EMQ’s With Victoria Lies

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Canadian Metalcore band Victoria Lies, Huge thanks to their Vocalist, Brett Hetherington, 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?

Brett Hetherington.   I am the vocalist.  Victoria Lies comes from another older project that Rory (guitarist) and I come from, called From the Flame.  We had some members leave, and we felt it was time to try something new and different.  Once we sat down and decided on the name Victoria Lies, it honestly all started with just the name.  

How did you come up with your band name?

We were all sitting at a pub throwing random names at each other, just brainstorming, trying to find something that clicked.  We wanted to do a concept but had no idea what it would look like.  I had thrown out how I liked the name Victoria, such a mysterious name in my opinion.  We all liked that, but Victoria what?  When I said Victoria Lies, everyone was in agreement almost immediately. 

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

Canada, Alberta.  Based on what I have experienced, we have a very heavy metal scene, lots of thrashcore and other genres that would melt your face off.

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

We just released our third single leading up to our album release.  It’s called Truth and Sugar.  We released a music video for it as well.  This track is one of my favs on the album as it brings us back to a present-day Victoria and the first look at how she has evolved.

Who have been your greatest influences?

When I was a kid, I would go and watch my Mom perform live with her cover band all over the city.  Watching her perform really shaped what I wanted to do, so she would be my main influence.   When it comes to music and what sounds I grew up with, I have always loved alternative music, mostly punk rock.  I grew up listening to AFI, Rise Against, and Ten Foot Pole.  Very fast-paced punk and some metal too, though not till a bit later.  I like System of a Down and Static X, where a few metal-aligned sounds I really enjoyed.

What first got you into music?

Bringing it back to my mother.  She is a very musical soul, and I really picked up on that when I was young, and it resonated with me.  My brother also really loves music, and I grew up picking up on a lot of his interests.  I’ve been playing in bands since high school, mostly drumming and not singing.  I have always loved to sing, but I really found my vocal confidence later in life.

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

Aurora Aksnes.  I love her voice so much, and I feel it would sound amazing along with our sound.  There are a lot of artists who I think would be great to work with, but her, I would be in a dream haha.

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

Download.  I feel a lot of bands who share a similar vision and sound seem to go to this festival; I would love to play alongside them.

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

A little green toy car; I gave it to my daughter.

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

This is only the beginning.

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

Chester Bennington.  As I would have loved to meet him, maybe even be a part of something he was also involved with.

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

I love the energy you can get from a good crowd; it is one of the best feelings to have everyone dancing with you.  I love being able to tell a story using music and the sounds I grew up loving.

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

Remove AI music.  I feel it is destroying music and making it impossible for real artists to be heard.  Oversaturation of AI slop will hide really good music from people and turn them away from looking for it.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Sing the Sorrow by AFI.  This truly helped me focus and hone my clean vocals, and I just could not stop listening to it for the longest time through high school.

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

I grew up going from cassettes to CDs, and CDs changed the game.  I loved collecting the jewel case booklets and looking through all the art and lyrics.  I loved that they were small and I could put them in my art case.  I am a CD guy.

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

Canmore Amped Festival.  The strongest energy we have had was from that gig.  I think we sounded tight; people really were into it.

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

Videography is something I have recently been exposed to through us doing all our own music videos.  I feel I could definitely be doing this on the side; I really enjoy it.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Davey Havok, Aurora, Serge Tanakin, Mrs Rachelle cause she’s the GOAT, and then whoever she wanted to bring.

What’s next for the band?

While hopefully getting out there and playing shows and festivals, we will be focusing on our secondary revival of some older songs alongside looking at Victoria Story 2.

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

We always send our Linktree https://linktr.ee/victorialiesband 

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?

I asked my very British friend and without flinching he said Bap.  No further information.

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

I really appreciate the questions and I hope everyone who checks this interview out comes and gives us a listen!  Thanks again!

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