EMQs with Fail the Enemy

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with UK Alt Rock/ Metal band, Fail The Enemy. Huge thanks to guitarist Elliot, drummer Leah, and lead vocalist Nathan 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?

My name’s Elliot, and I’m the Guitarist. I have been in Fail the Enemy since its earliest inception in 2015.

My name’s Leah and I play drums for Fail the Enemy. I joined the band in June 2022, and the band was revived shortly after.

I’m Nathan; I’m the lead singer. I joined back in 2017. I’ve been part of the band since I was considerably more immature. Well just say that: we are all from Keighley way in West Yorkshire; we’ve had a few releases in the past with our Fail the Enemy EP alongside a few singles. Recently we’ve been back in the studio concentrating on finishing off our Upcoming EP.

How did you come up with your band name?

The band name came from the other original guitarist that we had and there was something about it that we really liked so we have stuck with it ever since.

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

We are from West Yorkshire, England. The scene could be better; unfortunately, there have been a few closures of music venues in our area in the past couple of years, causing the scene to be less active, but we still have a few good venues around. Despite this, there are still so many great bands from in and around our area that we have come across.

What is your latest release? 

We have released 3 new singles of the last year or so which are featured on our new EP ‘Sandcastles’. Our latest release is our song “NEON” with 2 more unreleased songs on the way! We also released a music video last year for one of the other singles on the EP ‘Borrowed Hope’

Who have been your greatest influences?

Leah: Although I don’t incorporate either of these artists into my songwriting, I still find them to be my influences. In terms of drumming, the first person to come to mind is Ray Luzier of Korn. I don’t really know why he comes to mind. I just find his drumming style fun and sneaky. He sneaks little beats in here and there. In terms of a general artist I would have to say Alanis Morissette, she’s just brilliant. I can listen to her music whether I’m happy or sad, and it will always make me feel better and maybe even empowered at times

Nath: I have many to be honest I like to take little parts of lots of things and then see what monstrosity I can blend them together into, but one band that I constantly go back to is being as an Ocean. I just adore the way they create music and paint pictures using words. I love to write in a more abstract format rather than literal most of the time, that’s what drew me to those guys first. They have a way of putting images in your brain without having to explain every detail, which is what I love trying to apply to my own work.

Elliot: My biggest influence since I was a kid has been Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi. If it wasn’t for him, I would have never picked up a guitar, so I owe my whole musical career up to this point to him and that band. In terms of my biggest influences for our music, a big one is Being As An Ocean. I love the vibe that they create and the way they write. It’s full of emotion, which is something that really resonates with me. I am also a big Depeche Mode fan. They are what made me want to work a lot with synths, and I feel like rock/metal and electronic music go well together.

What first got you into music? 

Leah: I have a music-loving family, so of course it has rubbed off on me. I’ve been raised listening to all kinds of music from all decades.

Nath: Need for Speed: Most Wanted on PS2, and also Tony Hawk’s Underground, both have banging soundtracks, to be factual. When music complements some of my fondest memories, then it’s hard to not fall in complete love with it as a medium, you know? Also, growing up in the 2000s, it seemed like every action or martial arts film in that era had a great score, almost always nu metal but always great.

Elliot: Watching my mum’s Bon Jovi VHS tapes and seeing the guitarist, Richie Sambora, stand on stage at Wembley in front of 80,000 people was just the coolest thing ever, and I remember thinking, “I want to do that”. Both my parents were really into their music too, so I always had Bon Jovi and Depeche Mode playing whether I was at my mum’s or my dads so I’ve just always been around music in some form from being about 2 years old.

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

Nathan: I have a few really,  is obviously up there cos I’m a bit of a fanboy, but I’ve recently, in the past year or so, gotten into Tropic Gold. Pretty cool band if you haven’t checked them out, and I think our styles really complement each others, the great thing about music is though, I’ve found that sometimes you don’t have to sound similar at all; collaboration can happen regardless of that, I’d be up for it regardless of genre.

