Interview Exclusive! The Antithesis

The Antithesis @ The Forum!

You may well have heard me mentioning this strange new band, The Antithesis, several times over the past few weeks... But 'who are they?!', I hear you cry! What is The Antithesis?!

The Antithesis are an alternative rock/metal band based in Maidstone composed of some of the best young musicians you could hope to find in Kent; guaranteed emotive lyrics explored in depth through the vocal range of Faisal Anderson, mind-blowing guitar solos from Harry Clarke, a solid bass player with technical expertise in Darragh Lepke-Brown, and the glue to mould them all together, the talented Olly Harper on drums.

As explored in detail on their Facebook page the band started as the merging of Faisal and Olly's band, Crayfish Plague, and Harry and Darragh, originally to the appropriate name Synthesis; however, through the evolution of their music, the band's name has since changed to The Antithesis. 

So, now you know a little bit about the band, I'd like to share with you an interview I had with the guys a little before they went on to headline The Forum on Monday 11th!

To see the sort of music that The Antithesis are all about, pay a visit to their Facebook page, and/or check this out!

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The first (and last) time I wore my System of a Down shirt to a gig, resulted in comments such as "your mum's a Stem Of A Dow", and "I thought you were gonna say nice tits!", before the interview had even begun... I could already tell it was going to be a mixture of insightful, and just plain weird feedback, but what more would you expect from the headliners of a venue as revered as The Forum?!

What did the band think about playing The Forum anyway? Lead singer Faisal Anderson thought "it's pretty savage", while bassist Darragh remarked "it's fucking cool. Playing The Forum is big shit." Who was it that said the art of poetic conversation was lost? Despite their seemingly calm exterior, I could tell they were all incredibly excited to be performing. It's clear to see the boys are all incredibly passionate about music, even to the point of putting the band before their school work.

"We don't do any work..." Harry admitted, an opinion backed by drummer Olly who claimed he'd probably fail his exams because of all the time he puts into practising. If it makes you feel any better Olly, I'm probably going to fail too!

All this practice and dedication has to be put towards something tangible; Faisal's lyrics. What is it that teenagers write about in music these days anyway? "I guess it's a mix... Drugs. Talking about drugs. My own personal experiences." But of course! Drugs are such a large part of modern culture, it seems only natural to want to talk about them in songs; The Antithesis also tackle themes directly related to this drug-taking subculture, particularly "battling with the lower self, and the higher self." Faisal's lyrics "can apply to anyone", regardless as to whether you take drugs or not. The ability to write lyrics that everyone can enjoy is a talent which very few are blessed with; The Antithesis certainly use this to their favour.

In relation to natural talent, I asked the band what they thought about chart music, and artists that didn't write their own songs, or couldn't even play any instruments. To put it simply, the mutual agreement was "chart music is shit", an opinion shared by other local band Black Sun (and many others). Darragh had very strong feelings towards chart music today; "it bothers us a lot. We have a serious problem with it. It should be about the music, and not like, commercialism." Faisal added "when it becomes about creating a product, it gets shit.", a view shared by everyone present. After this resounding agreement about the state of today's chart music, the conversation steered more towards the music industry in general.

How did the band feel about stores like HMV closing down? Stores which many people have bought records, and CDs of bands they might not have known about before. "I think bands are gonna become more entrepreneurial", said Faisal. "Pretty much everything we're doing is internet based." With the likes of Facebook band pages, SoundCloud, YouTube and Spotify, it seems the physical stores across the country like HMV will continue to close, but it's not the end of music! As The Antithesis rightly pointed out, bands are evolving to match technology, and there are plenty of other ways to broadcast and showcase new music.

While we're on the topic of adapting and changing, how will The Antithesis' sound change in the future? "We're thinking of doing stuff that's a lot heavier." Excellent! The metal-heads of Maidstone utter a low growly cheer in response, but on the inside they are doing celebratory dances with broad grins. What's that I hear you say, Harry? "We might go into some electro stuff as well..." Double-excellent! There's a lot to look forward to in the future, then!

Now, The Antithesis aren't the only local band in Maidstone that show potential; school mates and rival band Black Sun are also a group of highly talented guys looking to catch a break in the music business. What did The Antithesis have to say about them? The general consensus was "they're amazing. Really good.", however Harry had other opinions... "We're sort of angry at them. I hate them with a passion." He spoke only in jest, of course, and this was made evident when I asked them if they had anyone they wanted me to acknowledge. "Definitely Dave Martin. The big Dave. He's done so much for us. And Black Sun. We've got so many gigs opening for them." The two bands have a symbiotic relationship in which everyone befits, something that's particularly evident in the way they interact and support each other, despite (technically) being in a permanent competition.

I'd like to thank The Antithesis for giving up their time to talk to me, and I don't seem able to express enough through words the quality of the performances that this band gives. A definite must-see band, and certainly one to monitor as they continue to achieve highly.

All the best guys!

You can find The Antithesis on Facebook here!

If you enjoyed this interview, you can follow me on Facebook here for upcoming interviews and reviews!

In the near future you can expect to find a review of Bullet for my Valentine's 'Temper Temper', an overall commentary on The Forum (Monday 11th February), and a review of the Battle of the Bands at The Rafters in Maidstone on Wednesday 13th February.

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

The Forum

Tonight is the night! We can expect fantastic live performances from The Antithesis, Black Sun, Bring The Ruckus, and Killing Vegas at The Forum in Tunbridge Wells.

These local, upcoming bands will be playing the same stage that many famous acts have played, including Biffy Clyro, Muse, Coldplay and Green Day!

Tickets are now only available at the door.

Coming up in the next few days you can expect to see interviews with The Antithesis and Black Sun, and also a review of Bullet for my Valentine's new album 'Temper Temper', so keep yourself posted!

You can find me on Facebook HERE! Please like to show some support! :)