EMQ’s With PRONOGRAPHIC SUNSET
EMQ’s With PRONOGRAPHIC SUNSET
Hi everyone. Welcome to another EMQs, this time with Leeds UK based Experimental/Avant-Garde/Progressive Rock/Metal band, Pornographic Sunset. Huge thanks to them for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
We are Pornographic Sunset, we play Experimental/Avant-Garde/Progressive Rock/Metal.
The unholy stars that brought us together aligned in December 2018 and we began taking our demented show to the stages of Leeds in April 2019. In November 2019 we released our first EP, “The Bastard Shows His True Colours”, and after a pandemic slumber we re-emerged in December 2021 with our second EP, “Gold; Flesh; Dirt”.
How did you come up with your band name?
Beauty is a complex topic, intellectualised throughout the millennia by manyfold thought currents and yet deeply connected to our most basic instincts. We had a long debate regarding the soothing allure of natural, simple, recurring celestial events and their relationship with the erotic power of fabricated visual stimulation. Eventually, we agreed that the name “Pornographic Sunset” best encapsulated a philosophical complexity that runs parallel to the band’s ethos.
We also drank a lot of whiskey that night.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We are from Leeds (UK), a city that we love for its thriving music scene. Great bands like Catchfire Barons, Helve, Knim, Kitsch and Brasshand keep us out late at night having a great time, but it’s important to recognise that the scene owes a lot to the availability of welcoming rehearsal spaces, such as the Rock’n’Roll Circus, and a range of live music venues, from the Primrose Inn to larger spaces.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
We just released the EP “Gold; Flesh; Dirt”, it’s the second chapter in a planned four-parts storyline.
Who have been your greatest influences?
We would probably not exist without Mr. Bungle, Frank Zappa, Devo, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Soundgarden, Primus and the Butthole Surfers.
What first got you into music?
We all have a Rock and Metal background, which probably means Satan was involved in getting us into music in one way or another.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
We would be intrigued to enter a room with someone with a completely different approach from us, for example a talented electronic musician such as Squarepusher.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
We feel that ArcTanGent would be the best fit for us: it’s a smaller festival with a very diverse line up of bands that push the boundaries and seek innovative musical solutions. We are also quite fond of trigonometry.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
We received a very pure and completely undeserved form of love.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
We believe live music is one of the best experiences we can have in our lives: it brings together artistic expression, community, and fun. Support your local music scene, go out to see small unsigned bands playing in small, run-down pubs at the end of the road. Enjoy the music, connect with the people, have a great time. We believe there is a lot to gain for everybody.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Frank Zappa kept on pushing the boundaries of music until the very end of his life. What could he do if he came back, even if just for a few years, in modern times?
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
We love writing, recording and, above all else, playing live shows.
We hate never having enough time and money to write more, record more, and play more live shows.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
We don’t care much about the music industry; it does not affect us.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Miles Davis – “Bitches Brew”. It is an incredible blend of Jazz and Rock, breaking the mould from the point of view of composition, recording and post-production.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?
USB drives freely distributed at live shows – we don’t put all our music online, picking up USB drives from us is the only way to obtain our full EPs.
We want as many people as possible to experience the (old-fashioned) ritual of inserting the (modern) USB drive in a music-playing device, making the act of listening to music more wholistic, bringing the body and tactile sensations to the audience.
This is also a way for us to emphasise the importance of live music, we absolutely love playing live and we want our local music community to know we care about them, that they are special to us and that this USB drive is for them. Technology is beautiful, we love what the internet has given us and all the music we can access. But there is more out there, and it is worth the effort. We don’t care about streams/views/likes, we want to look in someone’s eyes as we hand over a USB drive and make a true connection.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Each show we play is unique: we never play the same setlist twice and we try to debut at least one new song every time we go on stage.
We have played to full rooms and to empty rooms, to people who liked us and to people who hated us. Sometimes we played perfectly and other times we stumbled. It doesn’t matter, every experience was meaningful, and we can’t pick one over the others.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Very hard to tell, but our guess is that we would be a manager, a bin man, an analyst, and a bartender.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
The Beer Snobs (like God, they are three but one), legends from the Leeds music community.
Steve Greekshire, a legend from the Leeds music community.
Phil Stiles from Final Coil, a legend from the UK music community.
Homeless Jim, a mysterious figure who guides lost musicians with his wisdom.
Taylor Swift to bring us all together, help us reflect upon our lives, and guide us towards the rapture.
What’s next for the band?
Writing a lot of Metal, Rock, Reggae, Jazz, Bossa Nova, Funk, Folk and possibly Hip-Hop music.
Playing gigs around the theme of how we have been tempted by gold, flesh, and dirt during our debauched lives.
Recording our upcoming third EP, “Death to the Poet”.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Facebook is our primary channel for interaction: https://www.facebook.com/PGSunsetBand/
Our website is worth exploring: http://pgsunsetband.co.uk/
We also have some content on our Youtube channel, including the video for our track “Self in Solution”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCA56xTFaj8
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
If you really believe it, they can even be pies.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
We are Pornographic Sunset, and we are fucking with you.
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