Because we have a never-ending pool of bands to feature in our Band of the Day posts, instead of reaching the bottom, we hit the top with one of the most northern UK bands we’ve likely ever had on Moshville Times so let’s see if an island-based band ticks differently to the mainland ones…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are from The Shetland Isles. The most northern islands of Britain
How did you meet?
We all met from being in different bands throughout the isles.
How long have you been playing as a band?
All of us supporting each others bands through the years. We all decided to form our own band eventually as we became good friends. We have been making music for 3 years now.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
The band name came from a love for Rise Against and a song titled “Long Forgotten Sons”. Also, with Shetland specializing in accordian and fiddle music, we felt slightly under the radar on the main music scene so we thought the name Forgotten Sons fitted quite well.
What are your influences?
Our influences are quite mixed. Anything from The Gaslight Anthem to Biffy Clyro, Tom Petty to Foo Fighters.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We’d describe ourselves as pop/punk/rock. It is so difficult to pinpoint what genre we fit under. If there is anything unique about our songs, we’d say that we tend to use two vocalists in a lot of our work. A lot of the vocals are the main melody of the songs.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Most of our lyrics are based on life issues whether it be relationship struggles or enjoying being alive. They vary on how we are feeling.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Our live shows consist of us laughing and joking and having a bit of banter with the crowd. We play and really enjoy ourselves. We think that if we show that we are having a great time, the audience will feed off of our positive vibes and enjoy themselves too. Forgotten Sons have played around 20 shows. But collectively in other bands, we have accumulated over 200 shows between us. Acoustic and full band. We have a 5 day mini-tour of Scotland coming up
to add to the CV.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
The wildest thing we have witnessed and been involved in was the Biker’s Rally where the crowd kept coming up and filling us full of alcohol. It was the drunkest set we have played but definitely our favourite!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
We use SM58’s for mics. Sandy has a Gordon Smith classic T and uses a Mesa Boogie F-50 amp. John Gair on drums has the following: Premier Artist Sparkle Ltd Edition Fusion/Rock Shells. 21″ Zildjian Sweet Ride. 20″ Zildjian A Custom Crash 17″ Zildjian K Hysbrid Crash 13″ Zildjian K/Z Hi Hats 14×6.5″ Mapex Black Panther Machete Snare. Tamma Iron Cobra Bass pedal. John Valentine uses a Fender P bass and his amps are TC electronic 500 bass head with 4-10 cab and a 2-12 cab. Both TC electronic cab.
What are your plans for 2018?
We have a new song coming out on the 7th of September called “Pennies In The Water”. We’ll be promoting the song and the music video.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you?
There are so many bands we’d love to play with. But we think the two bands that fit our sound would be to open up with The Menzingers and finish with Alkaline Trio.
Forgotten Sons: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | youtube
