EMQs with Rogue Awakening

EMQs with Rogue Awakening

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with UK Alt Metallers, Rogue Awakening. 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 Rogue Awakening, an alt metal band from Horsham, UK. Our sound is essentially ‘heavy but melodic’, with hammering drums, crunchy, thick guitar riffs and soaring female vocals.

We have Kimberley on lead vocals, Ollie on lead guitar, Nick on bass and backing vocals, Tom on rhythm guitar and backing vocals and Jordan on drums.

We’ve been together around two years but we’ve had a bit of a gear change this summer when Jordan came into the band. His drumming has given us a much heavier and metal sound and we feel like we have definitely found our niche and groove now.

How did you come up with your band name?

It’s a funny one as lots of people think it’s a Star Wars reference which wasn’t intentional! I think we liked the idea of a rogue, someone who is likeable but a bit of a wrong ‘un. Then the Awakening part was linked to how the band started in lockdown and how a lot of people had been on this treadmill of just existing and not really questioning their life choices and whether they were happy or not. Then COVID happened and everyone’s normal life stopped and although it was not great in most ways it did allow some people to breathe and maybe change where their life was headed.
 
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?

We are from Horsham where the metal scene is pretty non existent! However it has meant we’ve had to push to the surrounding towns and cities like Brighton, London, Southampton, Guildford, Hastings etc which has actually been really good as they all have great metal scenes and it’s meant we’ve played loads of awesome venues and shared a stage with some great bands.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

So Bloodflow is our latest single out on 1st November. It’s our heaviest song yet and has a real dirty energy to it but keeps Kimberley’s sweet clean vocals at the centre of it. We see Bloodflow as an observation on individuals who tend to ‘people please’ at the detriment of their own happiness and boundaries. The song and the theme came together effortlessly, and it was a great experience recording and fine tuning the song together in the studio.

Who have been your greatest influences?

There are so many! All of us have quite different tastes in music all the way from Kate Bush to Cannibal Corpse! But I think this means we get a really interesting mix of ideas and influences in our music. We all take an active part in the creative process which is great as there isn’t a huge pressure on one individual and also means there is a variation to our songs depending on who came up with the original idea.

What first got you into music?

I think we all grew up with music being a big part of our lives whether just being played in the house or being in bands. I think it’s one of those things that once you’re exposed to it is always a part of you and who you are. We still love sharing new music we come across and you can’t beat the feeling when you hear an epic track for the first time!

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

Again, it’s so hard to choose! We are huge fans of Alter Bridge, Halestorm and Lacuna Coil. They have that similar heavy but melodic sound that is at the core of our band. But there are so many other bands smashing onto the scene like Vukovi, Knife Bride and Asomvel that we would love to collab with.

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

It would have to be Download or Bloodstock. I know that’s two so kind of cheating but I think they are at the heart of the UK metal scene and if we could make it on stage at either of them it would be epic and we are working really hard to make that dream a reality.

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

Well after a recent gig Kimberley found a pair of beautiful used Asda boxer shorts in her bag which she assumed was one of ours but we all denied ownership so must have been a super affectionate fan gifting them to her!

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

Thank you so much for being part of our journey. It’s the greatest thing to have people enjoy our music and come to our shows and we appreciate all of you and this would all be pointless without you! We can’t wait to deliver more music to you!

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

I think it would have to be Freddie Mercury. I feel like Queen still had a lot of music left in them and he still has one of the greatest voices in Rock as well as an outrageous stage presence. 

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

Hearing fans sing lyrics back to you or having a stranger come to a gig because they want to hear you live is the greatest feeling! When the crowd is with you and mirror the energy you are throwing out at them it’s the greatest buzz!

As for the worst, well social media is such a big part of being in a band now it becomes almost all consuming. It can become addictive, and you have to force yourself to have a break and remember it’s actually the music that really counts rather than likes and followers.
 

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

I think transferring the spread of money back towards grass roots venues and musicians. It’s crazy when you hear about these really well established bands and venues that are barely scraping by. It’s shocking how many live music venues are disappearing and without them you are massively reducing the opportunities for new bands to get out there and gig.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Personally I love Sacrament by Lamb of God. It’s just that perfect slice of metal goodness and I’m always coming back to it!

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

I think they all have their place but vinyl is just special. The cover art and the feel and sound of it and having to actually listen to the album as the artist intended. There are so many distractions in life, always wanting to skip to the good bit so when you are forced to listen it’s actually really liberating.
 

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

We’ve had loads that stand out but Guilfest was amazing for us! It was our first big festival but we were on very early so were a bit worried we would be playing to an empty tent. But once we fired up we had a stream of people coming in until it was full at the end of the set which was so gratifying. It was great as most of the people weren’t our usual crowd but really enjoyed it so hopefully we converted some into metal heads by the end!

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

Well we all have day jobs as sadly the band doesn’t pay the bills quite yet. But it varies massively with Kimberley working on the creative side of a vinyl company to Tom who is an airline pilot. But I think we are all so passionate about the band as it offers us a creative outlet that we all need in our lives.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Damn where to go with this one!? Well Nick would insist we have Lemmy and I can’t really argue with that. Ollie would want Dimebag Darrell as he influenced a lot of his guitar playing and was apparently a super nice guy. I think to mix it up we’d have Dolly Parton. I saw her at Glastonbury a few years ago and she is an absolute master of her craft and I bet she would be hilarious. Maybe Alice Cooper as I think he wouldn’t take himself too seriously and be good fun. Finally let’s go for Robert Trujillo as he just seems like a super chill nice guy.

What’s next for the band?

We have lots lined up! Another single is due out early next year, Feb I think which we have already recorded. We have a bunch of shows that we are organising and are just sorting out the line ups now which are going to be epic. Then we have some festival slots which we can’t announce quite yet, but we are very excited about!

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

A. We are on all or most of them! Just check our Linktree or if you put Rogue Awakening official in you’ll find us!

https://linktr.ee/rogueawakeningofficial

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?

I would call that a bap, especially if it has bacon or sausage in it!

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

No thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us and please give our new single Bloodflow a listen and a watch when it comes out on 1st November!

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