PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
This Friday, SALTLAKE release their stunning new EP, Medicate Me. We had the boys down for a chat:
What is the full band line-up, who plays what?
The line-up consists of Henry Gottelier (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Liam Quinn (Bass Guitar) and John Godly (Drums) .
How and when did the band form?
Both Henry and Liam have played music together in various different projects since meeting and becoming friends. As a group of guys, we are all from different backgrounds and places. Both Henry and Liam have been school friends since the age of 13 and our relationship with John has only really just begun as he is fresh to the line-up which makes for a much more exciting experience for the two original members as its sort of a fresh start and a
new energy amongst the group. One thing we all have in common is that we have been raised in the suburbs and counties surrounding London which is where many upcoming musicians are from. Bands such as Arcane Roots, ESO, Wallflower to name a few have all come through similar channels and socialised in similar circles at one or more times.
When and how did the band really start gelling and solidifying?
The band really started solidifying when we decided that we were going to take it seriously back in about 2012/13. As a group, we started to plan things rather than just do what came about. This included writing sessions, gigs, tours and recording and with that we grew and started cutting our teeth, learning from our mistakes along the way, but always remembering why we do what we do and that’s because we love it and when we stop loving it is
when it’s time to address that.
What are your musical influences?
We all pretty much share the same musical influences pretty much. Our bedrock would be bands we’ve grown up listening to from the 70’s 80’s and 90’s, most of the heavies like Zeppelin, GN’R, AC/DC etc, but we all have personal favourites that have formed us as musicians. We all love discovering new bands and sharing that with one another and it really isn’t genre specific. We all are influenced by a lot of pop and electronic music which reflects in our music as well as our love for alternative rock. We all love a fresh modern sounding band or record when we hear one. Our music is heavily influenced by bands such as Young Guns, Pvris, Mallory Knox and Bring Me The Horizon.
Where did the name of band come from?
The band’s name came when we were in the process of entirely rebranding the band, pretty much starting a fresh. Where many people might associate it with a certain state in Utah, we went for the name sort of from an ambiguous standpoint. We liked the way it sounded as a name, we felt it had a lot of potential and a sort of melancholy, eerie feel to it in a weird way.
How far back does your history with each other (the band members) extend?
Myself and Liam have been friends ever since year 8 of secondary school when he saw me play Knocking On Heavens Door by Guns N’ Roses at a school concert to many bewildered, wincing parents who had come to see their kids play in what was supposed to be a classical music event. Liam lied and said he played Bass, because he could see that what was missing in our line-up and we tasked him with coming backing to us once he had learned ‘Slither’ by Velvet Revolver, to which he painstakingly set about learning for a week on his brother’s bass, and since that moment we’ve been friends and played music together ever since.
Our relationship with John is still relatively new and we are still learning about each other. He is someone we’ve crossed paths with from time to time for many years, often unknowingly playing on the same bills but never
properly chatting before, until we were after a new drummer and his name was mentioned a few times which lead me to believe he must be pretty special, so we got chatting and the rest is history. He is an amazing guy who was able to walk straight in and gel straight in with us, he shares the same sense of humour, enjoys the same things and he’s an amazing musician.
Where have you played or toured? .
We’ve done a few awesome UK tours playing everywhere from Brighton to Manchester, London, Wales, Birmingham, Leicester, Northampton etc. Our next aim is to venture to other shores and have a stab at Mainland Europe. We’ve toured with our buddies in The Alchemy twice which has been amazing, those guys are starting to make some serious waves, and our most notable show was probably with Stone Broken in Manchester at Rebellion. A slightly weird combo with us on the bill but it was certainly a highlight of our musical careers, the crowd as on another level.
In your opinion, how is your band different from all the other bands out there?
We don’t try and profess to be something we are not. I’m not saying ALL bands are trying to be something they are not but there is a definite feeling of this around at the moment. There was a time when we were slightly younger and naiver when we judged our every move by if it could be labelled as something. Now I like to think that the music we play is genuine and heartfelt.
If a deaf person were to ask you to describe the sound of your music, how would you describe it?
Heavy guitars and drums, pop vocal melodies, Fusing those elements with big electronic soundscapes and synths, focusing on dynamics to create a huge sound out of 3 guys.
Do you have a tour on the horizon?
After the release of the record, we aim to gig as much as possible around the country, our longer aim is to have a UK tour booked for February 2018 and look to get a European run later in the year after the festival season.
Where can we find your social media sites?
http://www.facebook.com/SaltlakeUK
www.saltlakeuk.com
https://twitter.com/saltlakeuk
