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Interview with Swarm6ix
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
An amalgamation of listening to the radio, tuning into Kerrang/Scuzz to check out what new videos have been released. We’ve always aimed to attend local shows to ourselves and we believe that witnessing up and coming bands progress and bring in impressive crowds is something that we wanted to be a part of. Since being in bands throughout most of our teenage/adult life its hard to picture what we would be doing otherwise, sporting and fitness goals would certainly take priority alongside spending more time with loved ones. End of the day, to have the band as a full time job would be the dream come true for us all.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
We would most likely be spending time with our family, partners and friends. These experiences are what has influenced most of our music alongside our own personal opinions on the world and the people in it.
How long has your band been around? Also, please tell me about the dynamic of the band of what brought you all together.
Ben (vocals) and Dan (guitar) have been friends for years and been in bands for most of their youths, us current members have all been playing music together for around 6/7 years now, for the most part in our previous band Faces of Eve. We recently rebranded and set out to kick off our new chapter in Swarm6ix.
Where are you based and how did that influence your music?
We are mostly based in Hertfordshire aside from our bassist Owen who lives 20 minutes out of Gatwick. With all members being close to a number of busy towns and cities where we have access to many live music venues, it exposed us to many new bands we wouldn't have heard of if we had not been present at these gigs.
How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?
Our name kind of comes from a boring/marketing point of view. We chose something that rolled off the tongue and we pleasing to say out loud. We’ve meshed together 2 elements, SWARM (a metal sounding word) with 6IX (a more trap/rap based word) using the 6 to kind of tip our hats to artists like 6IX9INE and many more alike.
Tell me about your most memorable shows.
As Swarm6ix we have only played the one show as it stands, Collision Fest in Bedford. A fantastic debut for us with a very warm welcome and some heart warming praise. The event was very well put together and the turn out was solid on every stage throughout the day. We hope to return in the coming years.
What is your favourite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
To name a few: The Black Heart in Camden, Bedford Esquires, Club 85 Hitchin, Crauford Arms Milton Keynes, Bar 42 Worthing and Hobo’s Bridgend. We would be grateful to play anywhere but The Underworld in Camden would be great as its such an iconic intimate venue. Of course the large stages like Alexandra Palace, O2 and Wembley would be incredible but we will keep those venues close to our hearts for the future.
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
Ghostemane, Vein.FM, Humanity's Last Breath and $uicideboy$.
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?
Spend time with the band as much as you can, being comfortable with the collective is incredibly important. Take time on the music and make sure you enjoy the process involved in creating it. Don’t expect a huge success over-night and keep your head up when things seem to slow down. Most importantly, enjoy every part of it
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
Social Suicide’ is our second instalment which should be a very relatable one. This heavyweight track touches on intoxication in order to be sociable and the problems that can arise from it - people getting in to fights, hurling antagonistic verbal abuse, vomiting in the streets, passing out, making poor decisions they regret the next day and not knowing when to stop until it’s too late. It’s about the unsociable mess you can become from attempting to be sociable.
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
For the time being we’d say ‘d0pamine’ is our favourite to play as it has been out the longest and had more noticeable feedback from the crowd when playing it live for the first time. As this was the first track we released we feel its certainly given people time to get to know it.
What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?
It normally starts with either Dan or Ben creating a rough riff or progression in which we either simplify or embellish into a full track to then be passed onto Owen and James where we would most likely all come together and put down the bass and drums. Dan and Ben have always been the core creatives in the band and the process we have works well for us. We take inspiration not just from each other but from a lot of the bands we all listen to and films we have seen, some film soundtracks are goldmines for ideas.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
We aim to create a sense of relatability in our music, something that people can listen to and take comfort in the fact that there are other people out there feeling and thinking the same things. We want it to be a safe space for those who have always anti-social, dormant and introverted on the surface.
Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?
We sure do! Our debut single ‘d0pamine’ is out on all streaming platforms alongside our most recent offering ‘$Ocial $Uicide’. Both videos are available on youtube. Enjoy!
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
We currently have a number of shows booked for this year, starting off with:
23.06 - The Hairy Dog - Derby
24.06 - Castle Tavern - Luton
25.06 - The Black Heart - Camden
UK Tech Metal Fest 2023
We have more yet to announce so keep your eyes peeled. MIght even throw a couple more singles your way!
How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?
We are on the usual social media platforms: @swarm6ix