Today we’re cheering up a couple of people who have the misfortune to live in Bradford by making them Band of the Day. [Please note: our Ed in Chief lived in Bradford for 13 years – read into that what you will!]
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Mik: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK.
Steve: I was born in London and grew up in the badlands of Essex, but I currently reside in Bradford too.
How did you meet?
Mik: We met in 2006 I think when our then bands were on the same bill – we kind of formed an allegiance and played together many times after that. We live fairly close and often bumped into each other, but mostly just kept in touch, kind of checking in to see what was happening with our music projects.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Mik: This band a few years, but I’ve been in 3 bands since I was about 17. My first band had a lot success – it was a very different genre to They Called Him Zone.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Mik: The name was chosen in jest of the archaic music software and equipment we were using at the time to produce our music – even now, the band are still using the same equipment to produce our music e.g. Logic 7 (2004). Settling on the name after a friend said “They Called Him Zone sounded dark and mysterious, like the name of an unsavoury stranger you might have met on Myspace back in 2005.” This appealed to our sense of humour, so we thought, yeah, why not. We’re told it’s a memorable name.
What are your influences?
Mik: I think we both share a passion for Garage Rock, Protopunk, Shoegaze and Stoner Rock, I think even though we’re an electro-rock band ourselves, these influences come through – think The Stooges, MC5, The Doors, Queens Of The Stone Age, Jesus and Mary Chain and Joy Division.
Steve: That pretty much nails it.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Mik: We owe our sound mostly to the sounds we create and the production style. We’re told that we make an original sound. It’s also said, that the band create a unique blend of dark, melancholic psychedelic garage rock with synthesized electro that flirts with retro, shoegaze, indie and post-punk tendencies. The sound of the band is eccentric, hypnotic, weird and intoxicating. As you can see, we get most of our descriptions from reviews.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Mik: Yes, very much so. I’ve always written poetry and in recent years had a number of them published internationally. Most lyrics start with an idea, theme or topic. I would say that 9/10 the first line of a song or chorus idea dictates the overall outcome. I enjoy story telling, but also like to leave something for the imagination – I use a lot of imagery in the lyrics.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Mik: We’ve played lots of live shows and between myself and Steve have a decade or so of live work at festivals, clubs and venues across Europe. Our live shows are moody, passionate and spontaneous. We use some visuals live and a little bit of production to enhance the show/experience. We had a busy schedule this year, but due to the pandemic we’ve had to pull all shows.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Mik: It’s not exactly wild, but smoking on stage used to be a pleasure for me, but that stopped in the UK after the smoking ban was implemented.
On the other hand, I once played a gig in London at a Punk club, where the front person of the support band defecated, then threw-up onstage, then went on to insult the audience at great length – I didn’t consider this wild, more distasteful and an attempt to cover up their mediocre music with shock tactics and attention seeking. Needless to say, it all ended up in a punch up after this band’s guitarist got on stage when we were playing and starting spraying beer everywhere, so I punched him on the nose and locked him in a cupboard side stage. Looking back now it was quite funny, no one was seriously hurt and the club decided to pay us double; maybe it was to compensate for the behaviour of the other band?
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Mik: Ibanez Studio 1979, AC15 VOX amp, a mixture of modulation and distortion pedals for vocals and guitar (BOSS/Ibanez/Marshall/VOX) and a Nova Mini Bass Synthesizer.
Steve: I tend to play a Telecaster on stage more than anything these days. I’m also a Vox user, with an ever-expanding pedal board – some classics, and a few esoteric items.
In the studio I’ll often mic that up in the traditional way, although I use an old ‘80s digital effects processor direct into the desk too. And there’s a lot of in-the-box processing that goes on. Same with the electronic sounds – some are analog synths, some are soft synths, and some are cheap ‘toy’ keyboards run through different processors.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Mik: We’re in the midst of putting out our debut album If You’ve Got A Taste For Terror. There are three singles due with videos before the full album release between now and September. We have other stuff out there on streaming sites a mixture of previous singles and EPs.
What are your plans for 2020?
Mik: We were planning on releasing and touring our album. It’s been very difficult to know what to do with the current pandemic, everything is so uncertain. We delayed the album release by around 3-4 months, but agreed that we should release late summer and not delay any further.
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!
Mik: I’d love to play with Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails – I think their crowds would understand our dark-pop tendencies and big choruses. These are both huge bands who use a mixture of textures and production styles in their songs like ourselves.
They Called Him Zone: official | facebook | instagram | bandcamp | spotify | youtube
