As the release date for their new album approaches in June, let’s take time to get to know Kyros…
Where are you guys from?
As a band we are based in London, with Adam being the only member that actually lives there now, Joey is from Coconut Creek in Florida, Peter is from Parma, Italy, where they make Parmesan cheese and Parma ham, and Robin is from Wokingham.
How did you meet?
A video dating si… aha, on the internet through online band forums, facebook and a mutual friend. We all came together out of a love of creating fun, weird and wacky, over the top music and the fact that we all went on to become great friends is pure luck
How long have you been playing as a band?
The band has been going for 8 years, the first year was just Adam, with Robin and Peter joining in 2013, and Joey joining in 2014
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
The name comes from a lot of debate, discussing and back and forth. We knew we needed a new name after we came to the conclusion that we needed to change from our old name (Synaesthesia) due to there being another already established act under that name. Kyros was one that we all quite liked and went with it. It’s basically the ancient greek word for the opportune moment and perfect timing.
What are your influences?
Lots and lots of synth pop, and creatively produced music, Adam is a big fan of Trevor Horn and his production, and grew up listening to lots of ZTT stuff and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. On the other hand his favourite band is Genesis as they appeal to my ‘prog’ sensibilities as well as pop ideals. Peter’s influenced by any band that has great low end, so Primus, Japan, Meshuggah and Tool.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Robin says: If I have to pick one thing that makes our music recognisable, I would have to say it’s Adam production. If we have a lot of material that is quite diverse in style, the way he produced, mixes and layers the sound together often ends up being the common thread that ties the music together. We call the process ‘Kyrosising’ something. But we don’t ever want to feel like we’re repeating something we’ve done before, so I like to think of out sound as a moving target.
Peter says: Our sound feels colourful, there are so many layers to it and yet it never feels muddy. We’re also not afraid to bring back classic sounds and styles from the old days.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Adam has written most of the lyrics for our next album, they come from whatever comes to mind. He says that “they did see me moving towards writing more personal lyrics, personal on a mental health level.”
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Our goal is to always make the live shows sound just as big – if not bigger – than the studio recording. That can be a challenge where there are only 4 of usonstage, but we take advantage of technology as much as we can. Robin is triggering samples and electronic percussion parts on his drum pads, Adam uses the full extent of what the Korg Kronos setup can offer, and Joey is getting as many sounds out of his AxeFx as he can.
To date, we’ve done around 50-60 gigs or so. Robin adds, “We like to be tight and energetic, that can be a challenge for Adam as of course he has to be the front man whilst for a lot of the time being stuck behind his keyboard. So we try to have moments in the show where he can move around a bit and often Pter will bring a lot of energy to the show in the way he likes to perform.”
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Adam: I once threw my keyboard onto the stage floor out of frustration over everything else going wrong. Manchester 2015, last date of the Spock’s Beard support tour.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Adam: I play a Korg Kronos 73. It’s a beast. Occasionally, I’ll bring out a secondary keyboard like a Moog Voyager for leads. But I really don’t like using that live as it’s tuning is just so unstable. I’m eyeing up those Behringer System 100 and 55 modules though…
Robin: I currently use a 2007 Mapex Saturn that’s a 7 piece – bass drum, 2 snares and 4 toms. I play Zildjian cymbals – K hi-hats and crashes, K Custom ride, A splashes and A Custom China and FX hats. Heads are Remo – Ambassador X coated on the snares, Powerstroke 3 clear on the bass drum and Emperor coated on the toms. I use the Roland SPD-SX sample pad for electronic sounds and samples, and I place a couple of additional triggers around the kit – one being a bar trigger pad and the other being a foot trigger pedal. My drum sticks are Vic Firth – I use the Matt Garstka signature model and sometimes the 5a Dual Tone for when I need soft sticks. And a banana.
Peter: My go to bass is a classic Fender Jazz, made in Mexico. I also use a 5-string Ibanez every so often, some songs beg for it.
Joey: I play and endorse Ernie Ball Music Man guitars and strings. I use the Axe FX II for all my amplification. That’s my whole rig is those two things.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We are putting out a new studio album, Celexa Dreams in the coming months. Adam says, “It feels like a real push to try out something entirely new. Our last studio album, Vox Humana felt like exactly that too. I guess with each album we want to see what new direction works for us.”
Robin adds, “There’s also going to be a little more focus on the individual songs this time compared to before. There’ll be more of a run-up of single releases before the album itself comes out compared to last time. I think the focus on promoting individual songs has become more important over the last few years and that’s definitely something we’ve woken up to lately.”
What are your plans for 2020?
Releasing the singles and album, we’d love to do some gigs this year but of course that depends on how the coronavirus situation develops. So fingers crossed. Robin adds, “If we can’t gig, then we’ll find other things to do instead. I like to think we’re a pretty creative bunch of people, so I have every faith that we’ll find alternatives to playing shows.”
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!
We’d love to support Muse, Adam adds, “That’d be an insane dream come true!” We’d have our mates in Ihlo open the show. They’ve already done so before at our last London gig and deserve every opportunity!
