EMQ’s With Nox Pulso

EMQ’s With Nox Pulso

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with UK Industrial Dance Metal duo, Nox Pulso. 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?

I’m Matt, I play electronics and vocals.

I’m Duncan, I sing and play guitar.

We formed in 2022 but have known each other for a long time and even shared the stage a couple of times over the last two decades. Matt has a strong background in all kinds of dance music, and Duncan spent his time with Marshall cabinets in the back of vans up and down the country deafening people. We decided it was time to do something that was in between both our worlds and see what came of it: Nox Pulso was born. We released three EPs before our album, “Songs from the Wastelands” came out in September 2023. We think of it as music for futuristic nightclubs – we don’t exactly know what genre it falls under, feel free to tell us what you think!

How did you come up with your band name?

It is a made-up sort of Latin meaning “nasty” or “night” for Nox (noxious) and “beats” or “pulse” or “dance”. We don’t speak Latin and it isn’t a real Latin phrase, so we had to take a guess – “Night Beats” – which we think sums up our combination of electronics, vocals, and guitars.

What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?

We are from the UK, originally growing up nearby each other in the South, but Duncan now lives in Manchester in the Northwest. When we were young the music scene was very strong, with the area we grew up in almost becoming a “Seattle” of the UK with lots of big bands breaking and a lot of press attention. We think the UK scene had a dip, but it does seem to be having a resurgence recently. The problems of touring overseas in the current climate are definitely a challenge we see for people who want to play live a lot though.

What is your latest release?

‘Night Trap’ is our latest single, out Friday 8th December. You can find it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/o9c3uTqSNfo and it should be available to pre-order on iTunes etc. etc. right now, too.

Who have been your greatest influences?

Too many to name, especially as we both have different backgrounds, but there is overlap in: Ministry, The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Motorhead, Battles, Death in Vegas, Rammstein, Nine Inch Nails… the list goes on. 

What first got you into music?

We both saw music on TV as young and impressionable minds. Shows like “Top of the Pops” (which is a bit of a dirty word in the UK nowadays, for reasons that neither of us want to delve in to!). We’d see guitar bands on that stage and think “I want to be doing that”. 

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

Anyone? We can’t possibly refuse the chance to make some noise for Liam Howlett. Possibly the greatest producer ever and certainly the one who opened our eyes to the middle ground between rock and dance music, back when it was seemingly impossible for it to work. And a better live act you won’t see either.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

You might be expecting “Download”, “Reading”, or “Glastonbury” as we’re from the UK, but Psycho Las Vegas looks like great fun. It’s impossible not to have fun in Vegas – it’s like Disneyland for adults… and the lineups look great too.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

Nothing weird. People that like our music tend to be (at least to us) normal, well-adjusted people, who are into smaller, niche bands and seek out music that speaks to them. That’s pretty similar to us – so maybe we are all weird and just don’t notice!

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Thank you for listening, sharing, commenting, and interacting with us.  It makes all the difference when we put things out to hear from you and we really appreciate you! Cheers!

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

From us both? Pete Steele. If not him… Jimi Hendrix or Jim Morrison. All gone too soon.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

Creating the music, second only to playing the music to an audience. We aren’t the best at self-promotion, so we often find it hard to take compliments or shout about new releases and things. We’re lucky to have some very talented PR folks helping us in Garry and his SaN team for that.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

It’s not a meritocracy. We know some amazing bands and artists that no-one ever hears of, and then the occasional bit of dross which floats to the top, for reasons which are sometimes quite opaque. 

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

“Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Egg”s. If you know, you know it’s their best!

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

Oh… tough one. Vinyl has the beautiful artwork and the sense of occasion and collection. Downloads are so convenient, and you have the music wherever you go. Tapes are nostalgic for us as we come from that era of trading them, compiling tunes on to them and sharing with friends as a way to discover music before committing to the big cost of a CD. Too hard to say!

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Well, we’re booking festivals up in 2024 now so are very much looking forward to those, but a couple of months ago we played an industrial club in London called LAVA which has wonderful supportive hosts, and a really relaxed, very enthusiastic and dance-happy crowd. Check them out if you are in the area!

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Watching music and wishing we could be musicians, probably. At our level there are no restrictions as to what we can and can’t do, we don’t have to please anyone else and have no masters, so we only do what we want to do.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Marco Pierre-White, Margot Robbie, Christopher Nolan, Tom Waits, Jessica Rabbit.

What’s next for the band?

Our single, ‘Night Trap’, comes out on Friday 8th December. We’re currently in the middle of writing but will be playing festival dates, starting with Hard Rock Hell at the O2 Academy in Leicester in February 2024. Hopefully we will see some of you on the road!

Q. What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

www.noxpulso.com has all the links, but here are the ones people seem to like to use the most:
https://www.youtube.com/@noxpulso
https://instagram.com/noxpulso
https://www.facebook.com/noxpulso/
https://noxpulso.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/652ju0xWZ38ju8snY9llZ2
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/nox-pulso/1674980004
– come and say hi on your platform of choice!

Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?

That, my friend, is a roll.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thank you for having us, and for giving our music a spin. We really appreciate the feature! Don’t forget to find us online – all the links at www.noxpulso.com Cheers!

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.