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Interviews & Features
Sketches
NT: How are Sketches today?
S: Sketches are tired bears, but all is well. We destroyed a piano the other day which was strangely rewarding.
NT: Let’s get off to a start, the new single ‘Slow Start’ sounds epic from the first twenty six seconds of the reverb laden guitar. Tell us about the approach the band takes to etching out that great sound.
S: We definitely like epic, not Meatloaf epic though. He is a little too much for our ears. We like building things up and stripping them down.
The full band arrangements are written around ideas and basic sections. Sometimes things just instantly fit together and the process is quite simple, this was the case for ‘Slow Start’. Luke had the ideas all laid out and the song came together really quickly. The b-side took much longer and a lot of thought went into how we wanted it to sound. We like to think we produce interesting music, which is still very much pop music.
NT: We saw you play a while back; I think it was with Old Romantic Killer band and Yonderboy. How do you feel Sketches fits into the current Leeds musical jigsaw?
S: The Old Romantics are special. Somebody as charismatic and engaging as Harry doesn’t come along often enough as they should. Yonderboy are old friends of ours, are superb with a lot to offer in the coming months. It was lovely to have them all play for our single release back in June.
In Leeds, you are surrounded by some great venues run by people who truly love new music and want to help you out in whatever way they can. You very rarely get that in somewhere like London, if at all.
NT: There is strong progression from your first release ‘Pelicanalia’ to ‘Slow Start/Fevered Foals’, what can we expect from Sketches in the coming autumn and winter?
S: ‘Pelicanalia’ is a selection of some of the first songs we ever wrote together. We certainly don’t regret them, but we hope we’ve come a long way since then and we’ve definitely learnt a lot about what makes us tick with regards to how we write now.
We began recording our next single and b-side this week (21st July) just outside Leeds in the crypt of a church. It is a beautiful space put together by the Hope & Social chaps who have helped us out far too much. The man who built the church is buried behind the wall where you enter the studio that was a little spooky. His wife is a few walls down too. The single is released in October and we are super excited.
NT: ‘We Keep on Moving’ has a very City and Colour sound mixed with a hint of parts of Engine Down. Who do you consider major influences?
S: We all have pretty different influences and I think this has helped us more than it has hindered what we are able to come up with together. We’re not trying to re-invent the wheel but we’re very eager to be as adventurous as we can. The b-side from our single is definitely a better insight to what we hope to put out in the future. It’s a bit bolder and more exploratory than ‘Slow Start’.
NT: The shows are an incredible mix of soulful lows, epic sound-scapes and highly energetic rolls of snare smashes. Do you go through many sets of skins or sticks?
S: I’ve never witnessed John break a skin, sticks are more his forte, but Matt breaks at least one string a night, he broke twelve on The Thermals tour in total. The most worrying part of the sets is Luke and his big drum. You never know where those sticks will fly-usually towards James’ head unfortunately.
NT: The Thermals tour blog on your Myspace makes interesting viewing. How did the tour go for you guys, any harsh lessons learnt? Any sound men you would like to bad mouth?
S: We had the best couple of weeks. It was our first tour and we have definitely caught the bug. We had a lot of fun and drank a lot but we still made sure that the main aim was to win over as many people as we could each night.
We got on so well with The Thermals and it was sad saying our farewells after spending so much time with them. The blog nearly killed me. I never thought how much of a mission it would become to find a place with internet every night to write it. I missed the last two nights.
As far a soundmen go, they were all lovely, except the one at Birmingham Academy who actually fell asleep during the Thermals’ set. He missed out.
NT: Tell us about the motorway sign madness on the BlogSpot you have.
S: I knew that was a bad idea to put that up. It stems from a road trip to Austria and the Wild Beasts song ‘Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants’. Mixing that with cheap tequila- the inevitable will happen. Harry from Old Romantics embraced it with open arms, kind of. It all makes sense in context I assure you.
NT: You’re playing the Greenbelt Festival in Cheltenham soon along side the likes of Athlete and Royksopp. How did this come about?
S: Lots of luck. We are one of the unluckiest bands you will ever come across so we were owed a little bit. We’re looking forward to it.
NT: Any parting words for No-Title?
