Loud, proud and from Colchester – time to find out more about State of Millenia…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Reece – We all hail from different parts of Essex. Myself and my brother Dylan down in Clacton-on-Sea, Jules in Braintree, Jordan in Coggeshall and Danny is located in the town we call our home, Colchester. A little fun fact about Colchester is that it’s Britain’s oldest recorded town!
How did you meet?
Jordan – We met in college studying music, we were all in the same class and when the lesson came to an end, I emerge from my practice room, the rest of the band where still practicing with their door opened. I heard the music, went in and asked if they had any vocals yet, they said no to which I said I’d like to do it and the band was born.
Further on Reece introduced us to his younger brother Dylan who happened to be a great bass player and an amazing addition to the band. Later on we met Jules who was studying music production at the same college, we eventually asked him to join the band after inviting him to a rehearsal session which unknown to any of us was his audition, it was after this that we all knew we had to have him.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Reece – It’s a really rock and roll story…it’s a mix between a band name generator and our (at the time) newly found interest in the word ‘Millennia’ we thought we’d make it with one ’n’ because we’re so cool and edgy. It’s a bit of a mouthful but we usually refer ourselves and our fan base as the SOM UNIT.
What are your influences?
Reece – Whatever we’ve been listening to around the moment when we’re writing to be honest, but mainly artists such as Deftones, Knuckle puck, Loathe, Neck Deep and Counterparts to name a few. We are all individually influenced by other sounds and artists as well including rappers and pop acts. Romance, nostalgia, trust and introspection are things we reference a lot in our music.
Dylan – My biggest influences would be Issues, Knuckle Puck, Boston Manor and Loathe. There are so many more to credit but these bands stick out the most for their diversity in their music and their individual talents in each band!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Danny – Our music is a collection of experiences. The pure bliss of being in love to the misery of being betrayed; the tonality of the instruments really reflect on that.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Jordan – If you look at the songs we have written, a recurring theme is on relationships and personal experiences. These are not intentional but being the young guys we are, writing about what moves and inspires us in our own lives and experiences is natural. To put it simply, we wear our hearts on our sleeves.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Jules – We try to make our live shows as fun and involving as possible. I remember I saw A Day To Remember at Alexandra Palace and the whole crowd was involved in everything and it just felt like the most epic house party you could imagine, that’s what we want people to feel at our shows!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Dylan – We had Mario and Luigi moshing when we played at Silverstone Gran Prix and we had banana man throwing punches at our end of year show in 2018!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Reece – I play an Ibanez FRIX7FEAH 7 string guitar through a Kemper profiling rack, I love the sound of a 5150 and I think that has made a staple in our sound. I also play a Jackson Misha Mansoor pro series juggernaut HT7 and I use Elixir strings religiously on all my guitars.
Jules – I play SJC Drums, Evans drum heads, Sabian cymbals, Promark sticks and I use DW pedals (hi-hat and kick). There is nothing I would change about any of the products I use because I absolute love all of them and the companies behind them.
Dylan – I currently play a Sterling Ray-5. On my pedalboard I have a Darkglass B7K Ultra, TC Polytune and an ISP Decimator. At home I use an Ashdown Mag Combo for practice.
Danny – I play on an Ibanez RGIM7MH-WK which is a 7 stringed Multi-Scale guitar loaded with EMG’s and Elixir strings straight into a Line 6 Pod HD Pro X. I used a Power Amp so I can still use a Cabinet.
Jordan – I like to use a Shure SM58 or Beta 58A.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Jordan – The release of our debut album ‘Feel Alive’ on April 3rd 2020 and we honestly can’t wait to share this with the world.
What are your plans for 2020?
Jules – Play as many shows as we can, to go on at least one tour and to make memories and just have fun doing what we love!
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!
Dylan – Supporting us I’d like Groom Lake! They’re one of our friends new band and they’re absolute killer. If I could support any band ever it’d probably have to be Knuckle Puck, A Day to Remember or Deftones
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