Sometimes
I kick myself for not interviewing a band quickly as I review their
début album. It's taken me months to contact today's guests to do an
interview with them after I reviewed their amazing début album –
The Men Of Women back in June.
WOMEN
are a Rock and Roll/Stoner/Punk/Sludge Metal band that you all need
to check out now. Their début album – The Men Of Women – floored
the hell out of me and a few others within the Hard Rock/Stoner Metal
world.
This
is what I said about the album - “So we have a band called WOMEN
releasing their début mini-album – The Men Of Women. Sorry to
disappoint all you Stoner Rock Feminists out there but these WOMEN
are a bunch of dudes playing some blazing riffs to impress you with.
So what do WOMEN provide? Well they provide 30 minutes of
self-proclaimed “Classy Scuzz Rock Jams” to shake your body to.
WOMEN are more of lo-fi punk driven Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal band
adding dark vocals to the mix.
The
Men Of Women is a truly stunning album and marks the arrival of a
great band from the UK Sludge/Stoner Metal scene. Let us see what
their full-length début album brings.”
Time
to find out more about this trio of men calling themselves – WOMEN
Q1
– Hi all. Thanks for doing this. How are things with you today.
Jon
(guitar/vocals): Hello, I’m super thank you.
Q2
– Can you tell our readers a brief history of how the band came
about and where it is today.
Jon:
Me and Ron started writing riffs about ’05 possibly ’06. We tried
to get a band together but it just wasn’t happening, everyone we
jammed with either sucked or just didn’t get what we were trying to
do music wise. We met Gaz in 2011 on a stag do of a mutual friend,
we started jamming later that year, and here we are!
Gareth
(drums/vocals): Yeah, I said I’d give it a go. Three years on…
haha.
Q3
– How would yourselves describe your music as you have a lot of
different sounds going on.
Jon:
I’ve no idea. I’d say we have a bit of stoner rock in there, some
doom and old fashioned hard rockin’ riffs. Oh and we’re partial
to a bloody good thrash as well. So I’d call it “Doom ‘n’
Roll.”
Gareth:
We all listen to a lot of varied music, so a mixture of everything we
like really. Sludge, stoner, doom, punk, thrash, prog, noise, rock
n’roll… heavy and slow, fast and pounding, just lots and lots of
riffs at the core. Yeah, Doom ‘n’ Roll, basically.
Q4
– Why the hell did you choose the name WOMEN for your band? Any
particular meaning behind this?
Jon:
It’s a ridiculous name. Being ridiculous is important to us as a
band, because we don’t take ourselves seriously. We take the music
serious, playing live and being tight and good and not sucking, but
the rest is bullshit. You make your own name, most band names are
retarded anyway but if the band is awesome, then the name becomes
cool. It kind of undermines how “masculine” the music sounds as
well, which I’ve always thought is cool.
Q5
– Your début mini-album – The Men Of Women – has been
released. Have the responses from fans and critics surprised you?
It's received quite a bit of praise amongst various circles.
Jon:
I’ve no idea really. It’s nice that someone out there likes it.
But we don’t play for critical acclaim or anything, we just like
drinking beers, playing riffs and banging our heads (laughs).
Gareth:
I monitor the Bandcamp and it’s pretty awesome how many people from
all over the world are purchasing downloads, AND buying our physical
records. I’ve had to send parcels to Finland and even America. It’s
awesome. Quite a few people in Germany too. Would love to do some
shows over there in the future.
Q6
– Can you tell our readers what they can expect from the album.
Gareth:
A good time.
Jon:
Music? Rock music. Doom ‘n’ Roll.
Q7
– It is a very dark and twisted album at times. Was that your
intention to release something that dark? Especially on the last two
tracks - Brown Note Symphony and Take Me To The Gallows.
Jon:
Yeah, it’s all about light and shade. I won’t be a cry baby, but
I went through some stuff and I wasn’t in the best mindset when we
wrote Gallows, to the point where it was almost unpleasant for me to
play. But we couldn’t ignore its power.
When
we first came up with it, we just played the riff and kept playing
it. Before we knew where we were, 30 mins had passed and we’d
played one riff the whole time. The Symphony started out as a joke,
but once we put it together it sounded so scary. We’re all fans of
drone anyway, so we just went with it.
Ron
(guitar): I think our dark and twisted personalities just came out in
a cathartic song writing process. It was never going to sound like
rainbows writing in a disused factory through the winter.
Q8
– Was it a hard album to write and record for.
Jon:
Not at all, it was an absolute joy recording and writing. The dude we
got to record it, Matt, is a damn genius as well. I’ve never been
more proud of anything in my life.
Ron:
Recording most of it in a live set-up really helped speed up the
recording process as it felt more natural.
Gareth:
The writing came natural from a live set up so it only felt right to
do the majority in live takes as well. I had worked with Matt
Pinfield previously who was all about that live energy in a
recording, and it all came off really well. It also helped that Matt
is a top fella who really understood what we were all about, and he
enjoyed listening to the songs, and was really enthusiastic about the
whole process so it all came together really easily. Definitely the
best recording I’ve been involved in.
