Sheffield, UK has been the hometown to many great musicians, from Bring Me The Horizon to Artic Monkeys and it still remains a breeding ground for great bands. Elegies can be considered to be one of those up and coming Sheffield-bred talents. With a new EP that just hit the streets it's time that we at RMP Magazine interviewed Elegies to find out more about the new release and what the band has been up to lately.
- Congratulations with the release of your EP, Deadlight Disease. It's been for out some weeks now. How has the response been?
Thank you! The response has been great so far to say it’s only a 3-track but we have had the sort of response we were looking for setting us up for our future plans.
- You released the new EP on Hassle Records, a label that leaves you in good company, like Lonely The Brave and Frank Iero. How did you get involved with Hassle?
We were first contacted by Hassle after we had some exposure when we released “Throne”, the single from “Daylight Disease”, and after performing in front of a few of their representatives at a show in London the rest is history.
- Elegies recently did a tour in August, it was called the Road To Nowhere tour. You even made a tour video, how did this idea come forward to feature the glamour of touring?
We never intended on making a specific tour video for our time on the road in August. Aiky (bass) has some camera equipment so we just filmed as much as we could between the six of us and he managed to throw it all together so we could show people what we'd been up to.
- I believe I even heard the X-files theme song in the background, any fans in the band?
In all honesty I don’t think any of us is a huge fan of the show. The theme song just seems to be a perfect backdrop for Ben (guitar) who is X-tra ordinary.
- You also went to Leeds festival this summer. How was the experience?Leeds festival was great. We managed to score backstage passes which gave us the opportunity to see some of our favourite acts of the weekend side stage. There was that and getting particularly wavy with all the festival-goers. We left our van in the backstage production car park which seemed impossible to get back to at 6am the next day as security was tight. We all tried to sleep off huge hangovers while the Saturday acts and staff were preparing for the day ahead. When in Rome, right?
- You even got to watch Kendrick Lamar perform, is the band influenced by hip-hop? We managed to see Kendrick side stage and it was probably the best set we saw. Not just Kendrick but also his live band. An incredible set played by incredible musicians. We try and take a lot from hip hop down to Dayle’s (drummer) rudiments to the way we lyrically try and tell a story.
- You also released a great video for the song “Throne” from the new EP. A real storyline with a suited guy getting kidnapped by the band wearing balaclavas and all black clothing Where did the idea come from and how is it linked to the song?
We’re glad you like the video! The idea came from us not conforming to the 9 to 5 regime which is expected of lads like us who aren’t studying or starting a ‘professional’ career. The idea to kidnap and force someone to watch us came from thinking about the film Clockwork Orange as we wanted to try and bring someone around to our way of thinking. The video doesn’t necessarily link with the song lyrically but it has a strong specific message and the target audience should sit down and listen.
- Can we expect the balaclavas and black clothing to becomepart of your stage outfit?
I doubt we will be wearing balaclavas when you see us play live, as we don’t really plan what to wear, but I’m sure we’d be up for it if it floats your boat.
- Elegies consists of six persons and holds two vocalists. Is it hard to keep the band in line with quite a large group?
Having six members has its ups and downs. Sometimes agreeing on certain things can take a while as keeping everybody happy can prove difficult. Fortunately, we are all on the same wavelength and we all know what we want so it’s just a case of going out and getting it.
- Or what about putting six guys in a cramped van for a long time? No fights or quarrels involved?
To be honest we can’t recall any arguments during our time on the road but maybe there will be at some point? The only reason we could see an argument occurring is about who gets the best sleeping space but who cares where you sleep when you’ve drank and smoked yourself to sleep?
- For the release of the new EP you made some great mock-up posters featuring the old 'devil weed' quote. So you all like 420 in the band?
Yeah the majority of us do like a smoke. Marshall (guitar) seems to stay away as he prefers a drink but the rest of us will smoke ‘til we are bone dry and looking for more. It has a big influence on “Daylight Disease” and if you look closely at our EP you may see more than meets the eye.
- Elegies has been a band for over two years now, things are going steady and good. Any big plans in the nearby future?
We have been constantly writing and developing ourselves ready for 2016. You’ll all have to wait and see.
– David Marote