Our regular run-down of as many of the upcoming Bloodstock bands as we can get to talk to us! Smother play the New Blood stage on the Friday…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Believe it or not, we played our first show as smother only 7 months ago.
Where does the name of the band come from?
I’d like to give a deeper answer but if we’re honest, we had a different name right up until the point we were booked for our first show, which was coincidentally the same time we found there was another new band gaining traction in the same scene as us with a comically similar name. We had to come up with something new that evening so we went a bit insane trying to find the perfect name that fit us. It took hours of stress that night but we were ultimately pleased with our choice.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Crushing, intense, violent. We’re a band that mixes DIY hardcore roots with a unique blend of influences spanning everything from metalcore, death metal, hardcore, doom metal, powerviolence, etc. to far more obscure & unconventional music & media. I truly believe we have a unique blend of sounds that you won’t find anywhere else.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
I’d say we’re easily one of the heaviest bands on the line up this year so if you want unrelenting energy, crushing heaviness and an oppressively dark atmosphere to mosh hard to, checking us out is a no brainer.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
I have yeah. Whilst Bloodstock line ups aren’t always catered to my specific tastes in heavy music, I always remember Bloodstock as one of my favourite UK festivals because regardless of the bands playing, the vibe is always great, the crowds are crazy, and the festival is just all around really fun.
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We won our local M2TM in Stoke-on-Trent.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
An unbelievable dream made reality.
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What sort of setlist can we expect?
We’ve put a lot of work into making the best setlist we can possibly bring in the time that we’ve got. We only have one currently released track so of course that will be there. Along with some huge tracks from our upcoming EP which we’re so excited to unleash onto Bloodstock.
Stage times haven’t been announced yet, so which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
Well fortunately for us, the majority of bands we want to catch are playing on Saturday and we’re playing Friday so as long as we don’t clash with Hatebreed (which we definitely won’t) then we’re all good.
What are you working on at the moment?
Other than preparing to rip Bloodstock a new one, we actually head into the studio only a day after Bloodstock ends to record our EP so that’s our main focus at the moment.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
In terms of what we’ve done as smother, since we’ve not been around for that long we don’t have the greatest deal of choice so I’d probably go with when our vocalist performed a new song in the middle of a crazy pit for our first M2TM heat. We purposely egged on the crowd to not go easy on him, I’m surprised he made it out alive.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Beer and soju. It’s tradition at this point. I’ll have to try a “few” cans of Hopical Storm this time.
