Sugarman Sam takes us on a trip through the wild world that is… Revenant!
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
50% of us are from Basingstoke, Hampshire and 50% from Newbury, Berkshire.
How did you meet?
Matt and I were in a previous band together, but decided we wanted to flex our own creative muscles again having been responsible for someone else’s vision for a few years after taking some time away from music. It took him a while to convince me to sing again! I called Carl, who I’d known from the local scene, and Matt told Robin he was in the band because he looked cool. It really was thrown together slapdash, but once we’d got in a room we wrote our first song in about 45 mins and the rest, as they so often say, was history.
How long have you been playing as a band?
We’ve been together for 14 months now, it’s mental how quick it’s going!
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Matt actually came up with the name – it means “to come back” which seemed apt for all of us, as we were all on our own respective journeys back into enjoying rock music again. I was retiring to fronting a band for the first time in 5 years, but we’re all in it together.
What are your influences?
So many – mainly Chris Stapleton, Guns n Roses, Black Stone Cherry, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Audioslave and AC/DC.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We’re the result of Chris Stapleton and Chris Cornell having a party with The Black Crowes and Black Stone Cherry. It’s southern rock with big choruses and huge riffs.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
We like to write about things that everyone can relate to. Things like hope, love, loss and such like. We really try to write songs for everyone and not just ourselves, because Dave Grohl was right – you can play a song in front of 85,000 people and they’ll have 85,000 reasons to sing it back to you.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Live is all about energy and telling our stories – we definitely have some fun with it too! We love interacting with each other and the crowd to make each show individual and memorable, coz why else?! We’re loving taking this show on the road. We’ve probably played close to 15/20 shows together now and each one gets better and better. We’re really starting to come into our own.
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What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Well, I once ran up on stage to play a festival, but I was throwing it down with rain. In my excitement I slipped and skidded from one side of the stage to other on my arse and had to be pushed back into the fray by a stage tech! I’d love to tell you a didn’t miss a note but…I don’t charge for those ones…
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Live my main guitar is a tobacco burst Les Paul Traditional and a wine sparkle Fender Telecaster for capo’d songs. Matt is using a maple burst PRS SE-245 and a white Squire Telecaster for capo’d songs as well. We’re both endorsed by Victory and I’m using their Jack V30 head, Matt’s using the Kraken MK2 head and we’ve got matching 2×12 cabs. Robin is using an LTD B4-E for bass along with a Boss Katana bass amp. Carl uses Pearl Drums and Groove Cymbals live!
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Our debut EP is coming out on May 15th, but before then our next single “The Healer” is out on May 3rd! Also, check our socials for shows near you – the ones we’ve done so far have been busy and we want that to continue!
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
We just want to keep gigging and bringing our message to the masses. This is a ride that’s just starting for us and we want as many people to join us as possible – we’ve also got that debut ep coming as well, so grab a copy when it’s out! Our socials are also where you can grab as much merch as you want in a few different styles, which all helps us stay on the road.
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!
What a great question. The band we’d like to open for us would be Ramblin’ Preachers. They’ve just released a banger of an album and I’ve known singer Ross for a few years now – he’s got a helluva voice – and guitarist James is a tasty player! We’d love to support Chris Stapleton though. We base a lot of our stuff on what he does and how he writes his songs, so to open for him would be a bucket list item.
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