EMQs with SCRATCH ONE GRUB
EMQs with SCRATCH ONE GRUB
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Welsh Progressive Alt-Metallers, Scratch One Grub. Huge thanks to all the band 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?
Aled – Vocals Lewis – Drums and vocals Evan – Guitar Alex – Guitar The Grubman – Samples/synths/vocals Zac – Bass. We fully came together as a band in late 2024 and have been very active on the South Wales metal scene ever since!
How did you come up with your band name?
The name comes from the video game franchise called “Gears of War” where upon defeating an enemy, the protagonist will sometimes say “scratch one grub”. Lewis always liked this quote and as a few of the members are fans of the game, thought it would make a cool name for a band.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We are from The Valleys of South Wales and the music scene is great! We have been fortunate to perform and establish connections with a lot of amazing bands/individuals on the scene and we look forward to doing it more!
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our latest release is our single called ‘#1’ which will be available along with the rest of our current singles on our upcoming debut album titled “One” out on February 27th 2026.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Zac – “Metallica, Black Sabbath, Fear Factory and System of a Down.”
Lewis – “Slipknot, Gojira, Machine Head.”
The Grubman – “Slipknot, especially Joey Jordison and The Devil Wears Prada.”
Aled – “For vocal style, Corey Taylor and Winston McCall. Both have a great catalogue”
Alex – “John Petrucci. Phenomenal guitarist who inspires me a lot.”
What first got you into music?
Lewis – “Honestly, the idea of learning drums to impress a girl haha!”
Aled – “My older brother. He started getting into heavy music at the age of 13 and hearing him blast it on the speakers influenced me.”
Zac – “And Justice for All by Metallica.”
The Grubman – “Queens of the Stone Age and David Bowie introduced me to rock. When I started high school, I started learning drums and the world of music was opened up to me”
Alex – “My parents were hugely into music from Nirvana to Linkin Park. I went from there to develop my own taste.”
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Lewis – “Les Claypool from Primus. I think we could make some of the coolest stuff possible.”
The Grubman – “Kendrick Lamar”
Aled – “Taylor Swift because it would be funny.”
Zac – “Black Label Society”
Alex – “Satriani or John Petrucci, some of the greats.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Lewis – “Download. Mainly because we’ve had some of the best memories there and it will be a full circle moment to perform there.”
Zac – “Same here. It’s my metal happy place for many years.”
Aled – “Slamdunk because I miss it.”
The Grubman – “Same again for the exact reason that Lewis said.”
Alex – “Hellfest would also be great.”
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Nothing weird yet, but their attendance at our shows, merch purchases and follows on the socials are gifts and we love/appreciate it very much!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Lewis – “If you think you know what we sound like by now, you are going to be surprised for better or worse haha! That and thank you for making us feel special, we hope we can do the same for you!”
The Grubman – “BRING YOUR OWN PETROL”
Zac – “Keep listening, exciting things coming”
Aled – “Our eternal thanks for the support and for giving us an opportunity!”
Alex – “Thanks for coming to our shows and moshing to our music.”
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Aled – “Freddie Mercury. He’s an amazing singer/songwriter and there isn’t enough Queen music.”
The Grubman – “Joey Jordison”
Lewis – “Probably Dimebag. Who knows what the world of metal would be like if he was still here tearing his guitar to pieces in the best way possible.”
Zac – “Ozzy for sure.”
Alex – “Randy Rhoades.”
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Lewis – “Love – The fact that being good at it takes a lot of hard work. It gives me a reason to live. Hate – Being replaced by technology including AI.”
Zac – “The catharsis of performing. The worst part is managing a personal and professional life which involves family,”
Aled – “Going to shows and meeting new people is what I love. I just wish people would let lose more for local shows for all the bands that work so hard on their craft.”
The Grubman – “I love everything about it from the writing, production and performing live. It’s always great to broadcast our art and to have fun with the audience. I don’t hate anything about it, I want to do it forever!”
Alex – “Performing live or learning songs in my personal time. Hate it when a string breaks mid performance.”
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Lewis – “The use of AI should never be used for any form of art.”
The Grubman – “No AI and more opportunities for artist to earn a living through streaming.”
Zac – “More local venues for all the grassroots scenes over the world.”
Aled – “Opportunities to reach out to larger bands via a service or something, potentially getting a boost to followers and gig opportunities.”
Alex – “AI.”
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Lewis – “From Mars to Sirius by Gojira.”
The Grubman – “Iowa by Slipknot.”
Zac – “Master of Reality by Black Sabbath.”
Alex – “My current favourite is The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been by Landmarks.”
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Zac – “In todays age, downloads.”
Lewis – “Depends on the person. I might be in the minority here, I am more pro streaming than not.”
The Grubman – “Physical will always reign supreme in my opinion. However, with the current technology, streaming and downloads is the best way to reach new audiences.”
Alex – “Each have their own charm and benefits but CD’s were what I consumed growing up.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Lewis – “I can proudly say that this is a tricky question for me. I think due to the collaboration of organising the event and the event itself, I will have to say performing in Fuel Rock Club in Cardiff supporting Confessions of a Serial Killer.”
Aled – “I’m torn between our gig on Halloween 2025 in Hereford and the gig that Lewis mentioned. Both were amazing in their own ways.”
The Grubman – “Our debut gig in Jacs, Aberdare, our hometown. AKA, the night the world was introduced to Scratch One Grub.”
Alex – “Definitely our show in Jacs. It was literally the best turnout for an original metal band in that venues history. Our Halloween show in Hereford was also incredible.”
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Lewis – “Something video game related. If I had stuck to being a video game YouTuber, I would have a career in it.”
The Grubman – “Competing in amateur F1 E-sports.”
Zac – “Boring stuff haha!”
Alex – “Producing music or sound engineering.”
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Aled – “The other members of my band. Wouldn’t want it to be a dinner party without my boys!”
Lewis – “Mario and Joe Duplantier, Toni Iommi, Eloy Casagrande, Les Claypool.”
Zac – “Banji Webb, Zakk Wylde, Corey Taylor, Till Linderman, Bruce Dickinson.”
The Grubman – “If I can bring people back form the dead, it would be Lewis Hamilton, Joey Jordison, Christian Bale, Quintin Tarantino.”
Alex –“John Petrucci, Joe Satriani, Josh Middleton, Simon Delaney and Alex Bent.”
What’s next for the band?
More shows outside of Wales, our debut album and more singles!
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people? Please include any links
https://www.instagram.com/scratchonegrub_official
https://www.facebook.com/people/Scratch-One-Grub/61559592176191
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?
Aled – “It’s a bap. Chippy bap. Sausage bap. Bacon bap. Just rolls off the tongue easier.”
The Grubman – “Bun or bap.”
Alex – “I’ve always known it as a bap or a roll.”
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Be sure to give us a chance on the streaming platform of your choice, hopefully we can recruit you to The Grub Army and if we just so happen to be performing in a venue near you, come down, rock out and hang out with us! Thank you.
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
