Interview: Ghastly

[gallery type="slideshow" size="full" ids="157762,157763,157764"] What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

Music has always been in my blood and I find it the most powerful of all the art forms as it provokes and emotion response from both the creator and the receiver& music and beats have always been a part of human culture from year dot. The First music that really grabbed me must have been punk swiftly followed by the theatrics & drama of gothic music.

If I had not done music I would have been drawn to something within the arts- Film Making, Story writing (which a lot of my songs are), photography, acting or painting or maybe a life of sleeze and crime….but that’s still Rock’n’Roll

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

I like watching horror films or art house cinema. When Im not making music I listen to a lot of it or I just drink in the nature and the landscapes of where I live out in the Hinterlands in remote mid Wales which is both decadent and beautiful – the bleakness of the landscape I think is present within my music which in turn influenced the folk horror aspect of some of the songs

How long has your band been around?

Ghastly Murder is a solo project that has existed in my head for years but as a 'band' I released a couple of songs (The Hearse song & Earworm mix) a couple of years back then continued with my other band (The Filthy Spectacula). During lockdown I found I had time on my hands and a head full of ideas that I needed to put out there. An opportunity came up to record some of these songs and this resulted in the current 6 song E.P. which I hope is a pre curser to a full album (or 2) ‘s worth of material

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

I live out in Mid Wales – known as the Hinterlands (they made a T.V. show called that as well based on the location) I come from London and so at first to be out here was a huge culture shock but now I spend my time between between the 2 different cultures of mid wales and London

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you.

The name ‘Ghastly Murder’ was actually a newspaper headline from the Victorian era which described what we now know as the Jack The Ripper Murders- I think to me the name/term conjured up a dark frenzy which I think is appropriate to the sound we make.

Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played.

Ghastly Murder are yet to perform live although I do front my other band (The Filthy Spectacula) who play up and down the U.K.- In one of my previous bands we broke up on stage mid set which was a messy affair. My favorite gigs are the energy fueled crammed spaces where an audience is on board from the get go –I had one recently in The Black Heart in Camden as part of Camden Rocks festival- the room was a sea of jumping and dancing bodies with sweat dripping from the ceiling

Tell me about your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you haven't already?

Me personally.....I like any Rock n Roll venue that has a theme to it in its ethos and décor – I have played many a goth or steampunk venue or festival in the past and I like these . I LOVE playing Halloween gigs/Day Of the dead festival style shows (just did a great on at The Metal monocle in Leicester). I would like to play more venues like that either within the U.K. or overseas

If you could play any show with any lineup who would be on the ticket?

Beethoven, Early Elvis (Sun years), The Cramps, ,Alice Cooper band (69- 74), Bauhaus (1982), The Damned, Rammstien then us….that would make me happy

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band?

Be yourself because everyone else is taken- never surrender

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

Go on, sell your soul sod your principles follow the rules of the game…… but alas it would fall on deaf ears

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

They are all my children so I couldn’t choose one – BUT currently I have a song out called ‘TWITCH’ and that’s a good starting point for us and for audiences to hear what we are about and soon it has a darker brother (which will be the next release) called ‘CHLOROFORM’- that’s ok for starters

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

Dependent on the mood of the room - Upbeat-Twitch. More darker and sinister Talking to the dead or Chloroform (at the moment , subject to change)

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

Inspiration comes from many things – sometimes a title, sometime a mood of a piece of music that I am kicking around, sometimes a painting or a newspaper story etc. – it depends for whom I am writing (I am also the principle songwriter in The Filthy Spectacula- which is a different vibe)

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

Beauty and curiosity (and a catchy hook) can found within darkest subject matters- but our music is also powerful and danceable so our message lies somewhere between euphoric optimism and darkest despair

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Yes , I often disagree with myself and break the band up, but we soon get over it and learn to live with each other (it's a Gemini thing!)

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that's coming up?

I would like to make Ghastly Murder into a live experience and event (I have plans- but I need to find the RIGHT musicians for it) it would be a mixture of sound and vision as I want people to experience 'the world' of Ghastly Murder as well as just the sound (and the stench).

I would like to develop the current ‘Rise and demise of Gory Emminence’ EP into an album or 2’s worth of songs that live within the world of Ghastly murder – that of a punk post apocalyptic bleak and dangerous environment- I have the visuals in mind and it would be dark and surreal . I would like to develop the music and keep creating.

Currently I have a song out on bandcamp and all other platforms called Twitch (I may have mentioned it) https://ghastlymurder.bandcamp.com/track/twitch

This is the first of 6 songs from my EP ‘The Rise and Demise of Gory Emminence’ and I will be releasing (or allowing to escape) the other 5 songs from that EP throughout the next few months some with accompanying videos. Then back to writing and recording new material.

All news about Ghastly Murder can be found here

https://www.facebook.com/MrEsGHASTLYREDRUM.UK

Thank You