Thursday 14 February 2013

Interview Exclusive! Black Sun


Black Sun @ The Forum!

I maintain that you can listen to countless CDs and studio recordings of bands, but nothing really compares with the sound of live music does it? Yes, it may have been a school night, and yes it may have been all the way in Tunbridge Wells, but I guarantee if you're getting a performance from Black Sun, it's more than worth it!

Never before have I seen a band play live and demonstrate the enthusiasm and stage presence as I saw at The Forum on Monday (11th Feb '13). They played an energetic set which had the crowd up and moving, and displayed all the qualities that a young band should; vitality, emotive interaction, and some killer sounds!

I was fortunate enough to be able to get an interview with the four guys of Black Sun, and you're fortunate enough to be able to read it here! 

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Black Sun had barely left the stage after their set, and dried the sweat from their brows before I'd dragged them outside into the cold February night for our interview. Full of post-gig adrenaline, the guys were interactive and enthusiastic about my questions, and offered some insightful comments into the state of the music industry today. Before I get into all that though, who are Black Sun?

To cover the basics, they're a four piece rock band based in Maidstone, composed of guitarists and vocalists Jamie Chellar and Alex Chadwick, bassist Sam Ratcliff, and drummer Luke Phillips. The band cite their influences as the likes of Muse, The Beatles, Biffy Clyro and Nirvana, and an element of these great musicians is reflected in their own music. If you're interested in finding out more about them (and you should be, by the way!), you can access their Facebook page here.

Why Black Sun anyway? Were they ever called anything else? I can tell you that they were previously called "many things", and I was met with laughter. It seems the fine art of band naming is a process that needs constant attention, particularly when the reason for sticking with Black Sun was, and I quote, "hm, what's dark and, what's like, cool? The sun." Despite this seemingly unconventional method of naming themselves, Jamie defended their name by suggesting it may also have been in Star Wars, which is undeniably a legitimate way to name your rock band...

Moving on, I asked the guys how they felt to perform on the same stage which many of their influences once played, including Biffy Clyro, Coldplay, Muse and Green Day. "All of a sudden, we're playing all these massive venues", said guitarist Jamie, with an element of surprise in his tone. They seemed genuinely overwhelmed to be progressing at such an impressive rate, and climbing towards their goals in a realistic way. Keep your head up guys, you're doing great!

Now, the question is (although you can most probably guess the answer), what did Black Sun have to say about chart music? "It's awful!" was the unanimous opinion. Hurrah! The band might be serious about their music, but they aren't without a sense of humour. Drummer Luke felt the need to express his love for Nicki Minaj, stating "she's alright though", and then laughing about it. If you're wondering, they do "a nice cover of Beez In The Trap!".

Back to being serious, I asked Black Sun where they saw themselves in ten years time. I wasn't met with any specific answers, but they did suggest they'd "love to come back to The Forum within the decade", to headline their own show perhaps, and showcase their talent to a large and supportive audience singing along to all their lyrics.

I'd like to thank Black Sun for being such genuinely polite, talented and hard working guys that are going to great lengths to keep the local rock scene ticking over. A small band destined for the big-time. Definitely ones to keep an eye on!

You can follow Black Sun on Facebook HERE

If you're interested in what I've got coming up (a review of Bullet for my Valentine's latest album 'Temper Temper', and interview with The Forum headliners The Antithesis, AND a review of the Battle of the Bands at The Rafters, Maidstone), then please follow me on Facebook HERE

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