LOMM: Can you give a little biographical and historical info; who is involved in the band, and how did you guys meet up?
Cam – so we started out as a bedroom project between myself & my friend Jonny (the bassist of the band), just jamming ideas into music software in my room. Those sessions ended up become our debut EP Derive & from there we wanted to get more people involved both creatively & for live purposes so James (Guitarist), Jake (Guitarist) & Sammy (Drummer) joined the band, we all knew each other via the manchester metal/core scene somehow & some way so we just got together, wrote some songs, the main releases being our debut full length “Subdued” as well as a few singles & a split record.
LOMM: Pandemic has taken an emotional toll on everyone yet the arts have been hit especially hard. The musicians are vulnerable to financial upheaval. How have you guys have been holding up?
Cam – as much as I know it’s hit musicians hard, for us it’s not really hit us to a level where we are completely powerless to do anything, we’ve released 3 projects over the space of the pandemic by just being tech savvy & knowing how to produce our own music, we’ve always been a very DIY band so even if we are handed a bad situation which we obviously have, the best way to move is to just keep creating music & doing things otherwise we’re sat doing nothing for over a year which is pretty much career suicide for a band wanting to make a name for themselves.
LOMM: On the other hand you seem to have had a productive time. Is that right?
Cam – 100%, like I said before we’ve taken this time to create rather than do nothing, it keeps us somewhat sane & eventually when the industry opens back up we’ve got more to show for it.
LOMM: Tell us about your genre, what does it means to you, why did you choose this genre?
Cam – so to most people we’re a chaotic metalcore/hardcore band & the reason for that is a lot of us grew up listening to metalcore or hardcore music so creating something in that field is just something all of us want to do, the thing with us & I know it’s a corny thing to say but we really try not to stick in the lines of what genre people think we are, end of the day we’re creatives & we all don’t exclusively listen or like one thing & those other things we listen to bleed Into our music.
LOMM: How did the initial musical and thematic elements evolve?
Cam – So I’d say it’s just an in general evolution, every record has been shaped by what all of us have been listening to & that can either be similar to what was on the song before or drastically different, I’d say on my end from the 1st EP to Now we’ve definitely amped up the more tense & melodic side of the band whilst being more calculated with our in songwriting, it’s no longer just me putting a bunch of riffs into a song whereas now it’s more “let’s actually write a song”.
LOMM: Are you happy with your product? What aspects of it do you think you guys nailed, and what parts do you think you could improve upon?
Cam – So i’m personally very happy with our recent release, we’ve always been interested in dropping a split record with another band & the love both us & worm hero (the other band on the split) have been getting just from friends or people who’ve been jamming the band for a while, I’d say it’s a little too early to to go on about what we did well & things to improve upon though, as it’s recent I’m still in that phase of not hating my own songs but trust me in like a few months I’ll hear the songs & start proper dissecting things I don’t like about the release.
LOMM: How has the overall reception been?
Cam – like I said before both us & worm hero have had a lot of love from all over the place, like seeing people from different countries & places that aren’t manchester based sharing or listening to the songs is just something I’ll never personally get over.
LOMM: Have you ever been on a tour? Given live performances? Is it tough for you not to be able to do so now?
Cam – We’ve not toured yet however when it’s possible to do so it’s definitely on the cards, we have played a few live shows before though & it’s definitely tough to do be able to get that rush & energy of playing a show in front of people who get it, one of the main things I miss personally but eventually we’ll get back to a position where that’s possible.
LOMM: What is the next step for you? How is the future looking?
Cam – I mentioned it briefly in the last answer however as soon as it’s possible we are in desperate need of a tour, as well as that we are still writing songs & looking towards our next release, it’s not 100% set in stone however we’re writing & eventually it’s going to be released.
LOMM: Could you tell us about the lyrics / themes /concepts you focus on or plan to focus on? How did the ideas come about, and how do they influence the writing process? Who is writing the lyrics?
Cam – so lyrically I wrote about a fictional cult that I kinda made up in my mind, when I started the band I was on a kick of learning about cults & why people would join them & cult leaders n such. So I wrote a lot of the first EP about that & then further on I wanted to make write more from a character perspective so I went into the shoes of a character in that cult so I could try & act out how they would be, over time I’ve seen the lyrical process more & more like I’m being cast to play a character in a film or TV show, so for the past releases its just been riffing on the cult idea.
LOMM: Who is composing the songs?
Cam – to an extent all of us, we all have our say about songs & one person may come up with one idea of someone else will work ideas from someone else’s idea, it’s really a combination of all of us.
LOMM: What bands do you draw your inspiration from?
Cam – Bands wise, for me personally I’d say The Dillinger Escape Plan, Daughters, The Armed, Melt Banana, I Hate Sex, Underoath, The Chariot, Every Time I Die, Slipknot, Converge, Knocked Loose, Vein, bunch of bands really.
