This week the Red Bull Studios Download Festival competition rolls on, and has seen some of the 15 final bands head to London to spend time at Red Bull Studios. Where they have been recording new music, receiving media training and more.
As part of our ongoing “Red Bull Rated and Recommended” series, this week we look at the second batch of 5 of the final 15 bands.
This week we meet Create To Inspire, Invocation, For All The Wrong Reasons, Life On Standby and Chinese Missy.
Create To Inspire
AH: Can you introduce yourself and your role in your band?
Dan: My name’s Dan and I play Bass.
AH: For new listeners how would you describe your sound?
Dan: Generally I’d label us as Melodic Hardcore, but we try to stray away from the expected Melodic Hardcore sound you hear nowadays. We like to keep the heavy elements of our music raw & thrashy, but the chorus side of things almost pop-like with big sing-a-long vibes, with lyrics that reflect who we are as people, positive, easy going and fun-loving individuals that have a lust for music & life.
AH: How does it feel to make it this far in the competition?
Dan: Simply incredible. In all honesty we didn’t expect this at all. We entered last year when we were just starting out and made it through to the top 100, we entered this year with a “see how it goes” kind of attitude and the response we’ve had from our fans & friends has been overwhelming, and for the judges to pick up on what we’re trying to achieve as a band has just added to how awesome 2014 has been for us already.
AH: If you were to make it to Download, what can festival-goers expect from your set?
Dan: When we play live it really is all about the performance for us. We literally put everything into it – So I guess they can expect to see five fellas from Essex getting very sweaty, very loud and loving every last minute of the experience.
AH: What would it mean for you to play Download?
Dan: It really would be a dream come true for all of us. I’ve been heading to Download annually for the past few years running and being faced with the possibility of being one of those bands you’ve looked up to since deciding that this is what you want to do with your life is incredibly overwhelming. We’re all still trying to get our heads around it!
AH: Once the next stage of voting opens, why should people vote for your band?
Dan: People should vote for us a number of reasons… We’re an incredibly hard working bunch and we’ve been hammering away, day in, day out for the past year waiting for an opportunity like this to arise. We’re determined to shape this into our career and we pour our hearts & souls into our live performances just to show people exactly how hungry we are for it. So, on top of what the Download crowd will hopefully consider some great tunes, they’re guaranteed one hell of a show, and that we promise.
AH: Do you have any final words to share with Already Heard readers?
Dan: I guess all I can say is give us a listen, if you like what you hear then you can find us on all of the usual social networking platforms, and please, chuck us a quick vote when the final round kicks in, you’ll be helping five lads achieve their childhood dreams and giving us the best possible start to our potential careers. Oh, and keep an eye out for our debut EP, ‘Halfway Home,’ that we’re currently preparing to release, it’ll be completely free and well … who doesn’t love free stuff? Cheers.
Create To Inspire links: Red Bull Profile|Facebook|Twitter
For All The Wrong Reasons
AH: Can you introduce yourself and your role in your band?
Alex: I’m Alex and I cry into a microphone.
Jacob: I’m Jacob and I’m one of the guitarist.
Chris: I’m Chris I’m the other guitarist
Aiden: I’m Aiden and I slap the bass
Lou: And I’m Lou and I hit the drums.
AH: For new listeners how would you describe your sound?
Alex: For new listeners we would describe our sound as up beat, honest, melodic pop punk.
AH: How does it feel to make it this far in the competition?
Chris: It’s absolutely insane! It was beyond what we ever expected, we were just happy to make it into the top 100!
AH: If you were to make it to Download, what can festival-goers expect from your set?
Aiden: Lots of energy, enthusiasm and sweat!
AH: What would it mean for you to play Download?
Jake: Back in 2004, I saw that Sum 41 were playing at Download and I wanted to go see them more than anything. I started playing guitar the year after and I’d always think to myself that I would love to play Download. 10 years later, I may actually get to do it. It blows my mind.
AH: Once the next stage of voting opens, why should people vote for your band?
Alex: Not only do we believe that we will do everything we can to kill it at Download, but we believe that with hard work and your support we can go much further!
AH: Do you have any final words to share with Already Heard readers?
Lou: We want to thank anyone who voted so far for us and we hope you continue in the next round of voting and be sure to check out all the other bands.
For All The Wrong Reasons links: Red Bull Profile|Facebook|Twitter
Invocation
AH: Can you introduce yourself and your role in your band?
James: Hi guys, I’m James and I play guitar for the band Invocation.
AH: For new listeners how would you describe your sound?
James: A good balance of progressive and tech metal, huge ambient soundscapes, combined with rich and thick dynamic textures. Taking influences from various bands and artists ranging from Cloudkicker to Lamb of God.
AH: How does it feel to make it this far in the competition?
James: We’re still in shock and are totally humbled by it. We were not expecting to go this far but we’re all over the moon about it!
AH: If you were to make it to Download, what can festival-goers expect from your set?
James: Without question the most energetic and tightest set we’ve ever played plus new songs and an even more frenzied live presence. Maybe an appearance from some yellow fruit too…
AH: What would it mean for you to play Download?