S: Coca-Cola would be a pond-like green colour if colouring wasn’t added to it.
NT: Really? I suppose it beats the Cocaine they used to put in it.
Chickenhawk
Original photos by Stevie Kilgour
Stomping on the graves of previous scenes and musical trends, they dance merrily to their own twisted, angular and at times quirky, driven sound. A fierce aural assault covered in so many layers of pure musical genius its sick. Soaking up all the greatest aspects of alt, rock, hardcore music since 1991 and spewing it out in an insanely original way.
They are the band you wish you were in.
Call them schizophrenic. Call them avant-guard. Call them noise dipped in spazz wrestling on the grounds of hardcore while rock watches in fear. Call them the best thing to happen to Leeds since Jimmy Saville. Call them Chickenhawk.
Mixed beginnings saw Rob Stephens (Guitar) hook up with Ryan Clark (Bass) and Stick (Guitar/vocals). Each had their own separate bands at the time, but the tendency to provoke reaction and to push for a sound like nothing else about was the first steps to forming Chickenhawk.
Chickenhawk formed in Leeds during late 2004. An early demo in 2005 received positive feedback and quickly the band began to produce their own unique style of performance – involving wireless guitars and swapping drummers mid way through the set. Described as ‘chaotic, balls out, rock and metal’ it is very difficult to pigeon-hole them. Influences range from The Melvins, Metallica, Oxes, Mike Patton, and Dreamtheater to Buckethead, Devo and Dillinger Escape Plan. Critics have described the band as "the antithesis of commercial metal", "an alternative to the next inevitable slice of franchise-culture". Either way these are tags the band are happy to except. “We like to think no two Chickenhawk shows are the same. Well, it depends which day you catch us on” laughs Ryan.
Chickenhawk have gone through their fair share of changes, but now feel settled on the current line-up. Losing singer MacBastard in 2006 gave Stick the opportunity to stretch himself a little more and focus on developing the sound of the band by taking on the role of guitar and lead vocals. This change has seen former WhoresX3 drummer; Matthew Reid – who also works with fellow Chickenhawk member Ryan in another Leeds band – The Grand March take over on drums. “Since Matt has come in we have become tighter musically. Before, it was a shambles. The whole point in the beginning was ‘We hate everyone’ but that is not the case anymore.” – Stick. Asked if the band feel many other bands in Leeds are covering the same ground as them; “well we do what we feel is important to us, as other bands feel they do what is important to them.” – Stick.
Chickenhawk are often thrown on very contrasting gig line-ups, but feel they can mix it with acts from all over the hardcore, metal scene. “Leeds is so well catered for when it comes to bands. No other City in the country has the diversity we have.” says Ryan - this alone shows the bands natural ability to ‘hold their own’ and even mix it with bands different to their own style. Although the each of Chickenhawk has their own other musical ventures but insist that these various other projects are not detrimental to the future plans of Chickenhawk “There is no master plan. We just want to have fun” –Rob. These side projects do carry their plus points; as other creative outlets which keep the creative juices flowing and even help bring ideas to the rehearsal room.
Moving on from the first demos such as the ‘Tropical World’ split in 2006. The songs on the new album are fairly old, but Chickenhawk feel they have managed to perfect the songs and the final versions are as imagined. The time since they first wrote the songs to when they recorded them is important. It helped them understand what they wanted to achieve with each track. “We now know fully what we wanted to do with each element. The construction is right and we have the confidence to put down all the layers we want to.” – Rob
Recorded by Ross and Jason at Ghost Town over three days, the album is available on Sound Devastation Records and Chickenhawk were happy to be working with people who understand their sound.
“We just asked about to see if anyone wanted to put the record out and the Jason and Ross were happy to help. If you don’t ask, you don’t get” – Ryan. The recording process was tough at times and the final product is more a result of experimenting with ideas then having a set plan. “Ross was very good with us, we think we broke him. He did put up with so much from us.” – Stick.
