Southend indie punks Asylums will be headlining The Sebright Arms on Friday 23rd March, with support from Cool Thing Records label mates Suspects & Brighton duo SONS. It’s set to be an adrenaline-fueled frenzy of punk and alternative sound, and the ideal warm-up for Asylums who are preparing to release their second album, following their successful 2016 debut, Killer Brain Waves.
We caught up with the Luke & Jazz (Asylums), Tom (Suspects) and Lee (SONS) to talk about their expectations for Friday night, and what the bands are planning to unleash on their fans later this year…
Hello guys! You’re all playing The Sebright Arms on Friday 23rd March. What are your anticipations for the show? It’s a Friday night, it’s gonna be big one, surely?
Luke (Asylums): I’m excited. We have spent an awful lot of time working on the new music, recording, mixing, mastering, making artwork, and it’s been so enjoyable. There’s also been tonnes of Cool Thing Records label work. It’s gonna be nice to get back onstage and get that nervous energy released. Hopefully there won’t be any more snow, or a plague of locusts across Bethnal Green.
Tom (Suspects): The Sebright Arms is our first of 2018. Always exciting to kick the year off with a gig. Cool Thing Records and Asylums are family to us, so to be playing in London with the gang is going to be cool! Massively excited to see SONS play too…
Lee (SONS): We can’t wait for it! It’s a venue we’ve been wanting to play for ages, alongside two bands that we are loving! We’ve got a minion bus of die-hards coming up too, so we’re hoping it’ll go right off!
Sounds like it’s going to be a night to remember!
Tom, Suspects have been busy in the studio recording a new single recently. Can you tell us more about that?
Tom: The next single has been recorded and is currently in the process of being mixed and mastered. We’ve returned to Broadfield Studios with Thomas Mitchener. This is our third single with Thomas, myself and James have found that the sound of Suspects is really coming together. We’ve been able to experiment with how we want to sound, more so than with previous singles ‘Innocence’ and ‘Anaphylactic Shock’. We’re both massively excited to unleash Armageddon with this one.
Sounds intense!
Asylums, your debut album Killer Brain Waves was all killer no filler. What can fans expect from your upcoming release?
Jazz (Asylums): Those who were attracted to the sound of KBW will not be disappointed, there is something for everyone on this record though. The first time I listened back to the master in full, it felt like an emotional rollercoaster of sorts, and I notice more with every listen. This album demands your full attention throughout, and takes a right turn every time you get comfortable with it!
Luke (Asylums): We’ve widened the edges on this album, shown a bit more of ourselves. Its more emotive, more fucked up, and more melodic in equal measure – but there is an arc thematically.
That sounds great. We can’t wait to hear it.
Lee, SONS have played for and been championed by This Feeling! as one of their #BigIn2018 bands. It must feel good to have their support? How did the gig go?
Lee: We love This Feeling. Mikey and the guys have been absolutely amazing to us with all the shows they’ve given us so far, and putting us on stage at Reading was a dream come true! The #BigIn2018 show was epic, every band on the show raised the bar a little higher which is always awesome.
Good stuff. How does it feel to be gigging with the Cool Thing Records guys?
Lee: It’s amazing to be playing with these guys! We’ve been massive fans of Asylums for a while now, having heard about them when we were in Essex. Suspects we found looking at the Cool Thing roster and instantly felt a musical kinship with. The label is definitely one to be watching!
Asylums, you’ve been busy promoting other acts on your Cool Thing label (inc. Suspects who are supporting you). Any news you can share with us about what’s next for them?
Luke (Asylums): The label is a huge part of our lives, whenever we get together it’s a celebration. Community is everything.
Jazz (Asylums): As Tom mentioned, Suspects have recently been in the studio with long time Cool Thing producer Thomas Mitchener (Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, 80’s Matchbox, Asylums) recording their 3rd single for the label, which we can’t wait to share with everyone! Expect new tunes from Bait, Indian Queens, Beckie Margaret and The Horse Heads this year too.
Glad we’ve got lots to hear from you in the future then.
Tom, what are Suspects’ main goals for 2018? Do you have plans for an album/EP? Gigs or venues that you’re looking to playing?
Tom: Our goal in 2018 is to take the next step forward with the band. We have a plan with Cool Thing that we’re eager to see through. Eventually the songs we’re releasing are to become an album.
We’re looking to start playing more and further afield, hopefully we will be able to find a band to tour with and try to spread the word. We’re massively excited at the prospect of playing festivals too, so that’s our big aim.
Importantly, and above all; we do this for the love of being on stage, recording, and generally being in a band! Suspects is the escape from the routine that we both thrive upon, and we plan to continue throwing kitchen sinks at you all in the name of Rock ‘n’ Roll. We want to try and gain as many new fans as possible in 2018.
Throw away!
Lee, what are SONS goals for 2018?
Lee: We’ve got a few things planned so far. An E.P will definitely be released, we’re just looking at logistics on that at the moment. Loads more gigging, hopefully a few festival slots again! We’ve been writing over the last couple of cold months, so we’ll be heading back into the studio very shortly to get those tracks down, followed by the next single. We’ve also just got confirmation of our first European tour in December, so hopefully it’ll be an epic 2018 for us.
It sounds like it will be.
Asylums, what are you looking forward to most about releasing your new record? Where do you think it will take you this year?
Jazz (Asylums): This is the record I always wanted to put into the world since I started playing music, the thought of people hearing these songs for the first time after keeping them a secret for 2 years excites me more than anything. Scala and beyond!!!
Luke (Asylums): No great band is ever fully formed. Great bands morph and change. Asylums have moved on and the future is a complete question mark…
Big thanks to Luke, Jazz, Tom & Lee for answering our questions!
Grab your tickets for Asylums’ Sebright Arms gig on 23rd March here. Follow Asylums, Suspects & SONS on Facebook for more updates.
Photo Credit: Kana Waiwaiku
Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut