Marrying seriousness with joviality, we’ve got some great answers today from Stand Alone.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Sunny Bradford, West Yorkshire!
How did you meet?
Luke: I knew Tom from school. He joined bands growing up. Then Tom joined a band with Gav and later asked me to join. The rest is history.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Gav: 5 years this May just gone.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Luke: We’re already sick of being asked! We had a few names in the bag and at a gig once we saw a microphone stand on its own and we announced the gig as Stand Alone. After a while the name has become to mean something personal for each of us.
What are your influences?
Gav: Biffy Clyro, Reuben and Jamie Lenman, the Beatles, Queen and Corey Taylor.
Luke: Iron Maiden, Enter Shikari, The Jam, the Beatles and Alter Bridge.
Tom: Slipknot, Korn and Wham!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Tom: Apparently we use weird chords and surprise people with unexpected choruses… and we do blast beats over a popular rock chorus!
Gav: Interesting chords is the term, Tom!
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Gav: Where do we start? A lot of our material so far has dealt with my anxiety and inner thoughts. It’s something I’m really getting comfortable with talking about and think is important to say. I’d love to think we could help other people manage their problems by opening up. Some of our more recent material is now dealing with the world problems and this seemingly human need to dominate and control other people. It really makes me uncomfortable and it needs to be said!
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Tom: Hundreds! Maybe thousands!
Luke: We try and put on a proper show. When thinking about the setlist we think about the performance as a whole and not just song after song. The EP launch will prove that. We’re even bringing a piano!
Gav: Yeah everything is considered, what songs fit where, intros between songs, what to say in between. I’d recommend coming to see us!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Gav: We played a show at a festival in Keighley once in a small tent. People were climbing the poles to the top of the tent and swinging off them and that’s before we even hit the stage. It was one of those moments were everything clicked between band and crowd. A great experience.
Luke: Maybe not as wild as that but a lot of the time we find complete strangers singing the words back at us before they’ve heard our music. Either our songs are catchy or they are extremely drunk!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Tom: I use Tama drums, Sabian, Zildjian and AA Meinl Byzance cymbals. Tama speed cobra pedals and Vater drumsticks 5b… and lemonade.
Gav: Tom is the only one who knows about his gear…. I use PRS guitars custom 22 and the Orange Rockerverb head with cab. I don’t do too many pedals really either. Just clean and distortion. Less is more!
Luke: Musicman stingray bass and Trace Elliot amp head. Nice and simple.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Tom: The release of our new EP Falling, Faster and music video for “Repose En Paix”.
What are your plans for 2018?
Tom: Opening presents at Xmas and drinking beer because Gav is in Australia. Psssh
Gav: I need a holiday away from you two! But seriously we are releasing our EP on 30th November and doing a launch show in our hometown Bradford at a venue called The Underground. Then it will be full speed ahead in 2019 and getting to as many places as we can go.
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!
Luke: I think we’d fit nicely between Slayer supporting and the Bootleg Beatles headlining.
Gav: What he meant to say was Colt 48 on first (our friends from London) then us and then the legend that is Jamie Lenman!
From previous Band of the Day Shadow of Everest: have you ever sustained any injuries on stage?
Gav: Tom’s cymbal once fell and hit me on the back of the head mid solo!
Tom: Constantly hitting my fingers on the rim of the drums and bleeding everywhere!
From another BotD, Meka Nism: what is the craziest gift a fan has ever brought you or asked of you?
Luke: We’re not that famous!
Gav: I’m struggling to think there. A festival we played at last year made us a key ring with our Stand Alone logo on which was awesome, I guess not crazy but just really cool.
And from Mask of Judas: if your band was a farm animal which animal would it be and why?
Luke: A cow because we bring all the beef.
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