Homeward bound for today’s southerly-based rock combo…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are from in and around London. Three of us are from Kent, one from St Albans and the other is from Sidcup.
How did you meet?
Dan and Joe have known each other the longest as they have been in bands together before MAVEN. When Sam was brought into the project at the start Dan thought he was Sam the bassist from Mallory Knox but that wasn’t the case, a happy/lucky mistake. After a few lineup changes we got Josh onboard and Rob is the newest addition to the family.
How long have you been playing as a band?
We have been writing and playing shows as a band since 2012.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
The band name was picked for its short and sweet sound, later we then looked up the meaning properly and it means an expert or connoisseur, which makes us sound really big headed.
What are your influences?
We have a wide range of influences ranging from Craig David, Queen, Michael Jackson through to Thrice, BMTH and Nickelback.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We are a pop rock band with an R&B edge. We are really lucky in that we have great songwriters in each of us within the band. Dan’s voice is one that you recognise straight away and I think that helps us stand out in a big way.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
The usual, breakups, love, issues, etc.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Simple but effective. We only have two lights on stage and they are construction site lights switched on and off by us manually, but they make all of the difference in the world. In terms of how many shows we’ve played then it is way too many to count!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
There have been a couple of times where Dan has almost broken his leg. I think Joe’s guitar strap broke during a guitar solo so he played that hopping on one leg if that counts?
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
As a band we prefer the all tube amp so we use Orange and Ampeg amps. Our guitarists use PRS and Fender guitars and our bassist uses a Spector bass. Drum-wise we use a Mapex or Natal kit.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We have a new EP Am I Awake? being released on 6th December so be sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled for that one!
What are your plans for 2019?
We have the new EP being released in December and we are gigging here and there up until our EP release show which is 1st November at Camden Assembly.
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!
If we are talking about massive bands then the obvious answer to the first part of the question is Nickelback. If we were to get a band to open for us then we would probably have to say Lightscape.
