Interview with Chartreuse Addiction

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

A mixture of things. Listening to music was probably the most simple answer and from there we learned our instruments and developed friendships through music. For most of the band they’d just be doing their day jobs (aircraft engineering/farming etc.) but for me personally, my life is music. Mind you before becoming a musician, I’d also wanted to become a pro footballer or do something with swimming or martial arts, something sporty I guess!

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

When we’re not playing music we do all sorts of things. We’ve got many other hobbies for example fishing which helps put our mind at ease and helps clear our mind. There’s also karate as well which helps build confidence and discipline in ourselves. Even just going to see other bands play always gets us inspired to bring new ideas forward for the band and how we can grow.

How long has your band been around?

Our band has been around since November 2019.

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

We are based mainly in Glasgow however most of us are from Ayrshire and I think that the Chartreuse influence came from a lot other people in the Glasgow and Ayrshire alternative music scene as well as artists we already took influence from in the past plus we made friends with people in other bands as well which is always good at boosting your social and musical influence circle.

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

How we came up with our name was very random, we literally took a very obscure sounding colour (Chartreuse) and as we wanted something that sounds stoner-rocky, we put “Addiction” in there as well.

I feel what the name means to us is that it’s a symbol of our style of music you know, quite grungy, quite sludgy.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

Well our first show was very infamous shall we say? It was at the Three Craws in Irvine and it was pretty awful as the sound engineer pretty much fucked off before the gig was to start and it was only sheer luck that one of our mates (who was a sound engineer) was able to save the gig for us (somewhat). The staff were very abusive and didn’t want us playing our own stuff so yeah, not the best start.

One gig that went a lot better though was our gig at Audio in February of this year alongside Klaise and Fading Lights as we had more punters in and all five of us (at the time) were on top playing form and our audience really liked our stuff.

Same with our most recent gig at The 13th Note as well as the venue was pretty packed and we felt such a good buzz from playing our set plus we had a really good sound from our instruments too which really helped.

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

One of our favourite venues to play was The Old Hairdressers in Glasgow as it’s very easy and convenient to get to if you’re going by train via Central Station plus the room you play in has a lot of space to put everything and the venue hire isn’t that steep.

Another good venue would be Audio as you have a lot of space onstage to move around as well plus you’re quite high up and it feels like you’re playing an even bigger venue as well and the atmosphere if you’re able to get lots of people in is just magical!

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

We all have different tastes in music and each of us have our own favourite band. Would love to support a band like Dead Pony live as they’re definitely an inspiration to us. We’d also love to do more gigs with The Guns for Hire as well, you should really check them out! If we’re including musicians in bands who’re no longer with us however, would’ve loved to support Rush or Queen or Foo Fighters or any of the Big 4 Grunge bands (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains)

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?

Just get yourself out there as soon as possible, you only got 6 songs, that’s enough for your first gig and also promote the hell out of your music!

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

Just to keep plugging away with gigs and making sure we get ourselves out there as much as possible. You get more requests for gigs and support slots that way.

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

I think our first few songs that we’ve written; “Superman” given that its our debut single and it was the first song ever completed for Chartreuse. Then we’ve got “Your Word Against Mine” which can appeal to an audience broader than people who just like grunge or stoner rock and we’ve also got “Bitin’ The Dust” as it’s such a blast to play live and one that our audience really like as well! If you’re able to make our next gig in November at Old Hairdressers as well, you’ll hear some even more new stuff which we’re looking forward to debut.

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

“Your Word Against Mine” and “Bitin’ The Dust” to name a couple. Any song where our audience joins in is a blast to live as when you hear more than a large group of people singing along, you feel a sense of community and a sense of confidence as well as it lifts you up.

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

Usually a song would stem from a riff from either myself or Kurtis and from there we then work out a section for the chorus, then a solo. Usually the music comes first, followed by lyrics.

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

We write about a variety of topics. For example, three of our songs; “Superman”, “Twister” and “Beartrap” are about dodging toxic relationships that you want to avoid. We also have a song “Dead Man’s Corner” which goes back to WW1 and follows the story of a soldier who’s uncertain about his life. Uncertainty is a key topic in the songs we write about as the feeling is inevitable. Sh*ts pretty deep when you think about it!

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

Occasionally yes but it’s very rare. When a disagreement arises the best thing to do to avoid it escalating is to just take a break from the conversation whether it be on the band’s group chat or in person and then come back to it again when everyone’s in a better and calmer mood.

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

We’re definitely planning on releasing new music soon, got a couple singles in the works plus the idea of an EP and a full length album that we’re working on. Also you should really come along to our next gig at the Old Hairdressers in Glasgow in November as well. Ticket link here https://fb.me/e/2FeZ2e3Ky

Thank you!