While we have covered Deever before – their debut album was announced last month – we haven’t found out too much about the members themselves. Time to right a wrong…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Higgy: We are all from the North East of England (near Newcastle).
How did you meet?
Billy: Myself and Phil (bass) have been close friends for years, we’ve been in bands together in the past and have even lived together. Higgy’s name was put forward to us when we started looking for other members back in 2017 through mutual friends and the same goes for Stevie. Though we have all known of each other for years through the North Eastern music scene!
How long have you been playing as a band?
Billy: We first got together in 2017 after I left Inglorious. I had already written a few tunes and we used these as audition / jam tracks to get the right members on board! From there we started playing regularly and writing as much as possible together.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Billy: I love one word band names. It’s nice and simple! And phonetically the word ‘Diva’ had been thrown around a lot in past projects. However, according to urban dictionary, ‘Deever’ is basically a bag of sh*t or an unwanted gift. Both of these definitions I like as they’re pretty tongue in cheek!
What are your influences?
Billy: Mine constantly change! Anything from Shinedown to My Chemical Romance, via Randy Newman and Billy Joel!
Higgy: Rage Against The Machine, Incubus, Lamb Of God.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Billy: We’re not trying to replicate anything, and we have such a span of tastes, from metal, to punk, to pop, to hard rock. I think we do a pretty consistent job of writing what we like to play and we play for the songs. We’re not into pumping up our own egos!
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Billy: Each song has its own theme or story to tell. Some lyrics are extremely personal to me and my life, others are things I’ve learnt or witnessed from other people. All of which are pretty honest!
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Billy: Everyone says ‘energetic’ and all you have to do it look at the state of Stevie’s poor Les Pauls after a show! They really get worked hard! As do all of us! We like to enjoy ourselves and show everyone exactly what we are – 4 mates doing what we love.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Billy: Well I spent a few months on the road with Steel Panther so saw a lot of wild things! Ha! Although most of which weren’t as wild as watching a bloke in Glasgow vomit into his pint, down it, then piss himself in front of Stevie.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Billy: Me and Stevie are Gibson players. He has about 300 different Les Paul customs haha, and I play Firebirds. It’s a great blend! We both use Marshall amplifiers too, he has a couple of TSL’s and I have a custom JVM. I also use a Kemper for all of my effects and Stevie uses a line6 Helix.
Higgy: I play a Tama kit with meinl cymbals, Aquarian heads and Vic Firth sticks. (Also uses Pantene Pro V shampoo).
Billy: Phil plays a Fender p-bass (he also has a matching jazz) and uses Tc electronic and Ampeg bass amps.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Higgy: Our debut album ‘You Need This’ which will be released on the 1st February 2019. We can’t wait for everyone to hear it – we are extremely proud of this record! Pre-order links will be arriving soon on iTunes and Amazon.
What are your plans for 2019?
Billy: Release this album and play as much as we can. We are extremely proud of it and want to get it heard by as many people as possible!
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!
Billy: Foo Fighters to headline and Temple of One to open. ‘Temple of One’ is Colin and Drew’s new band (also ex-Inglorious). They’ll be releasing in the new year and from what I’ve heard will be a great band to watch.
Higgy: Kenny Loggins to headline (he has some real bangers) and Toto to open. Purely for personal reasons.
Billy: I love Toto but this is exactly why Higgy isn’t given an onstage microphone…