“Basically; don’t record Chickenhawk. It will ruin you.” – Matt
The spirit of the band is important and Chickenhawk put the emphasis (although very clichéd) on the fact they are all very good friends. Not settling for just anyone joining the ranks. The previous experience of touring and working Matthew Reid made him the ideal candidate for Chickenhawk and in writing new material for the next album, Matt is too bring something new to the writing process. “It’s all about having the right dickhead in the band.” – Ryan
“Matt is the right dickhead. We wouldn’t want anyone else” – Stick.
Chickenhawk feel they are in the midst of ‘gig overload’ and have worked harder than any other band when it comes to promoting their album. But feel some time to write and work on new material is much needed. They feel they’re in the best shape to move forward and can deal with the difficulties that come with four talented musicians all jostling for creative space. “We’re prepared for when the madness descends” laughs Stick. “It’s usually me or Rob who take it to that level.”
These setbacks alone are minor and Matthew Reid sums it up with his philosophy on why they get along so well; “I think if I hadn’t have known you before I joined the band. I would have left after two weeks because, you’re all fucking idiots!”
O2 Hard Dance Awards 2009, Leeds Academy
Me with Mark EG (Photo courtesy of Torstein Langeland)
One the biggest events in hard dance, has moved from its usual home in the ‘big smoke’ – Brixton, London up to Leeds, which is fast becoming known as the hard dance capital of the North.
Leeds plays host on a regular basis to its own hard dance creations; Sundissential and Parlez-vous? and more recently; Hi Oktane and Kiss Da Funk - Which brings in clubbers from all corners of our fair isles. Ed Real introduced this special night, with plenty of Radio One nonsense taking shape all over the venue. There is an abundance of smiles and sweaty scantily clad women. Glow Stick s and whistles at the ready – Leeds hosts the 2009 Hard Dance Awards.
Three rooms of absolute club mayhem, gives Leeds a well deserved high profile event in what is the stunning new O2 Leeds Academy. This venue has not seen so many happy punters since the days of the Town & Country club.
A small bar had been set up as Room 3 for this event, located just high in the rafters of the main room. Kicking off proceedings here were Leigh Green and Cat, who warmed up the balcony brilliantly with their set, which included a rare chance to hear a live PA by Cat, who has an exceptional singing voice. On next; JoJo and Adam M picked up the pace with something slightly harder.
Room 1, Ed Real opened proceedings with a fantastic warm up set that included an original dance remix of the Antiques Road show by Dave Skywalker.
After presenting the opening awards with Kutski; Rob Tissera makes himself available. No-Title rushes to grab the globe-trotter and nominee for Out-Standing Achievement Award in the press room.
NT: Hi Rob! You’ve worked with some legends and become one in your time in this scene. Any regrets to date?
RT: No, not at all. I’ve enjoyed it all. It’s very easy to forget where you’re from. The one piece of advice I’ve always lived by and given to other people is; ‘Don’t ever change’ it’s as simple as that.
NT: Being the globetrotter that you are, you’ve been to some pretty great places. If you had to end your career with one final show somewhere, anywhere. Where would it be? No pressure to say the O2 Academy Leeds.
RT: Leeds Academy would be pretty fantastic, but I would have to go for a big party, tonnes of fireworks, dancers, outside the Sydney Opera House.
(BBC Radio One interrupts the interview to ask Rob to join them, he declines while talking to No-Title)
NT: Thanks for that Rob
RT: You’re welcome.
NT: The great thing about the Hard Dance Awards coming to Leeds is the way it gives local talent the opportunity to mix it with industry. Is this s great stepping stone, or filling them with false hope?
RT: Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s great it’s in Leeds and fantastic for the local talent, a chance to perform in front of a fantastic crowd.
NT: Finally, you’re up for the Outstanding Achievement Award, does it make you feel old?
RT: Yeah, it does a bit. I didn’t think it was possible to get an outstanding achievement award even though I’m only 26, ha-ha.
(All that can be heard and seen in the press room is Mark EG shouting and singing and jumping around while he does a POD cast for Euphoria. Resulting in fits of laughter from all present)
NT: I gather you don’t need an award like that to justify your career as you must get a great vibe from each gig and venue you play.
RT: Yeah true. Although whether you win or not it does give people the opportunity to measure their achievements and be rewarded for their hard work.
Winning is always nice though, even if it’s just at ISS Pro, which I do plenty of as well by the way.
