EMQs with BLACKMARKET
EMQs with BLACKMARKET
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with UK Modern Rock/ Metal band, Blackmarket. Huge thanks to their lead vocalist, Fraser, 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 Fraser, and I’m the lead singer of Blackmarket. On guitar we have Danny, on Bass we have Scott, on drums we have Hadleigh and on keys we have Cary.
The band in its current form started over 8 years ago now. Cary and I worked together at a leisure centre and he ended up finding some old videos of me singing on Facebook. He invited me along to try out with his band and since then we’ve been stuck with each other. Before I joined, the guys had played together for quite a while apart from Cary. He joined not long before me but is actually Danny’s brother.
How did you come up with your band name?
We felt we needed something fresh with the arrival of Cary and I. Cary brought a big electronic twist to the music and I brought a bit more metal. We all had such a huge range of music tastes we felt we needed a name that mirrored the idea of a place where anything goes.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We are based in Watford, England. When we started there was a huge live music scene and alternative music was a big part of that. It’s sad but it’s dropped off pretty heavily. A lot of venues simply didn’t have enough support to keep the live music going. The place where we played our first show is now a flight club for darts. We’ve been trying hard over the last few months to bring more local bands together again. If all goes to play we will be throwing a huge show in our home town in just a couple of months.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our newest release came out on Friday the 27th of March; ‘ASPHYXIATE’. It’s part of a new EP to follow, called “Radical Views”. This sets our new tone, bringing our metal influences forward into the mix more. We’ve brought a sense of urgency to our music which we felt needed to come out.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Although I perform vocals, I was always a guitar player. I idolised people like slash and Angus young. The energy, the passion they had on stage. They become symbols in such a massive industry. Ones you can’t forget.
What first got you into music?
Personally, I grew up listening to AC/DC , Guns ‘n’ Roses and Motley Crew in the car with my dad. He used to joke that he lost his hair from too much head banging at concerts. But I think it was the watching, the feeling it also gave to people, including me. I really wanted to make other people feel that way too.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Enter shikari hands down. As a band, we’ve been to see them a lot together. They are local legends to us. The way they bend the genre and give it a new meaning is incredible. The sheer audacity it takes to take something like metal and drum and bass, and start throwing it together in front of the British public, bravo. We wouldn’t do what we do if it wasn’t for pioneers like them.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Download. You can’t beat the British festival season. And I think for us, that’s the biggest stage we could hit. Not because it’s the limit, but because this is where we want to be. In front of our fans who’ve stuck with us from day one.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
We are yet to receive weird gifts. So far… So fans, this is your time. Start sending us the weirdest stuff you can and you might find yourselves in our next article!
The best gift we ever got however, one of our fans at our first ever London show grabbed one of our posters from the local area as we’d never had our poster up before. That still sits framed in my bedroom today.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Straight up thank you. We see people in the front row in all corners of the country, that were at our first ever shows. That level of support means so much to us and it’s why we are still here. Anyone in a band knows how hard it can be at times, they’re what pulls us through.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Jimmi Hendrix. Could you imagine the level of progression in his music, with that level of skill. Gone too early hands down.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Best thing ever, handing someone a microphone, and they know your lyrics. First time it threw me off so much it took me a second to catch back up with my own words!
Worst thing, getting the train home from Euston Square at midnight with all your equipment.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Gigs need to be more affordable for people. For the bands, the crew who put on those shows, and ultimately the fans who come to see them. Unpopular opinion, but I don’t get it. I’d take bugger all for a gig if it means I play in front of 200 people or whatever it may be. It’s about the passion. Why and how are there bands out here grossing millions from shows when most of us could sell out a whole tour and not take a penny home?
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Euthanasia- “Stray From The Path”
That album top to bottom makes you move and feel. The raw emotions that come through in their music are just astounding and they showcased this to a T with this album. As much as we wish they never broke up, it was the most punk thing I’ve seen to drop that album and exit.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
I grew up in the CD era, and sadly struggled like many of us with the challenges that came with it. I also used to sit by the radio recording my cassettes of busted before we could afford the cd’s (yes that’s right Busted, and I still rep ‘yr 3000’ to this day). I’d love to go back to those times, downloads are convenient and they’ve allowed bands like us to have a platform. But it’s created an aspect of greed in the industry which didn’t used to exist in the smaller side of the business.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
2024 Trinity Bar, Harrow. We released our last single ‘Divine strake’ and that room went off! The crowd was on point that day. I felt like I was conducting an orchestra and they were my symphony.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I’d love to just be a beach bum. Teach people to surf and do nothing but ride waves. But we all have our jobs outside of music and some probably aren’t what people expect. We would love to do this full time one day.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Freddie Mercury, Slash, Angus Young, Brian Johnson, then Trump just to kick his teeth in.
What’s next for the band?
We are currently in the middle of building a new studio so we can write a lovely shiny new album. It would be our first full album since our debut release. We’ve definitely found our groove with more of our metal influences coming through so our fans can expect much more of that.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
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?
These are all totally different things. If I was drinking tea I would’ve spat it out.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you for having us, we really enjoyed your questions and would love to come speak to you again in the future. To all our fans reading, thank you. To all you newbies out there, welcome to the club! Come see us live, we will be throwing a string of shows over the coming months to showcase our new music.
