EMQ’s With Drenched

EMQ’s With Drenched

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with UK Alt Rockers, Drenched. Huge thanks to their Drummer, Mike, 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?

Hi, I’m Mike and I am the drummer for Drenched. The band has technically been going for a while now, starting up in 2018 founded by our guitarist Callum. After Marc (vocalist) joining not soon after creation, I joined in late 2020, changing direction of the band musically, with all of us wanting to take it somewhere a little heavier. After 2-3 years of initial writing and playing local gigs, Mak (bassist) joined, giving the band a whole new dimension by allowing marc to just focus on vocals, while before also playing bass. This has led us to where we are today, writing music we are all proud of and delivering impressive live performances.

How did you come up with your band name?

While I would love to come up with a great answer, it would be a huge lie. Callum decided on it from the beginning and it has stuck ever since, however we find it quite fitting for us now and believe he made a good choice. Some fans do suggest it may have some crude undertones… so people can put in any theories they like!

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

We are based in the North East of England mainly, with the majority of our shows being in Newcastle. At the minute Newcastle has an incredible scene, producing bands such as Rituals, Headcage, Negatives… plus so many more to mention. We’ve made so many great friends within the past year just through gigging and everyone supporting each other.

What is your latest release?

Our latest release is our brand new single “(in)sane”. We all love the song and are very proud of how it has turned out. Getting a feature from our good friend Benjamin Smith was a real highlight of the recording process. He also created our Lyric video / visualiser which is live now. 

Who have been your greatest influences?

 

Personally, despite playing in a somewhat heavy band, a lot of my influences come from different genres such as Hip Hop and RnB / heavy groove based genres. I love incorporating these styles into a heavier setting, while also feeling like I can bring something fresh to the table when it comes to the writing process. I would still have to say my overall biggest influence is TOOL’s drummer – Danny Carey. 

 What first got you into music?

My dad is definitely the biggest reason for my passion in music. Being young, I always remember there being music of all genres playing in the house, whilst always being encouraged to get into all different sorts of styles. My dad loves Sabbath, which is where my main exposure to heavier music began. I’ve been very lucky to have access to drum kit for a huge part of my life, making practising just a fun hobby as opposed to “hard work”. 

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

I’m sure all of us would love a track with Chino from Deftones, I’m sure this won’t come as a huge surprise to anyone who has listened to us…

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

At the minute, It has to be Download. Absolute bucket list gig.

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

While we’ve not had any fan “gifts” off the top of my head, we did have one lady at a recent gig who wanted the whole band to sign one of my broken sticks for her. Whilst this was extremely flattering, it also gave me a huge sense of imposter syndrome. 

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

Just a huge thank you for supporting a small band from Berwick. It’s hard to get noticed in this world so any support is massively appreciated. We’re always working on making our live shows better, and trying to write the best music we possibly can. 

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

There are way too many to choose from. But just to name one, I absolutely love Cliff Burton’s bass lines and would love to hear what Metallica would be like today with him still with them.

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

The thing I love the most by far is performing live. Getting to share music you’ve been working on for a long time and are very proud of is a great feeling, and is even better with a great crowd in front of you. The like-minded friends you make is a very special and rewarding feeling too. 

Despite these big positives, being a musician is SO EXPENSIVE. I’m sure anyone reading this can relate. But we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t love it. 

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

I haven’t been in long enough to give a great answer, but from my current point of view, it always feels like the artists are at the bottom of the food chain in not just music, but any form of art. Personally this feels very backwards and is a huge reason why people unfortunately give up. 

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

TOOL – Lateralus is the first that came to mind. Front to back bangers. Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but for a long time my comfort album was Tranquillity Base Hotel and Casino by Arctic Monkeys. A lot of really amazing bass lines and atmospheres are in that album.

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

The sense of having a physical copy of music is always going to be the best feeling, but the accessibility of downloads and streaming can’t be overlooked, especially for bands such as ourselves.

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

While we’ve had a lot of amazing gigs, my favourite Drenched gig would probably be the first Crypt Fest (now Venom Fest). This gig was not only great on stage, with live performers on stage with us. But it also was our gateway into the community we are now in, and we can’t thank them enough for that.

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

I dread to think about it ha ha ha. I don’t really have great talents elsewhere, but I’d like to imagine something creative. I do also love football, so possibly that (however i was never very good).

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Without over thinking: James Hetfield, Danny Carey, Theirry Henry – GOAT, Mike Tyson – add some fear to the evening, why not Gordon Ramsay – he can just cook and shout at us.

What’s next for the band?

We have our debut EP “Grey” coming out on the 23rd of August. This EP is a showcase of where the band is currently at writing wise. The day after (24th August) we have our EP release show. The lineup is absolutely stacked, however isn’t currently announced, so we will need to keep our lips tight on the supports for now. They are very sick though.

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

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2dbL3o2ukEyzu8Ty4rjsRi?si=M0_wOz1CSbmGGDq8DjHslA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drenched.band

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?

Definitely a roll.

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

Thank you for having us! That’s all we’ve got besides our previous message to the fans!  🙂

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.