NT: Thanks for speaking to us Rob, good luck tonight.
RT: No problem, thanks for talking to me.
With the night in full swing, crowd favourite Mark EG took to the stage.
The Leeds lad born and bred didn’t disappoint, pulling out his usual arsenal of acrobatics, climbing the rig and scaring the stewards by waving the CD deck around and taunting the crowd at every opportunity, the crowd reciprocate with chants of “MARK E G! MARK E G!”
No-Title then scrambled their way to the press room and got in Radio One’s way to grab an interview with the Hard Dance legend that is Mark EG.
NT: How are you Mark?
MG: Hi mate, I’m good.
NT: I heard you are off early tonight, anywhere glamorous?
MG: Show in Bridlington mate
NT: It’s cold there fella, you’d better wrap up warm.
MG: I know, I used to go there on my holidays
(BBC Radio One interrupts and asks Mark to join them. He declines as he is with a local magazine)
NT: That’s the second time they’ve done that tonight, I’ll keep it quick. Radio One wants you, and that’s important.
MG: Oh no! You’re important! Radio One don’t care. They’re well rude.
NT: It’s okay though, I plan to go over and do the same to them in five minutes.
So, how has it been for you tonight? You’re clearly the crowd favourite, name being chanted. You have fun?
MG: I’ve had loads of fun tonight. It’s great to play to people who appreciate what you do and especially in the town you live in.
The great thing about this is I’m actually from Leeds and I recognise a lot of people on the dance floor. It really feels like home in here tonight. It’s a bit of a shame I have to go because I would have loved to stay and enjoyed the party.
It’s the first time I have ever played or been to this venue so I got here and came in the front entrance, I got stopped and was told I had to go through the artist entrance I was like ‘Oh my god! What?!’ it’s so exciting. I’m pleased to be here.
NT: You really are a like a ball of hyperactive energy, do you have to build yourself up for shows or is it just a case of you exploding out there from shear love of what you do?
MG: I suppose you have to feel it straight away. I mean you can have flu in the car, be full of cold, but the moment you get through the doors of a club, no one gives a shit about that. People want a party; you have to be up for it.
You have to give 100% no matter how you feel. You’re here giving 100% in your job, doing a great interview, and I try and do that as well in my job.
NT: You have a cult following, what do you think to the Marl EG Facebook appreciation groups?
MG: Yeah they’re great aren’t they, I love it. I appreciate all the people who support me and follow me……
(BBC Radio One interrupts again and asks Mark to join them)
MG: I have a Facebook and a Myspace page, I update them all myself. So if people want to get in touch, come on there and we’ll have a chat.
NT: Okay Mark, thanks for chatting to me, I’ll let you get off now.
MG: Thanks for having me. Have a good night
As the night ticks by room one hosts sets from giants such as Andy Whitby, who certainly knows how to entertain a crowd, 150 BPM from the off, pretty fast.
The Organ Donors and Kutski presented the next set of awards: Best Small Club to Cyber Kitten, Best Label to Tidy, and Best Resident to Andy Whitby.
New award, Outstanding Achievement, was given to The Tidy Boys. Unable to attend the award (like so many tonight unfortunately) Ammo sent in an acceptance video featuring him and Cheeky Monkey. The acceptance video featured a subliminal-message type shot of Rob Tissera naked in a 70’s style porn promo photo shoot.
Later, Howard Marks presented Kidd Koas with the award for Best Newcomer, Global Gathering with Best Large Club Night and Showtek with both Best Track and Best DJ. Alex Kidd for the second time running was crowned Biggest Party Animal, leaving the crowd to ponder; just what does Mark EG have to do to grab that award. Unable to collect the award in person, Alex Kidd sent in an acceptance video which he filmed with a luggage tag on his eye.
As the awards ceremony winds down for the night, it’s time for Hard Dance itself to take over. With no end in sight and the party set to continue till 5am, No-Title props up the bar with writer and Cannabis enthusiast. Once a man who held twenty plus passports and was wanted by MI5, CIA and various other government authorities worldwide; Howard Marks.
NT: Hi Howard, how are you?
HM: I’m good thanks, nice to see you.
NT: So you enjoying the night, are you a big fan of Hard Dance?
