EMQs With Mercers

EMQs MERCERS

07/05/26

What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

Hey! My name is Rich and I play drums.

The band has a pretty interesting history even though the project itself is relatively new. The quick version is that Olly (Vocals) and Phil (Guitar) were in a band called Fony back in the early 2000s. Early last year they had the idea that they wanted to re-record a couple of Fony songs to get a result they were happier with and they also ended working on some new stuff alongside that. I’d known Phil for a long time and he knew I was a big fan of the band back in the day so asked me if I was interested in getting involved (which was a very immediate yes). Shortly after that we added Simon (Guitar) who I’ve been in bands with for years and here we are with our first E.P.

How did you come up with your band name?

They already had the name picked out before I joined but it comes from a place called Mercers Lake which was close to where the original band was located back in the day. 

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

We’re based in and around Sussex, so we’re very well located between London and Brighton which are obviously some of the best scenes in the country. Those will be some of the places we play our first shows for sure I expect!

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

The first single from our E.P (The Liminal Tapes) is out on the 8th May, with the EP itself being out on 17th July! The EP consists of two new songs and 2 Fony songs that we re-recorded.  

Who have been your greatest influences?

Outside of the original Fony material which obviously is a pretty solid foundation for what the newer material sounds like, we draw from a lot of the stuff you’d expect for this style of music such as Glassjaw, Poison The Well, Refused, Hopesfall etc. This stuff is pretty open in terms of what we can do with it so it’s pretty easy for everyone to get aspects of their favourite bands in there.   

What first got you into music?

I pretty much immediately clicked with music after hearing stuff like Blink 182 and The Offspring from other people at school. Then it was going to local shows that made me want to be a musician myself. I was lucky enough to grow up in a place where there was usually some sort of show being put on somewhere on an almost weekly basis which was awesome. The really cool thing about being involved in this project now is that Fony played a fair few of those shows and as they got bigger they brought bigger bands to the area which exposed me to a lot more. So with us playing some Fony material in Mercers, it’s a bit of a full circle moment for me.   

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

Aside from music, video games are my big passion. It’d be really cool to do something like what Bring Me The Horizon did with Mick Gordon, but with Jason Graves. He did all the original Dead Space stuff and has a really cool approach to music so I think blending that in somehow with what we’re doing in Mercers could be really interesting. Band wise it’d have to be Static Dress, I really like their approach to pretty much every aspect of their band. 

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

Recently Hellfest has started back up again in the US so it’d be that one I think. The original Hellfest DVDs in the early 2000s exposed me to so much of the music I love so it’s great to see that back in some form and playing that would definitely be at the top of the dream festival list. 

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

I don’t ever think I have had any gifts from fans to be honest!

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

Just a thanks for checking out the band to be honest! There’s so much out there now so anyone taking their time out to listen to/support the band is very much appreciated!

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

Joey Jordison was a huge inspiration to me when I was younger so I think it’d have to be him.   

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

I enjoy most aspects of it but playing shows/touring is definitely the bit I enjoy the most. But the general writing process is something that’s a very very close second. It’s always cool starting with nothing and watching it evolve over time with different peoples ideas coming together. Easily the least favourite part for me is how much stuff I have to set up/take down/carry around being a drummer! 

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

Joining Mercers actually comes off the back of a pretty decent length break from music for me and it’s definitely changed quite a lot. It’s definitely a lot more complex and relies a lot more on social media presence/content creation which I’m not that keen on personally. Regardless of how good your band might be, it’s easy to get lost/not seen in the sea of content that’s out there if you’re not dialled in to how to play that game.  

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Poison The Well – The Opposite of December. I love everything that band has done but this record was a notable one in terms of me discovering the range that heavy music can have. 

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

I’m pretty indecisive so having everything available digitally at all times is the winner, I don’t miss having a CD wallet in my backpack at all times! Haha!

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

I played a show at The Underworld in Camden with my old band years ago. We were the opener for Real Friends and had very little expectation. I was just happy to play my favourite venue but kids were stage diving from the opening chord until we finished so that one will always stand out for me.  

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

If I have free time outside of work when not doing music related stuff, I’m usually playing video games to be honest. So as much as I would like to say some less nerdy/cooler, I imagine I would just spend even more time doing that. 

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

I’m going to have to be predictable here and just invite drummers I really like so we could nerd out.

1. Kyle Brownlee (Counterparts)

2. Joe Longobardi (Defeater/The Amity Affliction)

3. Chris Hornbrook (Poison The Well)

4. Branden Morgan (Misery Signals)

5. Aaron Gillespie (Underoath)

What’s next for the band?

As of right now, we’re just sorting out stuff for the next video, then that’s pretty much everything for this EP sorted. So after that it’ll be onto writing whatever we decide to do next and getting out to play some shows!

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

https://www.facebook.com/mercersband
https://www.instagram.com/mercersband 

https://www.x.com/mercersband
https://www.tiktok.com/@mercers37 

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?

Being from the south it’s definitely a roll!

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

Just thanks for taking an interest in the band and reaching out! Appreciate it!