Feeling forlorn about being stuck in the house for a month? Well, try listening to Forlorn instead…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re all pretty local to London apart from me (Megan, vocalist) – I live in Somerset!
How did you meet?
Will (vocalist) and I met when I was working for Basick Records a few years ago. Will knew Edd (guitarist) and Jay (drummer) from playing in bands together previously. We met Eathan through friends in the “scene” and we actually met James (bassist) online!
How long have you been playing as a band?
Having been in a band together previously, Will and I knew we wanted to work on a project together again. He came to mine on New Year’s Eve 2018 and we decided 2019 would be the year we’d make it happen. So 2019 is when it all started and when we recorded our debut double single (“Erased / Emotionless”), but we only officially launched the band on social media at the beginning of February 2020.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
We were keen on having a “one word” band name. Forlorn was actually one of the first names that came to my head and I feel it embodies the vibe we’re going for lyrically.
What are your influences?
There isn’t one particular band that influences our material. We just aim to write music that’s hard-hitting in every sense but that also has these big atmospheric passages. I guess if you had to compare us to another band you could say we have the chaotic elements of Code Orange and the atmospheric parts of Rolo Tomassi.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
What makes us unique is that, on paper, you probably wouldn’t think what we’re trying to achieve would be doable. But somehow we’ve managed to make it work and create – what we think – is something a little different to what might currently be out there. You’ll be listening to, say, “Emotionless” and might think you’re just gonna be pummelled with solid riffs for 5 minutes, but then suddenly the track goes down a completely different, atmospheric path. We want to keep people on their toes.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Lyrically, our tracks are largely about the impact that humans have on the natural world and, I guess, what will happen if we don’t change our ways.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Having only just launched this month, our plan will be to start hitting the live scene from June onwards. I won’t give too much away, but our aim will be to make the live sets as atmospheric/face-pummelling as the tracks!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Edd (guitarist): PRS Mark Holcomb SE, EVH 5150 iii lbx, too many pedals to list but we do use the MT2 frequently (not the most popular of pedals!)
Eathan (guitarist): Chapman ml-1, Kemper profiler
James (bassist): Dingwall Combustion NG3, EBS Reidmar Ampeg SVT 210
Jay (drummer): Tama Starclassic Bubinga Elite, Tama Abe Cunningham Signature Snare, Zildjian cymbals, (the bigger the better), Speed Cobra Double Kick Pedal
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We released our debut double single “Erased / Emotionless” on February 14th so we’re currently plugging that, along with music videos for both tracks.
What are your plans for 2020?
Our plan is to get gigging from June onwards (we’ve got a couple of things in the pipeline) and release some more material – we’ve just finished another recording session with producer George Lever.
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?
Tough… It would have to be supporting either Rolo Tomassi, Oathbreaker or Fit For An Autopsy. Opening for us? Whitesnake.