HM: I’m having a great time. Well, I like all kinds of music, from classical to dance. I enjoy choral music too. I like what ever gets the blood going at a particular moment.
NT: Have you ever read a No-Title before?
HM: No, I’ve not read one but I’ve seen them about in town.
NT: I heard you live in Leeds. Do you live anywhere near Jimmy Saville?
HM: (laughs) no, I don’t. Where is his?
NT: Near Roundhay Park
HM: My place is in a lot nicer area than his.
Kong
Dark, Sinister and downright scary to look at – Kong are the latest hyperactive punk spawn of the Manchester music scene.
Being hailed as one of Britain’s next big bands, they infuse a raw, punch drunk sound - spiky, disjointed, angular rhythms all wrapped up in Death From Above sassy style.
The menacing, masked, Manchester three-piece are to the thriving underground music scene what Sir Isaac Newton was calculus, and as equally daunting to be faced with in broad daylight.
Control Magazine entered the dark bushes of Hyde Park in Leeds with these three men in masks and aluminous gowns to find out more about the band, those outfits and the new release ‘Blood of a Dove/A Hint of Rennit Innit’ available through Brew Records.
Control: Hi, how is Kong today?
Lee: Colourful!
Control: How does the Kong experience differ from your previous, slightly more commercial bands such as Capulet and Oceansize?
Steven: We wear the masks.
Lee: We eat the meat. The other bands are vegetarians, vegetarianisms.
Control: The style of Kong seems very much in the same vein, both musically and image wise as the punk scene in San Diego, very similar to bands on THREEONEG. Are you heavily influenced by those bands?
Mark: The Locust. Mainly The Locust, they can play, but we can play better
Control: Kong’s image breaks away from the norm, how did the idea for the outfits develop?
Mark: Just the colour red.
Lee: Red, yeah
Steven: None of us are wearing red today.
Lee: We’ve gone Bermuda today man.
Steven: I really don’t like wearing red
Lee: It’s more of a shield I think
Control: So no plans to ‘don’ white outfits instead of red for tonight’s trip across the Pennines to Yorkshire?
Lee: Nope! No, Andrew WK did that shit. Nah it’s been done
Steven: I’m sure someone must have worn red before
Control: The White Stripes maybe?
Mark: That’s white, they’re white
Lee: and incestuous! But then again we’re all quite incestuous, with each other.
Control: The new release ‘Blood of a Dove/Hint of Rennit innit’ is driven and aggressive, packs a punch along the lines of 400 Blows. Is the finished product as you imagined?
Lee: Yeah! That’s cool, because they are a great band
Steven: Are we? I’ve never heard of them
Lee: Yeah. I’m good friends with Scott, but to be honest we were a band before we really knew of 400 Blows.
Control: Looking at the videos on Kong’s Myspace, you appear to take keeping fit as serious as recording - it must be difficult keeping up that strict regime on tour, how do you manage?
Steven: I’ve never exercised in my life
Lee: Yeah you did, we had the gym in the studio
Steven: oh yeah I punched a light out while I was lifting weights. If you were meant to lift weights, then you’d be born with more weight
Control: So how do you relieve stress on tour?
Mark: Food parties
Lee: Burrito parties
Steven: I ate a prawn’s face off once I chewed its eyes.
Control: You have the look of evil villains; do you think you may have been overlooked for a role in the new Batman film?
Steven: If you look at the Batman film now they are trying to rip each others faces off, but in the older episodes they were a lot nicer. I remember seeing a clip where Batman and the Joker had a surfing competition.
(Control presents the band with a picture from Kong’s website - in which they ask fans to colour the bands outfits in and send it to the band. Control coloured the band as characters from The Dark Knight film)
Steven: Oh you’ve done one of the pictures, excellent
Lee: That’s excellent, that’s the ‘Boys Going Loco Album’ cover.
Steven: that’s the first one that’s been done, No one has done an entry yet, so you might win a prize. Colour in Kong, fucking good effort that. I see you learnt at primary school to stay in the lines, but you didn’t learn that whole ‘solid colour aspect’.
Lee: he was saving his felt tips.
