With an EP upcoming (which they are “depressively plugging”), Travis from Semprus runs through our Headline Act questions…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are from Guildford, It’s a dull place. Some really good bands have risen up before us like Sunfall, Bound In Fear, Break Fifty. We kinda stick out like a sore thumb. “Beatdown” is the most popular thing there, and here we are playing some things up to 300bpm!
How did you meet?
Most of us met while studying in university. I was looking for members and so I found the few metallers who were willing to play with me. Stavros (guitarist) actually reached out to me after I put out an advert for a second guitarist. Been the same line up for just over a year now.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Not long to be honest. In our current lineup, only a year ish. Before that I was having different members leave and join every week! I don’t really count our existence before mid-2022.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
It loosely comes from Harry Potter. Harry learns the spell “Sectumsempra” and I though sempra sounded cool. But I wanted it to start and end with the same letter for branding’s sake. I’ve always like the look of the NIN logo! So Semprus was born.
What are your influences?
Mine are quite strange, mostly l listen to music like Bjork, Radiohead and Anything Trent Reznor does, so they play a massive role. Mostly i’m just ripping stuff off from people like them, and making it super heavy, because i just love brutal music as well. Sometimes I don’t have any inspiration at all, and I just write randomly and maybe something cool happens.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
I think Semprus has so many different things mixed in its pot, you can’t really pin us to a genre at all. That’s what makes us unique, it just sounds like us. You can hear elements of this and that, but you can never pin us down to one.
We set out to do what great artists do: change our sound with each release, but you will always know it’s us.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Yes and no, I guess. Lyrics just come from how I feel. I’m not a person who can express my emotions to people, I’ve always been quiet, head down, suffer in silence kinda person. My lyrics are an emotional release for me.
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What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
I don’t even know to be honest! I think maybe fifteen? We haven’t existed very long, but we seem to be doing alright. It can be hard for us to get shows as genre-0wise we don’t fit in anywhere.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I think it was our second show. We played with New Zealand drutal death metal band Organrectomy. It was a completely packed out show, and on the last song “Desolation” I jumped into the crowd and starting crowd killing all the moshers doing a karate class in the pit, then dived back up onto stage to finish my last few lyrics!.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Aidan (guitarist 1) uses his iconic 7-string Baritone Explorer by ESP. He also uses a 6-string MTM10 Ibanez (Mick Thompson’s iconic 2000s guitar)
Stavros (guitarist 2) sticks with shredding on his trusty 7-string Ormsby
Fabian (bassist) is the master of Dingwall basses
Harry (drummer) uses his OG Pearl Export kit, with Meinl cymbals and Tama dyna sync pedals
To top that all off, I use any spit filled microphone I find.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We are depressively plugging our EP A Fractured Reality which comes out on September 29th, and our music video on YouTube [which you can see below – Mosh]
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
I think we definitely want to put together a little tour. New merch too, and probably beg promoters to let us play a festival!
We have tons of new music lined up for you too, got more than a whole album’s worth!
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!
I think I’d love to support Heriot someday. They are a great band, who have exploded recently.
A band I’d choose to open for us would have to be Existentialist, because I’m in love with the Polish front man Patty – KURWA!
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