EMQ’s With No Worth Of Man
EMQ’s With No Worth Of Man
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with UK Funk-infused Metal band, No Worth Of Man. Huge thanks to them all 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?
Peter: My name is Peter and I am the vocalist. The 3 of us were in previous bands before No Worth of Man however this band was born out of a desire to do something different stylistically than any of the previous incarnations.
Alex: My name is Al and I play guitar for NWOM. The three of us have played in various bands, projects and incarnations, but this was about making a heavy 3 piece and trimming the fat
Gareth: My name is Gareth and I play the drums. We have been in this line up, since 2016.
How did you come up with your band name?
Peter: Gareth (our drummer) came up with “Worth of Man” and I then suggested to add “No” to the beginning to make it sound a bit darker.
Gareth: It doesn’t mean anything, it just sounded different. Coincidentally it now fits with our image. 3 vampire hunters, set in the backdrop of 80’s Miami. We thought that sounded cool as an image so ran with it.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
Peter: We are from the South-East of England. Scene-wise, it’s pretty strong for metal bands of all different genres.
Gareth: It’s definitely strong, but not as strong as it used to be. That has a lot to do with the closing of venues, especially after Covid.
Alex: Yeah, the scene in the UK had suffered a bit over the last couple of years but it’s bouncing back after the pandemic and we’re seeing some great things happening with heavy music in venues all over the south at the moment.
What is your latest release?
Peter: Our latest release is a 4 track ep is called What’s Your Damage?
Gareth: Even though we self-recorded this at Peter’s studio, we had it mixed and mastered by Fredrick Nordstrom. We wanted the record to sound as heavy as we do live while having the sound easily recognised as an industry standard. We love the end result.
Alex: Yeah, this ep is darker than our previous material and heavier, we’re really happy with the end product.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Peter: For me personally, my greatest influences from a vocal point of view have been Jens Kidman from Meshuggah and Randy Blythe from Lamb of God.
Alex: I’ve always admired Mastodon and Killswitch Engage and their approach to writing heavy. I don’t get caught up in trying to write heavy riffs that sound like bands or guitarists I’m a fan of but instead write for the band and something that works with our set up and direction.
Gareth: My greatest influences have been Pete and Al. We are 3 different personalities that work well together. Both are very talented, so it really helps to drive my own creativity.
What first got you into music?
Peter: I first got into music at the age of 12 when I started playing the guitar.
Gareth: Ever since I can remember, I have been listening to rock, likely down to my father’s influence. It naturally progressed into Metal. I started drums in High school, when a band didn’t have a drummer, so I just said I would do it. I couldn’t play, so just started learning – the rest is history
Alex: My dad got me into all the staple classics like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Black Sabbath when I was a kid. Inevitably this leads down the rabbit hole into heavier and heavier stuff.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Peter: I’ve always been a huge Devin Townsend fan so to be involved in one of his projects would be awesome.
Gareth: Yeah, I would agree with that, that would be awesome.
Alex: I would love to get an opportunity to work with Adam Dutkiewicz from Killswitch Engage
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Peter: Download Festival, because it has been an aspiration of ours for many years now.
Gareth: Totally, its the quintessential UK festival in my eyes.
Alex: I’ve always watched videos of bands playing Wacken Open Air and thought it looked awesome, but I’d love to play a variety of festivals in Europe
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Peter: We have never received a gift from a fan before?
Gareth; Ask us again in a couple of years – haha
Alex: Yet to receive a gift, there’s still plenty of time though
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
All: Stay worthless.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Peter: Jimi Hendrix, without a doubt.
Gareth: Totally, and Cosy Powell, 100%
Alex: Same as Pete, It would have to be Jimi Hendrix, my son is even named after him!
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Peter: For me, the part I enjoy the most is the whole creative process of forging a song from nothing and feeling the energy from the rest of the band when we play it. The part I dislike about being a musician is that it never seems to be taken as seriously as a career by non-musicians.
Gareth: Again, I agree. The creativity is key. And on top, seeing a crowd feel the energy from your music, its affirmation that the song is good, and not just because you are in the band playing it. I love that. As a drummer, its load outs and load in’s for that matter haha
Alex: The novelty of being in a band still hasn’t worn off on me, 20+ years later. I’ve wanted to play music live since I was a kid and I still get to do it! There are definitely a few negatives to being a musician.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Peter: The lack of money that artists receive.
Gareth: To bring back the physical copies of music for me. Music shops in general have been lost due to the accessibility of streaming services. Likely nostalgia on my part, but it’s something that I miss. Was always a great day, heading to your local shop to pick up your favourite bands latest release.
Alex: For me, It would be great if more people went out to support their local live music scene.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Peter: Puritanical Euphoric Misanthopia by Dimmu Borgir.
Gareth: I would say Dream Theater, Scenes from a Memory. It was my first experience of Prog Metal and I loved it and still do. Or Ocean Machine, by Devin, that was on another level at the time.
Alex: cyclically I change my favourite but Rising (Rainbow) is metal 101 blueprint and I’ve still got for plenty of time for it.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?
Peter: CDs.
Gareth: I love Vinyl. I love the whole experience of a Vinyl, and the not so perfect sound, it has a warmth to it. I guess growing up in the 80’s has something to do with that, CDs weren’t invented at the time haha I would love to have a No Worth of Man Vinyl collection.
Alex: I’ve ended up buying albums on every platform over the years but vinyl is special. The whole process is cathartic, however the digital platforms are convenient, cheap and accessible
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Peter: Supporting Cultura Tres at the Dev in Camden.
Gareth: For me, we played a show in a local venue in Salsbury, called the Winchester Gate. The venue owner is such a nice guy, and the crowd were amazing. It’s not a big venue, but the energy was electric. It was brutal in the pit
Alex: We’ve played some cracking gigs but, Like G said, anything at the Winnie Gate (Winchester Gate, Salisbury) is killer and has an awesome energy.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Peter: Working in an office.
Gareth: I would like to think it would involve Motorcycles, like customising them. It’s Like being in a band, they are time consuming and a drain on your finances haha but the end result is epic and worth the effort.
Alex: Back to the day job working as a fall protection specialist.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Peter: Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Albert Einstein, Roger Moore and Bruce Lee.
Alex: Oliver Reid, Lemmy, John Bonham, Ozzy Osborne, Mel Gibson and a lot of drink.
Gareth: for me, would just be the band, guaranteed to have a good night then..!!!
What’s next for the band?
Peter: Hopefully world domination.
Gareth: haha Yeah, that for sure. We just keep doing what we are doing, and hopefully we have the opportunity to make something of it.
Alex: We’ll just keep working our arses off and play more shows. We’ll be back writing some more music in the new year
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and You tube are the main ones. We also have a website,
Facebook: Facebook
Instagram: No Worth of Man (@no_worth_of_man_) | Instagram profile
Youtube: (41) No Worth of Man – YouTube
TikTok No Worth of Man (@noworthofman) | TikTok
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?
Peter: A Roll.
Gareth: My Mrs would say a Barm!? But it’s quite clearly a Roll haha
Alex: Absolutely 100% unequivocally a roll.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Gareth: Just to say, if you like our record, then please do go and download it, and give us a follow across our socials. The support is so appreciated and means everything to us. Knowing that people are feeling the same as you do about the music you create is amazing. For all bands, not just us, the amount of work and effort that goes into it, is huge. So that support really matters.
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