PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Self-procla
imed ‘Sasscore’ unit Air Drawn Dagger mark their arrival with the release of their new video single, The Banshee, which is taken from the Alt-rockers’ current EP Ours For The Taking….Theirs For The Breaking, out now on Animal Farm. We grilled the band and got to know them……
What is the full band line-up, who plays what?
Maisie Manterfield – Vocals / Interpretive Dance,
Sam Wagner – Lead Guitar / Backing Vocals,
Lewis Budden – Bass Guitar / Backing Vocals,
Ross Dore – Drums / Programming.
How and when did the band form?
I (Lewis) am originally from Manchester, I started the band while at Uni in Sheffield. I met Maisie in 2014 and we immediately started writing our own songs in her Cake Shop after hours. Maisie grew up being home schooled all over the world and Ross and Sam both live just outside of Sheffield also. This lack of ‘hometown’ identity has benefited our sound over all though, as it hasn’t forced us into the “Hardcore”, “Electro” or “Indie” genres that the city is famous for.
When and how did the band really start gelling and solidifying?
It took a while for me and Maisie to find the right people for the band really. We were playing some acoustic shows under the name whilst we found the right kind of weirdoes who ware dedicated and actually up for contributing to a band without rules. Any influence goes when we are writing, but it wasn’t until Sam and Ross joined that everything gelled and we were able to create the full band, live show and overall sound we had in mind.
What are your musical influences?
It’s a cliché to say “everything” so I will just spout a huge list instead;
My Chemical Romance, Foo Fighters, Gallows, Iron Maiden, Prodigy, Blondie, Eminem, Misfits, The Smiths, Dolly Parton, The Beatles, The White Stripes, Blink 182, RHCP, Trivium, Kanye West, Enter Shikari and so, so much more….
Where have you played or toured? Please name all countries / regions and recognised bands that you have played with.
So far we have exclusively toured the UK. From Sheffield to Newcastle to London, we play anywhere and everywhere. This year we are making very exciting plans to visit other though. One of our favourite support slots we have had is opening for “The Ghost Riders In The Sky” who are Steph Carter (Ex Gallows) new band. Me and Sam grew up on Gallows so getting to support his new project was extremely surreal.
In your opinion, how is your band different from all the other bands out there?
The obvious thing is that sadly, there is still a massive lack of girls in the music industry. We want to help change that. Another is that we wear our influences on our sleeve, every song we write songs different to the last due to wide range of influences that appear in our music. We also want to make our shows safe places for everyone. No matter who you are, or what your dealing with, Air Drawn Dagger shows are an open house to be who you are and celebrate that with a bunch of other messed up people there to have a fun time.
Do you have a tour on the horizon?
Yes we do, the “Theirs for the Breaking Tour” will be hitting:
17th February – Sheffield – Mulberry Tavern
18th February – Manchester – Retro Bar
23rd February – Hull – O’rileys
25th March – London – Spice of Life
7th April – Blackburn – The Napier
Where can we find your social media sites?
The new EP is here: http://hyperurl.co/airdrawndaggerEP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airdrawndaggerband
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AirDrawnDagger1
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFv8tIxQt-wKoMYwMMiCQ7Q
Bandcamp: https://airdrawndagger.bandcamp.com/