Cotheria Press Release 'The Harlequin' 2009
From the depths of West Yorkshire comes an outstanding band, young in age but wise beyond years. They command an army of loyal fans, winning more admirers with every exceptional and unforgettable show. They are set to revive a scene which has been walking a tight rope of iniquity for many years and in which many had lost faith.
They are: Cotheria, the breath of fresh air loyal metal fans have been waiting for. They unleash a nonstop energy filled, hyperactive live experience, enthused with brutally honest and prolific song writing.
Cotheria have shared some big stages with some of the hottest metal bands, not just to come out of these fair Isles, but out of this decaying Hemisphere.
Their current state of ascendancy came from humble beginnings in the summer of 2006, and like all bands they have undergone several personnel changes. But, where most bands are discouraged, these situations have instead been conquered and turned into opportunities to take Cotheria to the next step; bringing them success and helping them mature beyond their years.
Early supports with U.S giants Bullets & Octane gave the band a taste for bigger and better shows, each time rising to the occasion. Cotheria boast an impressive history, seeing them share the stage with Johnny Truant, Skindred and Fightstar, as well as commanding their own headline performance and Battle of the Bands triumphs.
2009 sees the long awaited release of Cotheria’s new EP ‘The Harlequin’, recorded at Pravda Studios in Leeds by Matt Peel and Andy Dawkins, whose own pedigree has already been proven internationally with famous names known though out the industry. Where many would falter or grow weary of how to progress and develop their song writing, Cotheria show with tracks such as ‘Snowfall’ and ‘Last Words’, ‘The Harlequin’ is layered with raw ability and technical genius.
In vocalist Dave Eriya, Cotheria have a charismatic voice, front man and image to lead them on to great things, backed by a tight, thunderous rhythm section and innovative tech style guitar playing that defies tired, formulaic riff patterns, done to death by ten-a-penny metal bands, Cotheria create their own unique wall of ear-splitting sound.
Cotheria will leave you on your knees, ready and willing to suck the blood from the neck of guitars.
D-Rail
Photo courtesy of Al-Overdrive.com
D-Rail are one of the most outstanding hardcore/punk/screamo bands around these fair hills in the north of England. A non stop energy filled, hyperactive live experience and amazingly prolific in their writing. They have also shared some big stages with some of the hottest hardcore bands to come out of these fair Isles.
I had the opportunity to have a chat with the boys to discuss the Leeds scene, their relationship with Calculated Risk and their plans for new material in the future.
Their album ‘The Kinetics of a decaying structure’ is available through Calculated Risk Records.
NT: How is D-Rail today?
D-Rail: Everything’s rosy thank you, were having as much fun as we’ve ever had doing this band. We still love writing music together and getting on the road to play live. Hopefully the crowd appreciates how much energy we put into our performances and the fact we’re genuinely passionate about what we do.
NT: You have been described as veterans of the Leeds Punk scene. What do you think of the range of hardcore/math/spazz bands we have at the moment, do you have any favourites?
DR: Longevity equals dedication. Leeds always seems to have more than it’s fair share of amazing bands. I love the fact that unlike many ‘scenes’ Leeds tends to stay relatively trend free with most bands trying to do something new, rather than having loads of re-hashed bands with no originality. The bands that standout from the current local crop for us are; Humanfly, The Plight, Red Stars Parade, Beasts, WhoresX3, Bearhead, Soulfracture Omerta, the Horror + Send More Paramedics who are to split soon which is a great shame. In fact the UK’s got loads of great bands out there at the moment if people bother to look for them. Hopefully our buddies Gallows who are enjoying unbelievable success will open people’s minds and make them consider the qualities the UK underground has to offer rather than just listen to the bland interchangeable American bands they get offered on a plate.
NT: How did you get involved with Calculated Risk Products?
DR: Our involvement with Calculated Risk came from the time Niall spent playing guitar in Beecher who had just released an album on that label.
Niall met Martin and he was into what we were doing and proposed putting out an album for us. He was also kind enough to help press up and distribute or debut EP ‘Soundtrack to a heartbeat’, which was great help at the time.
Getting on Calculated Risk was awesome for us as before we’d not really put too much thought into ‘proper’ releases, we were just happy doing our thing.