Elliot: I would have to say Depeche Mode just due to the influence they have had on me in terms of the songwriting and I think, even though we are a rock/metal band, our styles would work really well. I think that would be awesome.

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

It’s got to be Download Festival. It has meant a lot to us all over the years, and it is just the dream for any band in our genre to play. It is the pinnacle of rock and metal music. It’s always going to be the ultimate goal.

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

We have never received any gifts from fans, really.

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

You’re with yourself 100% of the time, so try your best to be someone you truly enjoy being around.

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

Nath: Chris Cornell, most likely

Elliot: I would say, Prince

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

Nath: I love being able to ramble in a way that has meaning, like I have so many half-written poems and sonnets and stuff that just waste away in piles of paper in my room and in my desk. I enjoy being able to put something together and create something tangible with them. I think everything’s a bit more special if it’s a part of you, even if it’s no longer a part of you, if that makes sense. The thing I truly hate the most is the lack of sleep sometimes, by far.

Elliot: I love the creative freedom it gives you. There are endless possibilities that you can do when you put your mind to it and allow yourself to let go. I also love how it has given me a much-needed outlet to let go of feelings and emotions that at other times have been hard to say. One thing I’m not a fan of is how much anxiety it can give me sometimes, but that’s more me as a person and just hoping that people like what we are doing. I put too much pressure on myself quite a lot.

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

Capacity bookings would be one. There are hundreds of really talented, hard-working bands in England alone, not to mention the incredibly proficient and solid bands we’ve met playing in Scotland who rarely get the chance to showcase their talent because of the lack of space available to them. If we could change anything, it would be for grassroots bands to perform at venues without having to pull in numbers well above their current ability; however, hand in hand with that, we’d like venues to be able to afford it. It’s honestly a double-edged sword in that sense; it’s hard for everyone out here at the moment, but in an ideal world that’s what we’d want.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Leah: Back to Black, Amy Winehouse

Elliot: Stranger in this Town – Richie Sambora

Nathan: It’s just gonna have to be the first one I ever bought, Greatest Hits from the Bong by Cypress hill saw me through secondary school.

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

Leah: Unfortunately, I’d have to say downloads due to their easy access and being able to listen to music wherever I am. It sucks because downloads are killing the industry and the music scene, but I could waffle on about that for ages

Nath: All are good in their own way, but CDs are a good all-rounder; you get a cool case, maybe a cheeky booklet and print on the disc; it’s easy to rewind; just plug in and play. Physical media is always my preference anyway.

Elliot: I would always say physical media is best. For me, it’s vinyl. I love how vinyls sound with the crackle you get when you put one on. I also love that you can get picture disks and engraved sleeves and stuff like that. They’re great to collect and just quite expensive nowadays.

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

We played at The Underground in Bradford months ago and we were well received, we met and played with another band there called ‘Versus’ and they are such a talented group of guys that deserve more attention

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

Leah: Cleaning houses

Nath: Working a double shift most likely.

Elliot: I’ve always loved nature and animals so something to do with that I reckon.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Nath: My mum, my dad, my brother, sister and my Mrs. and if the place was dog friendly I’d bring her too.

Elliot: My mum, my girlfriend, my two fellow bandmates and one other that I can’t think of.

What’s next for the band?

We have quite a few gigs coming up at the end of this year along with the release of our new EP. In 2027 we will probably crack on with more song writing.

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

Well, we use Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to tell people what we have going on, our music is available on all music streaming services and we have our music videos available on YouTube. We also have a website with everything on including our merchandise store.

Here is our Linktree that has everything on it: https://linktr.ee/failtheenemy

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?

Leah: TEA CAKE

Elliot: I’ll always call it a Tea Cake.

Nath: No matter what I answer, it’s going to be wrong. I just say bun. In my head, a muffin is a little cake, and a tea cake is a type of bun; a roll is like a hot dog roll unless it’s chocolate, then it’s Swiss; a cob has corn, and a batch is a series of cakes, so no idea, to be honest.

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

Thank you for having us! We really appreciate it!

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.