James: Pardoning the cliché; it really is a dream come true. It would be the biggest step we’ve made so far, hopefully growing our fan base even further. Download is the biggest rock/ metal festival in the UK and just the thought of potentially playing just gives us that weird butterfly feeling you get when you’re so stupidly excited yet petrified about something!
AH: Once the next stage of voting opens, why should people vote for your band?
James: Because we are dedicated to our cause. Bringing awareness to banana cruelty worldwide and bringing the heavy, heavy grooves.
AH: Do you have any final words to share with Already Heard readers?
James: Thanks for checking us out if you have so far, and an even bigger thanks if you’ve been voting. We hope to see you at Download!
Invocation links: Red Bull Profile|Facebook|Twitter
Life On Standby
AH: Can you introduce yourself and your role in your band?
LOS: Hi we’re Life on Standby!
Erin Donnachie – Lead vocals.
Gianluca Demelas – drummer.
Gavin Williams – guitarist and synth player.
Liam Walker – bass player.
AH: For new listeners how would you describe your sound?
LOS: We always find it quite hard to describe our sound, or more typically who we sound like. Our sound comes from many varied influences such as, Biffy Clyro, Enter Shikari, Foo Fighters, Arcane Roots and many more, as we all have an eclectic music taste. I suppose we’re a pop/rock band with an electro feel … when you hear our sound hopefully that explanation seems apt!
AH: How does it feel to make it this far in the competition?
LOS: It’s absolutely incredible to be chosen as 1 of the final 15! Waiting for the result was the most nerve wracking few days we’ve encountered. Being third on the countdown was a bit of a relief, I’m not sure we could have held out much longer! But being able to tell everyone “we made it” was such a high, especially after how much effort they put in voting for us.
As a band we put a lot off effort into promoting ourselves within the competition in the hope to remain in the top 100 – so that the judges would even just see our video – but for them to give us this amazing opportunity to head down to Red Bull Studios is surreal and I don’t think it will properly sink in until we are actually there.
AH: If you were to make it to Download, what can festival-goers expect from your set?
LOS: The Download crowd can expect a highly energetic set, full of massive vocals from Erin, catchy riffs from Gav and Liam, Gia battering hell out of his drum kit and the performance of a lifetime from the band as a whole. We always give every performance 110% whether it be in a small pub in our local town or a massive venue, the Download crowd might just get something a little better.
AH: What would it mean for you to play Download?
LOS: Playing Download would be the highlight of our year and the bands career as a whole. Just thinking about standing on a stage at such an amazing festival is so exciting, we would be buzzing!
AH: Once the next stage of voting opens, why should people vote for your band?
LOS: People should vote for us because we are hard working musicians, with so much potential, who always strive to bigger and better things. In this case, bigger and better things being that Download stage. We’re the only Scottish band to make it to the final 15 which is really cool, and we want to do our friends, family, fans and also our country proud in the next stage of the competition and with the publics vote we hope to do that.
AH: Do you have any final words to share with Already Heard readers?
LOS: Watch out for us in the next round of Red Bull Studios Live At Download and vote, vote, vote! It would mean the world to us to get through, if we do come and see us at Download.
Life On Standby links: Red Bull Profile|Facebook|Twitter
Chinese Missy
AH: Can you introduce yourself and your role in your band?
CM: The band are: Bello Ingram (songwriter, guitarist and vocals,) Rich Bond (guitar and keys,) Tom Moore (drums) and Tom Hartley, the prettiest bass player since Duran Duran’s John Taylor!
AH: For new listeners how would you describe your sound?
CM: Raw, edgy rock and roll with a political message but guaranteed to give a good time. We always aim to entertain and if people are having a good time then they are listening to what we are saying
AH: How does it feel to make it this far in the competition?
CM: We are of course pleased. I guess all of the bands are!
AH: If you were to make it to Download, what can festival-goers expect from your set?
CM: We are at our best live, our set is tight and full of energy, guaranteed not just to exhaust us but everyone watching as well.
AH: What would it mean for you to play Download?
CM: It means a lot more people get to hear our music and that is what it is all about. We think our songs have something to say and so far people have responded well to what we are trying to do. Yeah it will be pretty cool if thousands more people sign up to the cause.
AH: Once the next stage of voting opens, why should people vote for your band?
CM: Everyone should vote for who they like and we hope that includes us. If we win, we promise not only a great time for the people watching at Download but everyone else who will then get a better chance of seeing us at a later date, as Download can only help us in getting our music out to the masses!
AH: Do you have any final words to share with Already Heard readers?
CM: We do. In the Autumn we are releasing our song ‘Fighting at the Congo Wars’, which features on the Red Bull Download promo as a single, with all the profits going to a hospital in the eastern Congo where a guy called Dr. Denis Mukwege and his colleagues at Panzi Hospital help repair the damage done to women who are brutalised by soldiers who use rape as a weapon of war. The more money they get, the more work they can do, so buy the song and help repair a life (as well as enjoy our music). To support this project we are offering a series of free concerts for schools, so if you would like a show just let us know!
Chinese Missy links: Red Bull Profile|Facebook|Twitter
Red Bull Studios Download Festival links: Website|Twitter|Instagram
Words by Sean Reid (@SeanReid86)