildups, while some of us want to blast out thrashy riffs. We arrange the songs together and our individual areas of interest seem to fit together, mostly without conflict.

Very often listeners seem to find elements of Judas Priest in there, but at least one of us strongly denies the allegation. Some evoke hallowed names such as King Diamond, while others speak of Black Sabbath in whispered tones. None of the aforementioned have had cello solos on their albums though, nor too many sections where the listener is picked up by desert winds or cast into the vastness of space.

What prompted the release of an album now, after a couple of EPs and singles?

The original idea was to release EP’s, since audiences seem to move away from the longer format and towards ever-shortening attention spans. Why concentrate on ten songs for two years, when you can release four on a tighter schedule and people will only listen to two?

Some of us also questioned the whole concept of an “LP”. The format was born out of the limitations of a vinyl disk, but that limitation does not exist anymore. So why do we stick to it? Think what you will of the digital world, but at least it has liberated art from such physical constraints.

Then again, art shouldn’t follow the whims of market forces, and what consumers want should be anathema to an artist. I guess an album was just a natural progression – a move forward – and since the material was there and a concept formed out of the creative maelstrom, why not?

You touched on the story/theme to the album in the presser, what inspired the idea?

Good question, which I had to actually stop and think about.

Ultimately, I can’t really say. When we wrote the songs, there was no concept, so they weren’t composed to fit a narrative or a given mold. The narrative came later and the preludes were composed to move the narrative forward. The theme – the metaphysics of Satan – probably arose from an interest in the dark side of humanity, the left-hand path, or the myriad of other names humanity has given to certain phenomena in ourselves over millennia. In a way, the theme was given to us by those forces and materialized by cryptomnesia, as the opening track suggests.
Talking about the concept almost feels to me as a post hoc explanation or rationalisation, where the concept only announced itself after it was completed and I find myself describing what became of it instead of the intention behind it. Perhaps one of those forces worked in the universe and manifested itself as an album for whatever purpose it has. Then again, perhaps it was just a product of electro-chemical processes in almost entirely mechanical meat puppets.

You also mentioned the Comic-books for the release, how did that idea come about?

We got acquainted with the artist Juha “Wuorlock” Vuorinen at a gig in his hometown. We had an afterparty (complete with sauna & beer, obviously) and stayed the night at his place (cheers again, Juha!). Sometime during the night, he showed us some of his work and the connection was there right away. Also sometime during the same night we agreed on a shirt design, the price of which none of us remembered the morning after.

Visualising our art in collaboration with another artist outside the mainstream has always interested me and music videos feel somewhat cliché, so working with Juha was an obvious path to take. A path we’re extremely glad to have taken.

What is the writing process like for the band?

The usual one, I think. Either Janne or Joonas, our guitarists, come up with a riff, and we jam together at Barrel HQ. That’s pretty much it. The jam sessions take a direction of their own with hardly any planning, so what you hear on the album (and especially the first two EP’s) is quite raw – no producers, no computer files getting polished, just a band playing together. Creativity, channeling whatever is the source of such a force.

Having said that, we actually did some pre-production with this album. We recorded demos and got together to just hang around and listen to them outside the rehearsal space. Some arrangements were made in that session, but it was just that one session. The vocals were also pre-produced in the sense that we recorded them in a separate session, altered some phrasings, developed lyrical themes, arranged backing vocals and such.

Do you have a busy year planned supporting the album through live shows?

Kinda. We’re at a stage where we still book our own shows and all of us still need to work those pesky day-jobs, so there are no huge tours or anything like that in the cards. Yet. We do about one or two shows a month for now. Live shows are the thing most of us do this for, and the world desperately needs more of them (not necessarily ours though), so we’d love to play more. It’s not an easy equation though, since the post-covid TikTok-plagued scene is a high-cost, low-pay environment.

Any hopes/plans to make it out to the UK?

Hopes? We’d love to. Plans? Not at this moment. Any promoters out there, take note.

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you’d want to support or friends you’d want to bring along with you?

As there would be five very different answers to this, four of us named one band each:
– Mayhem, as the theme of the album would be a good fit and their dark energy would certainly force us to perform on a new level
– Primal Fear, since Ralf Scheepers is our vocalist Valtteri’s vocal coach
– Judas Priest, just because
– Megadeth, especially now that they are calling it a day
We’d also bring some of our friends from the New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal alliance along, so this one seems to turn into a festival. Go check them out at https://www.instagram.com/newwaveoffinnishheavymetal/.

If you could have written one song, what would it be and why?

It would be the song that changed someone’s life in a truly profound way. It’s yet to be written.