PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
UK alt rock crew GHOST ARCADIA continue their climb. The rising foursome have just released, Glory – https://youtu.be/KInlxO4Xoxg . We had a (virtual) sit down with the Reu from the band to find out more.
What is the full band line-up, who sings and who plays which instrument?
Reuben Beau Davies (Reu) – Lead Vocals,
Anthony Hollis (Ant) – Rhythm Guitar/ Synth,
Adam Ford – Lead Guitar,
Ali McCreadie – Drums.
How and when did the band form?
I met Ant when we were training to be actors in London. We hit it off right away due to a mutual love of music and performance. A few years later we decided to start writing music together and the rest is history. After rocking it as a two piece for a year and having Adam and Ali for live shows, we eventually asked them to join and be a permanent fixture of Ghost Arcadia.
When and how did the band really start gelling and solidifying?
It was really when Libero was first being written. It was the first time Adam and Ali became part of the writing process and we really started to realise how well we worked as a unit.
Who are your musical influences?
For myself, I have quite a diverse musical background- my mum and stepdad are gypsy jazz musicians, so that sort of music (and also folk) have been a large part of my life; growing up I found myself drawn more to hip hop, metal and pop punk but have always kept that appreciation of jazz and folk music. My dad’s a biker, so he introduced me to a lot of the heavy rock/ metal greats when I was younger. Ali has more rock influences and is a huge fan of Fever333, with both Aric Importa and Travis Barker being a big influence on his drumming style. Adam grew up listening to mainly old school hard rock and counts Guns ’N’ Roses as his main influence and especially Slash as someone who has had a major impact on his style of guitar playing. Ant feels defined by Blink 182 and has a fondness for orchestral music and scores. He counts Howard Shore, Rupert Gregson-Williams and Dario Marionelli as some of his favourite composers.
A few bands that we have a mutual appreciation of are; Linkin Park, BMTH, Enter Shikari, Biffy Clyro, and The Killers.
I think our diverse musical background is also something that stands out when you listen to our music.
Where did the name of the band come from?
We were throwing a few ideas around; originally they were two different names that we sort of mashed together. I’m a huge fan of ancient history and especially Greek and Roman mythologies. I like the old myths of Arcadia and how it was this idyllic wilderness ruled by Pan (god of the wild), untouched by the real world. I think the juxtaposition of the ‘Ghost’ works really well as I often describe our sound as ‘hauntingly epic’. So Ghost (Death), Arcadia (Life).
How far back does your history with each other (the band members) extend?
I met Ant at an acting audition when I was 19 (10 years ago!) but it wasn’t till a few months later when fate intervened and we met again that we really became friends. We met Ali through a close friend a few years back and asked him to jam with us when he moved to London. Adam replied to an advert we posted!
Where have you played or toured?
We’ve played Nambucca (London), The Water Rats (London), 229 (London) and O2 Academy Islington (London). We really want to branch out to other areas of the country (or even the world!) and are looking forward to when the live music scene has been reignited once again.
In your opinion, how is your band different from all the other bands out there?
We often describe our genre as ‘Patchwork’ as we pride ourselves on not being pigeonholed, and writing what feels right for us at any given moment. We feel that society should not define a person and so we do not let a genre define us. We want to make music that lasts the test of time so everything we write and perform we give our all. Nothing is half arsed at Ghost Arcadia and everything is thought about. DIY is predominantly at the heart of everything we do, from designing artwork and light shows to liaising with venues and shooting music videos. If we don’t know how to do it, we will learn how to. We take every aspect of the band as seriously as writing the music.
If a deaf person were to ask you to describe the sound of your music, how would you describe it?
‘The moment where free fall turns into terminal velocity.’
Where can we find your social media sites?
FB: https://www.facebook.com/GhostArcadia/
IG: @ghostarcadiaband
Twitter: @ghostarcadia
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2QRLmf2
Youtube: https://bit.ly/2Z4DF9R
