Due to the huge number of bands playing at Bloodstock this year, and the fact that our two roving reporters will actually want to watch some of them, we’re doing a little round of pre-festival interviews this year. We’re focussing on the bands playing the Jagermeister and Hobgoblin New Blood Stages so they get a chance to convince you to go and watch them. Remember, these guys and gals are the future of our musical world!
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are from Nottinghamshire / Derbyshire.
How did you meet?
We were previously in a band called Isolysis. Daniel Hayes and I later formed Emperor Chung. During this time the three of us began jamming again and what started as just a jam gradually developed into The Parallax Method.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
As The Parallax Method, we have been playing for about 18 months.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Our Manager’s sister, Dr Claire Parfitt is an actual real life rocket scientist and helped us research some cool scientific terms, she picked the name.
What are your influences – individually or as a band?
We have a very wide range of influences, but we all appreciate the same qualities in good music. Tesseract, Big Wreck, Opeth, In Flames, Creed, Eric Johnson, The Ocean, Plini, Periphery, Animals as Leaders, Queen, Isis. The list goes on.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We see our music as different movements based around one evolving composition. Being instrumental we have no boundaries and focus on how diverse we can make the music. We start at A and end at Z within a single track but aim to make each track flow through seamlessly but as diversely as possible.
We rely on melody, carefully sculpted tones and grooves. Our main aim is working as a team. We aren’t a lead guitarist with a backing band.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Our first show was at Wildfire Festival in Scotland in June. It was outstanding and we were thoroughly bamboozled with the reaction. Great reception and reaction since the show. Instrumental prog is obviously a niche genre so we didn’t expect such a positive reception. It was an absolute pleasure to perform the material for the first time and a joy to meet so many cool people.
When/how did you find out you’d been selected to play at Bloodstock?
We were asked by Mr Simon Hall about a month or so before the announcement. Simon is a true supporter of unsigned music. He continues to support up and coming musicians up and down the country. We can’t thank him enough for this opportunity.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
On the menu we will have a 5 part audible feast based on our up and coming debut EP, ’The Owl’. Release date 11th September.
Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
We particularly want to see Opeth and Delain. Other than that, we aim to explore and discover as many bands as possible. We are going to clash with someone, that’s a given, but I will make sure I check them out online, we could be missing a right gem!
What are you working on at the moment?
Currently we are working on tightening the set list ready for the performance. We focus on replicating the EP to the best of our ability as well as developing our tones as a collective. We are getting ready for our EP release on 11th September as well.
We are currently missing a member, Bass player Daniel Hayes, but we are lucky enough to have Bass Guru Ben Edis of Spirytus and Breed 77 standing in. Spirytus are playing the New Blood stage on the Sunday, so be sure to check them out, you won’t be disappointed!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done on tour?
We are generally quite well behaved on tour in all honesty. We enjoy fine foods and in depth discussions of Tone! As a rule we try to relax and have a right good laugh. Rock n Roll eh!
What advice would you give to a young band just starting out today?
Never stop learning, continue to listen to others, learn to take advice and constructive criticism from others.
Nobody likes an ego, so treat others how you want to be treated. As musicians we all have the same goals and you need to be aware and have respect for that. Be punctual, humble, interactive and responsive at all times.
Respect our network of Sound Engineers, Promoters, Managers, Agents and Reviewers. They are all just trying to do their job well like you.
Enjoy yourself and practice, practice, practice!
If you could be part of any 3-band line-up who else would you have on the bill? One band above you and one below – a chance to plug a smaller, unsigned act!
A tough one! It would be great to share the stage with Opeth. I think we could learn a lot from those guys.
Unsigned act would have to be ‘Press to Meco’. Those guys are fantastic!
The Parallax Method play the Jagermeister Stage on the Friday.
