One Last Day are working on a new EP, they have a single out in a week or so, and they’re heading to the USofA for some live shows. With everything on the go for them, what better time than to sit bassist Huw down and get him to answer some of our questions…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
When the band originally started out everyone was from around the Berkshire area, these days we’re a bit more spread between Berkshire, Surrey and Hampshire.
How did you meet?
Gareth (guitar) and John (guitar), who started the band originally, met through being in and around the Bracknell/Reading music scene. It was a similar story when Alex (vocals) was recruited, and Connor (drums) got in touch online when we were hunting for a new drummer.
I (Huw – bass) met the rest of them when playing together in 2022 with my old band (Schemata Theory). When that came to an end and I was looking for a new project, I realised Gareth was looking for someone to join and reached out!
How long have you been playing as a band?
I’ve been with the band for coming up to a year now, the band in its full form came together during the pandemic and started playing shows in 2021.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
This one came from John, he had a job at the time which he wasn’t enjoying at all. He was sat in the car and as he was thinking to himself “just bring yourself to do one last day”, it dawned on him that that would make a great band name!
What are your influences?
As a band our influences are broad but most of us were starting to get into music during the 00s so there is a lot coming from the rock and metal bands who were around then.
Personally, I would say bands like Linkin Park, Korn and Killswitch Engage were big influences when I was learning to play originally.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Modern hard rock is how I would describe our sound, somewhere in the region of Alterbridge, Stonesour and Shinedown.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
The majority of the lyrics in our songs are based on personal experiences and emotions; whether those are positive or negative. Addictions, relationships with others or yourself, mental health and personal demons feature regularly.
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What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We aim to bring an engaging and energetic live show every time we play! If we can give the audience an experience which connects them to the music, and vice versa, we’ll feel we have done a good job.
By the end of 2024 the band will probably have played its 60th show.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I saw Party Cannon once getting the whole crowd to do press ups in time with their breakdown which was pretty awesome!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
I use Fender and Dingwall basses mostly, Gareth and John use PRS and Chapman guitars for the most part. All 3 of us use a Line 6 Helix live. Connor uses Pearl drums and Zildjian cymbals.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We are about to release a new single on 9th Feb which we are very excited about. The track is called “It’s A Sin (Don’t Give Up)”. It’s directed a fellow musicians as well as music fans, we hope people can relate to the messaging, to keep pushing on and not to give up on following their passions.
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
Firstly, the new single and then shortly after we are on tour with American hard rock band Pistols At Dawn (end of Feb / beginning of March). We’re playing some new venues for us which is always exciting, hopefully we can meet some new people and connect with some new fans too.
After that we’ll back in the studio finalising an E.P. which should be out later in the year and then back to gigging as much as we can.
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!
It would be incredible to be on the bill with Alter Bridge (assuming we could remain calm enough around such incredible musicianship). As for an opener, that’s difficult as we’ve played with a lot of great relatively unknown bands! Recently we’ve played a few times with NTT who we share management with – they’d be great and if you haven’t checked them out you really should!
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Header image by Marianne Harris
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