New Music Night with an edge
On November 8, New Music
Night in The Out Back Shack will
be a hardcore/metal show featuring
three London local bands.
Searching For Satellites, Fault of
Mine, and Foxfight will take the
stage to bring forth an interesting
blend of dynamic melodies and
intense sonic assaults. I had the
chance to hang out with some of
them and discuss some elements of
their music and how they feel
about the London music scene as it
stands.
Searching for Satellites is comprised of Sam Sheppard, Brandon Kellam, Josh McGregor, Jeff Folkes, and James McLeod, who all cohesively form the post-hardcore unit that embraces dynamic vocal parts and thick guitar riffs that cut through the mix like a chainsaw to a tree. I got to talk with Kellam, who joined in March and was formerly part of a Windsor progressive metal band known as Assassinate the Following. Kellam was extremely enthusiastic about the band he now fronts as well as the scene he survives in. About his recent show with Stick to Your Guns and Stray from the Path, he commented, “I only joined the band in March and you really can't just do that and expect to be perfect, but when we played that show, everything seemed a lot faster — almost in a hardcore direction. It just felt right.”
Two members from Fault of Mine, Kieran Mitchell on guitar/vocals and Shawn Pelletier on drums, also got some words in regarding their sound and their outlook on independent music. Their music is noticeably more focused on clean singing but it still retains the harder elements that their peers bring. Curious about the sort of gear they rely on, Mitchell and Pelletier both gave some rather detailed answers. “We've integrated the use of a click track in a live setting along with pads that carry backing parts from our album. It's a major thing that keeps us tight and adds a lot,” Pelletier said.
“With the click track, you start to understand the song more,” Mitchell added. “The click is a limitless thing because you can run projectors, lights, and anything else that can be synced up, which is something we have been discussing.”
The rawest of the three bands, Foxfight brings a different monster to the table with lightning-fast groove rhythms complemented by dissonant thrash metal arrangements that exploit their instruments' limitations. I got a chance to get a word in with guitarist Blair Stickle on how Foxfight broke into the metal scene and where they're at now. “Foxfight has been a band for five years or so. Recently, Djent started to swoop in and we don't really fit with that. I'd much rather play a show with a band like Searching for Satellites or Fault of Mine. To me, the Djent thing is just riff rock.” Stickle further went on to explain his own personal separation from the metal/hardcore scene, which was sort of evident near the end of our talks as he turned his focus to a songwriting session with his bandmates in a new country project. By the looks of things, he wasn't into the idea of being limited to genres.
From the attitudes of each act, they all seem extremely supportive of each other and it's clear that they have a bond that transcends the music. Be sure to watch them tear up the stage during their free show in The Out Back Shack on November 8, as I promise it won't be something that you could even remotely ignore.
Searching for Satellites is comprised of Sam Sheppard, Brandon Kellam, Josh McGregor, Jeff Folkes, and James McLeod, who all cohesively form the post-hardcore unit that embraces dynamic vocal parts and thick guitar riffs that cut through the mix like a chainsaw to a tree. I got to talk with Kellam, who joined in March and was formerly part of a Windsor progressive metal band known as Assassinate the Following. Kellam was extremely enthusiastic about the band he now fronts as well as the scene he survives in. About his recent show with Stick to Your Guns and Stray from the Path, he commented, “I only joined the band in March and you really can't just do that and expect to be perfect, but when we played that show, everything seemed a lot faster — almost in a hardcore direction. It just felt right.”
Two members from Fault of Mine, Kieran Mitchell on guitar/vocals and Shawn Pelletier on drums, also got some words in regarding their sound and their outlook on independent music. Their music is noticeably more focused on clean singing but it still retains the harder elements that their peers bring. Curious about the sort of gear they rely on, Mitchell and Pelletier both gave some rather detailed answers. “We've integrated the use of a click track in a live setting along with pads that carry backing parts from our album. It's a major thing that keeps us tight and adds a lot,” Pelletier said.
“With the click track, you start to understand the song more,” Mitchell added. “The click is a limitless thing because you can run projectors, lights, and anything else that can be synced up, which is something we have been discussing.”
The rawest of the three bands, Foxfight brings a different monster to the table with lightning-fast groove rhythms complemented by dissonant thrash metal arrangements that exploit their instruments' limitations. I got a chance to get a word in with guitarist Blair Stickle on how Foxfight broke into the metal scene and where they're at now. “Foxfight has been a band for five years or so. Recently, Djent started to swoop in and we don't really fit with that. I'd much rather play a show with a band like Searching for Satellites or Fault of Mine. To me, the Djent thing is just riff rock.” Stickle further went on to explain his own personal separation from the metal/hardcore scene, which was sort of evident near the end of our talks as he turned his focus to a songwriting session with his bandmates in a new country project. By the looks of things, he wasn't into the idea of being limited to genres.
From the attitudes of each act, they all seem extremely supportive of each other and it's clear that they have a bond that transcends the music. Be sure to watch them tear up the stage during their free show in The Out Back Shack on November 8, as I promise it won't be something that you could even remotely ignore.
