A genuinely new band for you today, with a debut album about to jump out and scare you! Take it away, Archives…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Northern Ireland.
How did you meet?
We all mostly grew up playing shows together in different bands in whatever shitty venues that would let a bunch of teenagers play Killswitch covers.
How long have you been playing as a band?
In this current line up it’s only been a few months, but we’ve all known each other for a long time playing in different bands, etc.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
The name in all honesty is a bit of a joke! At the time we were starting this project and really struggling to get a name we were aware of old demos we had recorded with our producer so we reached out to see if he still had the projects and his response was “they’re lost in the Archives”. We instantly all looked at each other and decided on the name. I wish there was a more poetic story really. Shout out to Josh Robinson at JSR Audio for that one!
What are your influences?
Polaris, Varials, Lionheart, August Burns Red, Deez Nuts, Alpha Wolf, Architects just to name a few!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We are unique in our own way. We keep a close eye on balance in a track. We try to deliver heavy in your face breakdowns, bouncy riffs, all tied together with huge melodic chorus, subtle but effective leads and a hook of a vocal line that everyone can sing, too!
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Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
I’d say the album is about 70% autobiographical and 30% about things I’ve read, whether it be stories of other people’s lives that have fascinated me at the time or from reading of injustices happening around the globe. There’s also a fun bit of fiction in there on “Parmaviolence” which my friend Kev and I both contributed ideas to whilst having a smoke on a beach. Great times.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We’ve all played countless shows in different outfits and a lot with the same people in Archives. Sadly however due to the global pandemic we haven’t been able to play a show yet since our inception. That will change November 19th in Dublin! We already know we will be loud and incredibly energetic.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
We had a vocalist in another project way back. Young and stupid we all had some drinks as you do before the show. Well this guy drank a lot more than we realised, played a blinder of a gig but he walked off thinking the gig was over before we’d even finished the end of our set. Had to get the crowd to search for him to finish and he did, but that was just one wild funny show!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Daryl Montgomery – Drums:
Mapex Saturn Kit, Mapex Blaster Snare, Tama Speed cobras, Zildjian A/K Custom range cymbals, Vic Firth 55a Extreme sticks
Stewart Ferguson – Lead Guitar:
I use an ESP Eclipse 1, loaded with an EMG 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck. I play this through an ENGL Invader and a limited edition blood orange 4×12. On the floor I’ve a boss tu-1000 tuner and an ISP Decimator. I run a line 6 G75 wireless guitar system.
Samuel Irwin – Rhythm Guitar:
I use an ESP LTD MH-1000 in white it’s got an Evertune bridge and fishman modern pickups in combination with a Peavey 6505. My signal chain goes from the guitar to a Boss TU-1000 stage tuner to an ISP decimator g-string noise gate that’s linked to the FX loop then into a Digitech bad monkey distortion pedal. I use a Zilla 2×12 with a vintage 30 and a G12h 75 cream back.
I use D’addario extra heavy strings and Dunlop Tortex yellow guitar picks.
Paul Douglas – Bass Guitar:
Dingwall NG2, Darkglass Microtubes 500 v2, Boss TU3 and Boss NS2
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What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We just dropped our debut music video off of our album Decay titled “Mindfield” – check that out!
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
Do as much as humanly possible. We’re keen to play as many places as we can now that the restrictions have eased up. Maybe try and get a UK tour on the go for next year.
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!
Unreal Irish band, but they’ve split up now, but it would be sick to open up for Red Enemy. They blew my mind back in the day. Who would go on before us…? I’d love to know what it’s like to go on after someone like Bailer (another Irish giant), those guys have such an energetic show. It would either push you to your limits to keep up after it or break you!
Check out 2021’s Headline Act Playlist on Spotify and YouTube
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