Here we go again… Last year we covered every band on the Hobgoblin New Blood and Jagermeister stages in the run-up to Bloodstock 2015. This year, we’re going one better and aim to have interviews from all the bands on those two stages as well as all of those on the SOPHIE stage prior to the event kicking off on August 11th. That’s almost 100 interviews to get online for you lucky people over the course of the next couple of weeks. I bloody love this job, but you lot owe me a beer at Catton Hall, right?
Thanks to all the bands who’ve taken the time to respond!
Famyne – Hobgoblin New Blood Stage, Saturday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Canterbury. It’s where we live and practice, where we create and it’s where we began.
How did you meet?
Jake Cook, Tom Vane & Alex Williams had known each other for a good few years and started jamming in 2014. After some months, they thought their creations deserved some bass and extra guitars. It just so happens that when Jake was out one night, he saw Chris Travers head banging in a nightclub by himself! He thought to ask if he played anything and he did! Then later in the year, Alex Tolson joined us on lead guitar. We all clicked, noticed a certain ‘chemistry’ and the rest is history.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
2 years now, it’s gone pretty quick.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Well it all started with an Opeth song off Heritage: it just seemed right. We opted for the Middle English spelling, as we felt it reflected the history that’s to be found everywhere, throughout the city.
What are your influences – individually or as a band?
Now that’s a loaded question! Probably a lot of older bands for starters; Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Candlemass, The Obsessed, Pentagram etc. They’re all collectively adored by us. On top of that, we have our individual influences; From alt rock, to prog rock, to nu metal, to grunge, to the blues, to southern rock, to folk, to the local underground scene, even to 70’s-80’s and 90’s popular music, we are all of us (at least subconsciously) influenced by way more than simply doom/stoner.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Describe a colour! In terms of what makes us unique, it’s maybe our combination of influences, the result of our collective personalities, likes and dislikes etc.
What’s your live show like – why should the baying hordes troop over to the stage you’re playing on to watch you?
Because we’re fans just like them, and we know what they want and what they expect, only we’re lucky enough to get the chance to get up there and do it our way. If they want a show, then we’ll damn well give it to them.
When/how did you find out you’d been selected to play at Bloodstock?
At the Kent Metal 2 The Masses competition final, on May 1st in Gravesend; we were up against 7 other top class acts that night. Simon Hall (Judgemaster General for several of the BOA stages) announced our name at the end as winners and we were both shocked and humbled: we’d practised our arses off! Still chuffed now to be honest.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
A real variety of heavy doom: a smorgasbord, if you will.
Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
Mastodon, Paradise Lost, Rotting Christ, Fear Factory, loads more…
What are you working on at the moment?
A lot of time has been spent in the studios recently, working on fresh material for our debut full-length album.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done on tour?
We tried to start a turf war between Costa and McDonalds once. Don’t ask…
What advice would you give to a young band just starting out today?
Commit to it – all of you. Don’t let bad blood develop – be open and be democratic. Work your contacts. Put on a good show, so people come back with their friends. 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!
Black Sabbath, us, and Morag Tong.
What stage / time are you playing at Bloodstock (if you have your slot yet!)
The Hobgoblin New Blood stage on Saturday 13th, stage time TBA. Keep an eye on the website!