LOMM: Which is more exciting? Being on the road or studio?
Cam – so this is a trick question because 3/5th of the band are capable recording studio engineers & it definitely depends, if it’s a bad session then 100 being on the road going to shows or traveling, but when we have a good studio session going there’s honestly nothing better.
LOMM: What first got you into music?
Cam – my family have always been into music, but I’d say the catalyst of my current music tastes came from my step dad, he listens to bands like Nirvana, Radiohead, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers & I grew up listening to songs from those acts & really from there I don’t really know how to explain it but I’ve just always been into music from that upbringing.
LOMM: What do you like the best about being a musician? And what is it that you do not like much?
Cam – I’d say it’s 100% the creative freedom, & it’s a way for me to just feel & be creative in whatever way I want to be, in my opinion I don’t think there’s anything else like it in any other industry, & on the not like so much side, it’s definitely that period starting out where you hate the sound of your voice & question absolutely everything you’re doing, but as soon as you get past that & just embrace your own creativity it’s just the best.
LOMM: If you weren’t musicians, what would you be doing?
Cam – If I wasn’t a musician I would love to be involved in film or the gaming world, especially now my mindset as a Vocalist is to kinda play a role, now more than ever I’ve been intrigued by the idea & the world of acting, & gaming wise I did once upon a time go to college to learn how to be a game developer & there’s still things that I’d want to try & learn from that experience.
LOMM: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Cam – Honestly I don’t know, one thing right off the top of the head is I wish small vinyl runs were not extremely expensive to produce, we’ve always wanted to run vinyl but for the level we are there not really sustainable.
LOMM: What’s more important to you? Catering to the audience or music for its own sake?
Cam – Music for its own sake 100%.
LOMM: What is the most memorable gig that you have played to date?
Cam – Probably our show in Liverpool with MTXS, was a completely wild venue, proper turn your amps up & the only mic you’re getting is the vocal mic kinda stuff, super small, super compact & the people who showed up were proper down for it.
LOMM: When you look back your music career, what do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
Cam – Currently it’s our debut albums release, we put the most work into that record & the reception was great all round, I do feel there will be another achievement that will top that be that a show or new record but as of now definitely releasing our first album.
LOMM: Who would you like to collaborate with?
Cam – Personally AG Cook, they’re one of the people behind PC Music & I cannot fault a release they’ve helped produce, it’s definitely not in the same genre as us but I feel a record produced by them with us on it would be a crazy crossover.
LOMM: Who would you like to go on a tour with?
Cam – I would to one day tour with a band called Frontierer, kinda similar vibes to us but alot of djenty & crazy, those shows would be wild.
LOMM: If you could play any festival in the world, which one would you choose? Tell us why.
Cam – Arctangent in Bristol, me & James (our guitarist) went in 2019 & pretty much every band blew me away, you had the chaotic noisey bands to ambient to djent to be everything really, not to mention a lot of the bands they book are normally what I’m influenced by so I reckon it’d have to be that festival.
LOMM: Name some of your all-time favorite albums? Include controversial ones.
Cam –
Daughters – You Won’t Get What You Want & Self Titled
The Dillinger Escape Plan – One Of Us Is The Killer
Charli XCX – Pop 2 (technically a mixtape but I see it as an album)
Sophie – Product
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
Poison The Well – Opposite Of December
Underoath – Define The Great Line
Dance Gavin Dance – Happiness
PC Music Comp Album – Vol 1 & 2
Linkin Park & Jay Z – Collision Course
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kids See Ghosts – Self Titled
Tbh I can go on but I don’t want this to become an essay.
LOMM: Haha, I hear you 😊 What does your collection look like? Mostly Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, Digital? A bit of everything? A total mess?
Cam – I do have a bandcamp account & I buy pretty much anything that catches my eye, normally a lot of mathcore, indie, black metal, anything really, not exactly organised or ought.
LOMM: What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
Cam – We’re based in Manchester & the scene is pretty decent here, alot of good local Hardcore & Black Metal here in terms of heavy music, we’ve always been known as a town for indie but as of late the Manchester metal scene has been doing great in terms of the bands that’s cropping up.
LOMM: You can invite 5 people to a dinner party, from the future, the past, rock stars, a movie characters, you name it. Who are you having dinner with?
Cam – I don’t even need 5, I would without hesitation have a 1 on 1 dinner with Kanye West, mainly just to see how his mind works if I’m being Honestly
LOMM: If you had one message to your fans, what would it be?
Cam – Just cheers for listening to us & giving us the time and day, it’s still weird people from around the world listen to us, it’s just a weird thing to comprehend but I am ridiculously thankful for it.
LOMM: Anything else you think your fans should know?
Cam – New music & shows coming soon so don’t forget to check in with us.
LOMM: Thank you for taking the time.
Photo credit: Alex Dixon @BlackboxPhotoCo
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