EMQs With L.O.C.

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with L.O.C. Huge thanks to their vocalist/ guitarist, Adam, 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 there, my name is Adam, I sing and play guitar in L.O.C. I originally formed the concept for L.O.C
back in early 2025 as a studio project. I soon found myself wanting to take it further and decided to form
a full band. I was first joined by Will (lead guitar), then Mark (drums), and finally Dave (bass) who
completed the line-up. The monster known as L.O.C was born.

How did you come up with your band name?

L.O.C stands for Level Of Consciousness. This is a medical term. While forming the band we went
through a few different working titles but this is the one that stuck. We use the abbreviation because its is
straight to the point and easy to remember. Come to one of our shows and you will find yourself
experiencing a new level of consciousness.

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

We are from East Yorkshire in The United Kingdom. We actually hail from, and around, the quiet
seaside town of Bridlington. I’m personally from a little village in the surrounding area. There isn’t a huge
scene here, but the people who support the scene are passionate and enthusiastic. I think the scene is on
the rise again, and we are doing our best to encourage this. I think it’s time for another big surge in the
metal scene in general.

What is your latest release?

Our latest release is the single titled “Dragging Me Down”. It’s a sledgehammer of a track and has
been produced and mixed by the legendary Colin Richardson who has worked with the likes of Slipknot,
MachineHead and Trivium to name a few. The track focuses on the emotional turmoil caused by a deep
rooted longing for revenge.

Who have been your greatest influences?

As regards L.O.C, my two greatest influences have been my dad and also Colin Richardson.
As regards my dad’s influence, this sadly came from his passing at only 64. My parents have always
been hugely supportive of my music from a very young age. In my late teens and early 20’s I was in a
fairly successful band, and my mum actually managed us, and my dad drove us around the country to
shows and was also part of our road crew. He suffered a huge stroke a few years ago and passed away
after four months of fighting for his life. Losing my dad prematurely made me realise that no one is
promised tomorrow and that you need to make sure you chase your dreams and ambitions today. My
dad achieved a huge amount in his life. He was a great inspiration and role model to me when he was
alive and still is to this day.
Colin was the person who told me he thought it was time for me to start writing and recording again, as he
felt after speaking to me that I had unfinished business with music. Without meeting and becoming good
friends with Colin, L.O.C would likely have never happened. Colin’s support of this project has been
amazing; we owe a lot to him.

What first got you into music?

Metallica the Black Album. As soon as I heard that album, I was hooked on metal and knew that I wanted to play guitar and front a band. I was around 10 years old.

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

I’d love to collaborate with Rob Flynn from MachineHead as I love his vocal style. As regards a colab with a full band, it would have to be Lamb Of God. I really feel their music so I think we could create something special if we worked together.

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

For me personally I would have to say Bloodstock in our home country the UK. There would have been a day when I might have said Download but I really admire how the organisers of Bloodstock have built it up to such a huge event. It is now its the UK’s ultimate metal festival.

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

I was once handed a keyring with a fluffy cow attached to it at a show, no words, no explanation. It was very random and I still wonder to this day what the relevance is. It now hangs from my microphone stand in our studio.

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

We appreciate every one of you. Without your support we couldn’t do what we do and we are grateful to have you as part of the L.O.C family. Thank you.

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

Dimebag, I love Pantera and it sucks that I will never get a chance to see the original line-up live.

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

The thing I enjoy most is the release I get from performing live. Metal music is passionate and emotional while also being exciting and aggressive. All the stress of life just disappears the moment you strike that first chord. Therapy in music. The thing I hate the most is having to load our gear out of the venue in the early hours of the morning after a show. No one likes having to do that shit.

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

I would reverse the death of physical media. Streaming platforms are great for getting your music out there but it is also very saturated as anyone can do it. I do think that in the days of physical media people appreciated music more because you had to go out and buy it and then you owned your own personal piece of music history.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Metallica – Black Album

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

I loved the physical media era in general. I have fond memories of buying Metallica records on cassette as a child and also buying Iron Maiden records on Vinyl and the amazing artwork that came with them. There is something far more personal about owning a physical copy of a record.

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

To be honest they have all been awesome in their own way so its hard to choose. We love playing live so they are all our favourite shows. I know this sounds like a cop out but it’s actually not, every gig has its own unique appeal.

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

Well after our latest single was played on The RockHammer show on Total Rock Radio, the DJ, Stevie
J, stated that we look like a bunch of scaffolders and said that we look like we’d probably beat you up. So we’d probably be scaffolders or debt collectors haha.

 Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Probably Lamb Of God, that way we could discuss our future collaboration!

What’s next for the band?

We plan on releasing a limited edition CD with all our catalogue so far on it before the end of year as this has been requested by fans. We are currently recording a new single and have a couple more shows before the end of the year. As well as this we are planning more live shows for 2027. There will be plenty more to come from L.O.C. You have my word!

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

We are on all the major streaming sites with our music. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. All of the above can be found here: https://linktr.ee/locbanduk

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?

Either a bap or a bun for me!

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

I would just like to say thank you for taking the time to speak to me. It has been a pleasure.

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