NT: The sound of the album ‘The Kinetics of a decaying structure’ seems a lot more professional and polished compared to earlier recordings. What make that record so special?
DR: Prior to the kinetics our recordings had been very ‘do it yourself’ in nature and as a result sounded pretty bad. Martin (Calculated Risk) suggested we record our new material with a guy called John Hoang from a now defunct band called Crydebris. He’d recorded their material and it sounded like his production would suit or style perfectly. We had the comparative luxury of 4 days in a studio near Rotherham to record drums and track the guitars. Bass and vocals were recorded in bedrooms due to budget constraints. In a way it was a continuation of our guerrilla approach to recording though Jon had the skills to make a final product far superior to what we’d achieved in the past. With retrospect there is much that could be improved upon that recording but it was a necessary learning curve for us as a band and I am proud of what we achieved given the time constraints.
NT: Tell us about the recording sessions you have coming up. Are we to expect a new release soon?
DR: Yes! We’ve got a week booked with any awesome producer and good friend Jason Sanderson (S.M.P, The Plight, Soulfracture to name a few).
We are recording nine new songs to be released in the New Year by Leeds based label Thirty Days of Night Records.
The ideal thing about Jason is he’s very familiar with the band and our new songs as we’ve already demo’d most of them at his studio.
We know we can record something pretty special with him and we feel really lucky that he shares our passionate for what we do. We love the new songs it is certainly our best material to date and the vibes much more party this time round. The demos are available to download on our Myspace.
NT: You’re obviously very but you also have a great punk rock spirit. What do D-Rail listen to on there everyday life?
DR: I actually think our new material is a bit less tech and all the better for it. In the past we’d possibly been guilty of over complicating our songs as were determined to have our own sound. The new material is certainly more punk rock and it’s probably easier to see our influences. The song writing is more in the classic verse chorus verse in style though the more chaotic and noisy elements have been maintained. Classic D-Rail drive time hits would be; Saves the Day, Say Anything, The Get up Kids, Attack in Black, American Nightmare, Botch, Boys Night Out, and Attack! Vipers! and Cancer bats.
We all have our own likes and dislikes but this is the core of stuff we listen whilst traveling to gigs to get us in the mood.
NT: You have played some impressive shows, which is the favourite Gig/venue you have played?
DR: We’ve been fortunate to play with many bigger bands from the Europe and the States and it’s great to be asked to play those bigger shows though it’s not the be all and end all for us. The Beecher/Norma Jean tour stand as do the shorter tours with, Errander, Gallows and Send More Paramedics and The Nothing. Also playing in Europe with Fallen into Ashes was an amazing experience. I don’t think we’ve ever laughed as much or as hard as we did in those 10 days, plus you get looked after so well in Europe compared to the UK it was like the best holiday ever hopefully we’ll be back next year.
I think we’d all agree that we prefer playing small floor show venues with the crowd in your face rather than big stages thought that can be a lot of fun too, you can’t replace the intimacy of those types of show. One of the best aspects of being in this band is making friendships with other like minded people we’ve a list as long as our arms of bands we’ve struck firm friendships with through playing alongside and have been inspired by their attitude and commitment.
NT: You’ve got a lot of loyal fans. You we’re one of the first band I ever saw in Leeds, and I thought well the City is a bit of a tip, but this band are fucking ace. What do you think of the changing face of the cities music scene?
DR: Thank you, you’ve been very generous with your praise in the questions we rarely get opportunity to do interview and we appreciate the support very much.
Things changed for us when we starting play gigs with bands that had a D.I.Y. ethos rather than just trying to 'blag' the local wannabe big promoter into giving us a show. It inspired us to take responsibility for what we we’re doing rather then wait for something to happen and it gave us the opportunity to play outside of Leeds through the connections we made. It’s people taking their own free time to organise events that keeps things going and thankfully Leeds still has many such people.
NT: Any last words for Leeds?
DR: It’s a total cliché but, support your scene. The thing which makes gigs great isn’t the bands, it’s the audience. They create the atmosphere and can make it a party or lame, sure it helps if the bands are good but without the interaction between the two you have nothing. Take a risk go to a gig, what’s the worst that could happen? You might have a laugh and meet some people.
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