Starting the weekend with an interview with Three Dead!
Picture: Joe Cooke Hello, Three Dead! Thanks for taking time to answer a couple of questions for us. Would you mind introducing your band to our readers? MATT – Of course! We’re a bunch of children in adult bodies playing a brand of alt-rock. We love big riffs and putting on an energetic show, as well as making funny videos on Instagram. If any of your readers fancy a listen, we’ve just released our new single Medusa. A lot of effort went into its creation and we’re super proud. It’s not too far from Black Peaks, Arcane Roots, Biffy Clyro etc. How would you describe the UK rock scene? MATT – We feel like the rock scene in Bristol is a bit hidden and secretive at first. Venues like Mother’s Ruin, The Gryphon, The Old England & Crofters Rights are great for unknown rock shows; we’ve played our fair share and seen some other cracking bands play too. However, you have to seek it out if you want it. TINO - Other bands we’ve played with have praised cities like Cardiff, Birmingham and Leeds to be proper hubs for rock music. We’ve played at Nosda Hostel in Cardiff a couple times, and to be fair it was banging! The crowd were really receptive and the venue treated us like royalty. We’re hoping to explore a bit further north this coming year. You've recently released a new single titled “Medusa”. Would you mind introducing this song? What's the story behind it? TINO - Our new track was born after a long, tiring week at work. I often find myself pondering the big questions like why are we here? Why is it so shit sometimes! Especially when faced with the daunting tasks or major events in life that you come across. At times, I feel down in life, everyone does. And a good way for me to make an understanding of something in my life is to write music on the subject. In a way the songwriting process is a state of meditation, where I can decode the encryption of my issues and come to some conclusion. This song explores certain pressures faced in my own personal world, but entwined metaphorically through the character of Medusa. What’s interesting though is that, since listening back to the track, I’ve discovered new meanings in the song. MATT - We’ve got a video coming out Friday 13th December, filmed and edited by Pete Berwick. It’s got strobes, it’s got scary faces, and we almost went loopy filming it until 3am at a local studio, which kind of fits in with the subject of the song. How’s your usual writing and recording process? MATT– Most of Medusa was written by our frontman Tino. However, the track has spent many an hour in the rehearsal room, with all of us crafting it into its final form. We love adding small musical details and spend (probably too much) time obsessing over things like pauses & hidden layers in the recordings. Our previous EP was written in much the same way, with Tino bringing the bulk of the songs to Carl and me for final touches. Although there are other ways to write, this method has the advantage of a consistent artistic style. It’s almost as if one person is building a frame on which the rest can put their ideas onto. TINO - Once the song has been completely written in the rehearsal room we then start the recording process. Getting involved in the nitty gritty side of recording is something we love, and me and Matt can be quite nerdy with this subject, and pay attention to the little things that you’d think wouldn’t make any difference… but they do. Because of the size of our little studio and the limited mic inputs we have, we record all the instrument parts separately, starting with the drums to click, before bass, guitar and then the vocal tracks. Once this is done I mix and master the track. We love the DIY approach we’ve taken with this band as we really have a deep understanding of the direction of the piece and it doesn’t diminish in meaning and conviction. I really love the artwork of the single. Can we talk about it? MATT – Absolutely! It was a really simple, effortless process to be honest. Once the track was named, the band unanimously decided on a dark, monstrous image. Hopefully one that catches your eye and makes you pause. The Medusa myth has gone through many different forms in books, TV shows and films, so we compiled a group of images and went on the search for an artist. We discovered Fahad Ejaz (arts_hand is his online name) and his first draft was basically what you see now. It’s beautiful, it’s disgusting, it’s detailed, it’s everything we wanted and we love it!
Do you currently have any other projects in the making? MATT - Our next track ‘Fight Me’ is due to drop next Spring and we’re excited for it! We’ve learnt some valuable lessons through the release of Medusa and have big plans for this next one. We don’t want to say too much, but there’ll be giveaways and other treats on all our social media. Follow us to hear more. CARL - Besides music I’ve always been interested in filmmaking and photography. I’m starting a project in the coming weeks, it’s going to be a series of comedy shorts based on the wholesome banter of working in an office - often people think that working in finance is really boring but I think I’m going to prove them wrong with this series. The last words are for you. If you have a message to convey, here’s your chance! MATT - There’s a hidden easter egg on one of our social media pages. I dare you to go find it. CARL - Go listen to Medusa! TINO - Don’t let your limitations stop you!! Do it, and be creative!! Thanks for your time!
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