New week, new bands. And today’s featured artist drop their new single at the end of this week. We’re looking forward to it, but in the meantime here are Morale in their own words…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re all Guildford boys, born and bred.
How did you meet?
Simon – Josh (bass) and I met at school, and bonded over sharing headphones in class, listening to Blink-182 and NOFX. We both met Toby (drums) at the same time through mutual friends and started hanging out from day one.
How long have you been playing as a band?
This band was formed at the start of 2018, but we have all been involved in bands/music together and separately for over 10 years.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
After binning a handful of names due to all of them being taken (classic), we stumbled across Morale which we were keen on because, like music, it’s open to interpretation. People can take different emotions and feelings away from the same song, just takes a different perspective or life experience for that person.
What are your influences?
We’ve always related to a similar middle ground in the rock spectrum, but branch off in different directions. (Simon) I’m heavily influenced by the 90’s grunge rock era with Deftones, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters being at the forefront of my roster. Josh puts a fist in the air for the like of Rage Against the Machine, NOFX and Rise Against. Toby comes from a heavier variety with Hatebreed, Unearth and Gojira exploding out of his car.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We make music that we believe in, we take from so many different musical influences but don’t try to be like anyone in particular, or fit any trends. The reason we started this band was because we all lost sight of music over the years, getting consumed by our jobs and the ‘daily cycle’ and we all sort of lost touch. This band helped us remember who we are, and we like to think that comes across in our sound, it is heavily drenched in nostalgia, but blended with a fresh and modern edge.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
We try to focus on our own life experiences and perspectives on what’s going on in the World. We end up spending half our band practices getting side tracked in ‘Joe Rogan esq’ chats about our society, past issues/addictions, social media, Aliens, the list goes on…
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We haven’t played a show yet in this band, as we have focussed the first half of 2018 on our first two records and getting our message out there, but we are gig ready and looking to hit the road and show everyone what we’re all about! From previous bands we’ve been in together, we’ve always tried to engage with the audience over anything else, because at the end of the day it’s the crowd that makes a show memorable so you gotta give everything to them and treat them as one with the band!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
(Josh) I think the wildest thing I’ve seen was a Taking Back Sunday show where Adam Lazzara was swinging his mic round his neck in classic majestic fashion, and KO’d his bassist. But he came back out a song later and finished the show (legend).
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
(Simon) I still play my first guitar I got when I was 14 years old, it’s a Fender ‘Custom GT,’ it sounds cooler than it is but it’s got a Seymour Duncan Invader in the back so packs a punch. Josh plays a Fender Jazz Bass and Toby tears apart a stallion of a Tama rack kit he has also had since his early teens.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We have brand new single coming out on the 20th of July so make sure you come check it out and let us know what you think. Also, if you subscribe to our mailing list by the 20th, you will receive a free download link for this single.
What are your plans for the rest of 2018?
We’re focussed now on getting out on the road and playing whatever comes our way, along with some more studio time in October.
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? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
Ah man that’s a real open question! Surely there is a limit to who we can pick to be supporting? Ah fuck it, let’s dream. FOO FIGHTERS!!! But seriously if we’re looking at some of the awesome bands coming through at the moment, it would be awesome to support the likes of Big Spring, Can’t Swim or Teenage Wrist to name a few.
To open can be our local friends in Seasonal, they have some exciting announcements coming up so worth checking out!
From previous Band of the Day cleopatrick: Would you perform with an artist you didn’t like to get a higher profile? What is the one thing you wish every venue had?
Well… seeing as we haven’t even played a show yet, it’d be hard to turn down an arena support slot because the band wasn’t one of our cups of tea…
One thing I wish every venue had? That’s a good question, I guess nothing calms nerves like a multiplayer game of Super Smash Brothers or Goldeneye on the N64 right?
And from Joensuu Riihimaki: Who would win a fight between Spiderman and Batman?
Be serious… Spidey all day long!
