Interview with Charlie Day of COLLECTED

Answers provided by Charlie Day (Guitarist) 

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today? 

A mixture of my older brothers and guitar hero, I’d probably have tried to be a footballer and when that inevitably failed some sort of trade.  

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

I watch quite a lot of TV series and anime, also podcasts. It’s almost like it recharges my creativity, like switching the brain off type of thing and getting lost in something new for a while.  

How long has your band been around? 

Nearing 12 years now under various names, but as we currently are now about 7 years.  

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

We’re based in Clacton-on-Sea/Colchester Essex, I think it’s made us write grander more polished sounding music to try and not be associated with where we’re from if that makes sense? Like try to manifest where we want to get to in our music.  

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

We wanted a name that stood for the different backgrounds and influences each member brings to the band, and something that was one word and easy to remember if someone had never heard of us before. So, after much deliberation, we decided on Collected. It is simple, but we thought it covered everything we were looking for in a name. 

Tell me about your most memorable shows. 

3 come to mind, the metal 2 the masses final in 2019 at the sound house Colchester, it was absolutely packed out and Liam our vocalist crowd surfed to the bar and back. Our EP launch show at the 3 wise monkeys in Colchester, there happened to be a horrific storm that day and most of the trains where cancelled, but people still made it along and it was an awesome night! And finally playing the new blood stage at bloodstock this year, hands down the best gig we’ve played so far, unreal experience.  

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already? 

I’d say the sound house in Colchester, we have a lot of history as a band there and really made our mark on the scene as a band in that venue. Locally I’d say Colchester arts centre as the venue and sound is incredible as well as all the huge bands that have played there! Further afield I’d probably go for the underworld Camden and Satans Hollow in Manchester.   

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

So, I would have loved to open for the Periphery, Meshuggah and Devin Townsend Project show I saw in Brixton back in 2012 I believe it was.   

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

Make sure you enjoy what you’re doing and the people you’re with are on the same page putting in just as much effort as you, don’t be afraid to take things in any direction! Slow the fuck down and don’t be so hard on yourself.  

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

Make more of an effort with the social media and promotion side of things, it’ll make all the difference!  

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

Blindsided for me, was a lot of fun to jam in practice in the begin and then it really took shape quickly, got a lot of fond memories from that process.  

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

I’d say our song Mountains as it’s got a bit of everything guitar wise, most requested is definitely Say When.  

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

It varies really, sometimes Harry will write a full song or I’ll have an idea and we’ll jam it, other times me and Harry will write together. We’ve also done a lot of writing in rehearsals together as a band, think it tends to be whatever takes our ears then we run with it and see where it leads. Just experimenting really, or if there’s a lyrical theme to portray, but usually it’s music first then vocals.   

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

There are all sorts, a lot of the lyrical content is based in true life events dealing with mental health, drug abuse, relationships, so yeah hopefully themes that people can relate to in some way as well as enjoying the music.  

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

We do, it can be difficult sometimes as we have strong opinions with a lot of stuff especially creatively, but we always find a way to compromise and work our way through them. Sometimes it’s trying both ways of something and helping either side understand where the other is coming from.  

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

Writing new material and gigging, hopefully get on some festivals bills for next year at some point too! We have a new single coming out on the 30th of September called mindset that we’re incredibly excited about, it’ll be available on all streaming platforms.  Keep in touch with us at https://www.facebook.com/COLLECTEDUK