A nice laid back act for the start of the weekend, from the other side of the Channel…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are all coming from France, but from different cities actually.
How did you meet?
Vince (the drummer of the band) and I (lead singer-guitarist of the band) met at school when we were years old. We were in the same class for years and this is at this time that we started the band. For Rudy & François, it’s more recent.
How long have you been playing as a band?
As a band (we had a different name before) for 15 years, under the name Reaven for 3 years.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Reaven is a mix of the French word “rêve” (dream) and the english word “heaven” (a place where most musicians go when they play music I guess (laughs) ). After writing almost 1000 names on the paper, we found it.
What are your influences?
We do have a very large panel of influences. Musically, from the Woodstock years, The Beatles etc… to more recent bands like Kings of Leon, Muse etc…
We also have rhythm’n’blues, classical and jazz influences… I guess we’ve been influenced by their sounds and the way they build a composition! The Beatles, for example, always have very catchy melodies and I guess because of them I always paid a special attention to the melodies in my compositions.”
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Describe your music. What makes you unique?
I think that we do have very catchy compositions, and a real personal rock sound. We also interact a lot with the audience during a show, and it’s creating a very unique atmosphere & connection!
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
I don’t have precise lyrical themes to create music. Most of the time, it comes to my mind out of nowhere. Days, and nights. I have a melody in my head or the instrumental parts, sometimes both. So I take my piano or my guitar and I start playing it. Inspiration is everywhere for me. In my feelings, in my observation of the world or society, in the past, in my memories. Or just when I see something that inspires me at one moment.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Our shows are very intense. For us, each show is unique, no matter where we play or in front of how many people we play. We also love to create special atmospheres (with the lights & sound) depending on the song we play. We see our performance as a travel, so as a travel we like to build different musical landscapes. Since we started music as the very first band, I think 500+ different shows, something like that!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Quite a long time ago, I remember one live where we took some fans from the audience on stage, they started to sing along with us, and then we all jumped in the audience so there was no one left on stage. And I finished singing a capella in the middle of everyone with the other members of the band!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
I play on a Gibson SG (1972), but I also have a Gretsch Electromatic. I also often play on a Les Paul Custom (1968). For my acoustic guitar, my new babe is a beautiful Guild.
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What are your plans for 2020?
To try to develop our music and spread our new singles as much as possible on radios, since our tours are cancelled… And then finish and release our new album For Tomorrow.
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 would love to open for Muse or Coldplay. And the band we would like to have to open our show would be the band/duo “Dirty Sister” (from London). We shared a gig in London during our 2018 tour. These guys are really cool!