Q9
– What influenced you when recording the album.
Jon:
Satan. I’m not sure, we all like so much music. We make a conscious
effort to always be ourselves, so there’s no one specific
influence.
Gareth:
We just wanted to make something loud and heavy, and have fun whilst
doing it. We also wanted to document our best songs in the best way
possible, and in an environment that we felt comfortable with, so I
guess recording in our lock-up in the dirt and the dirge, that was
the best possible influence (haha).
Q10
– What is the song-writing dynamic in the band. Is it a group
collective or down to one individual.
Jon:
Depends on the song, sometimes me and Gaz will collaborate and really
dig ourselves into something’s structure, then teach it to Ron.
Other times Ron will play a beastly riff and we’ll join in and go
from there. Other times me and Ron will play guitars on a sofa and
stumble across something. So yeah, no real rhyme or reason to it.
Sometimes inspiration just comes to you.
Q11
– Which bands and artists influenced you as musicians. Any
particular band or album stand out that influenced you to become a
musician.
Jon:
Just too many to mention. Melvins, Boris, Mastodon and Black Sabbath.
That’ll do.
Gareth:
I play guitar and bass as well as drums so we’d be here all day
basically! I think we all agree on Melvins though. They’re pretty
important to all of us.
Q12
- What is your musical set-up when playing live or recording your
music. Any hints and tips would you like to give to the budding
musicians out there.
Jon:
Well we don’t have a bass player so we have to do some effects
trickery to make up for it, but those are my secrets I’m afraid. As
far as tips go for performing and putting your art out there, just
say what you mean and mean what you say.
Ron:
Good pickups, fat strings and constant experimentation to find YOUR
sound, and practise as much as you can before you have to get a 9-5
job.
Gareth:
Being a drummer is expensive. Get cheap gear and smash the shit out
of it.
Q13
– Do you play many gigs in your home town of Wolverhampton. Or do
you have to travel further afield to perform regularly.
Jon:
Nowhere near as much as we’d like. That being said we finally
popped our Slade Rooms cherry this year with God Damn, and we played
the Giffard as well. We’ll literally play anywhere. So, if any
promoters are reading…
Gareth:
We’ve played neighbouring Dudley more times than Wolverhampton
technically, and are starting to play Birmingham more frequently now.
I wish Wolves had more smaller venues like Brum but sadly it lacks
the support.
Q14
– If you could give any advice to someone wanting to start a band.
What would it be.
Jon:
Do it with people you’re friends with, who don’t suck. Enjoy
yourselves and don’t be a c**t.
Ron:
Equipment is heavy and it always rains at load-in. Accept this
quickly.
Q15
– The UK Hard Rock/Stoner Metal scene is currently thriving at the
moment. Tons of great bands to check out. Can you see this continuing
or will it start to go on a downward spiral.
Jon:
Yeah it’s awesome, especially locally. The list is too long but for
the most part we have had the absolute pleasure of playing with
legitimately awesome bands, and the fact we’re all from the
midlands makes it all the better. We share a lock up with awesome
bands, we rehearse over the road from awesome bands, we play gigs
with awesome bands and we’re friends with awesome bands. It’s
awesome!
There’s
something brewing in these parts, and I can’t wait to see where it
goes. The mainstream seems to be waking up to the music I love as
well, which is superb. I’m no elitist, I’ve no problem whatsoever
if “stoner rock” or whatever you want to call it blows up and
becomes super popular. If it means we get to play more shows and
release music to more people, then how can that ever be seen as a bad
thing?
Gareth:
The local scene in the Midlands is great, it’s not specifically a
stoner scene or anything but a giant mash-up of genres, we all get
along and support each other, and it’s awesome. I wouldn’t have
it any other way.
Q16
– You called – The Men Of Women – your début mini-album. Does
this mean you have a proper full length record being released soon?
When can we expect that bad-boy sorry I mean bad-girl to be released.
Jon:
Haha, yeah she’s a cold hearted bitch of album ain’t she? Time
will tell…
Q17
– What are the future plans for WOMEN in the next 12 months or so.
Anything you like to share with us at Sludgelord HQ.
Gareth:
Give us the money and we’ll do a double album.
Jon:
No plans set in stone but we are probably going to re-record some
other bits and bobs from yesteryear and get those released. Possibly
as an extension onto the current record, or maybe just as its own
little thing. Or we may just go and record a whole load of new stuff.
We’re quite prolific song wise, there’s always new riffs.
Our
next “big” show is with That Fucking Tank at the Flapper in
Birmingham, October 17th. We intend to bring some serious noise.
Q18
– The last thing before you go, Do you have anything else to say to
your fans.
Jon:
Fans?
Ron:
Thanks for taking the time to listen to our music. Hopefully you'll
still be fans after the next release.
WOMEN
– thanks for doing this. Can't wait to see what you crazy SOB's
decide to release next. All the best with your new record.
Jon:
Anytime, Steve. Make sure you come to a show sometime!!
Thanks
to WOMEN for taking the time out to talk to us here at Sludgelord HQ.
Words
by Steve Howe
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