By Bethany Marris, Online Music Editor
Bethany Marris sits down with Drenge prior to their Philharmonic Live and Signing session at Rough Trade, following the release of Strange Creatures.
In 2015, Drenge became a three-piece comprised of Eoin and Rory Loveless, alongside their most recent recruit; bassist Rob Graham. Initially, however, Drenge was a completely Loveless project, with the brothers breaking out onto the UK music scene in 2013 and establishing their sound through grungy tracks such as ‘Bloodsports’ and ‘Fuckabout’. Since their self-titled debut, Drenge have released two more critically acclaimed albums, Undertow (2015) and Strange Creatures (2019). I sat down with Eoin and Rory before their intimate ‘Philharmonic, Live and Signing’ Event at Bristol’s Rough Trade.
Conversation immediately turned to the groups’ latest release, with the Rough Trade Philiharmonic sessions ultimately providing an opportunity for the boys to tour and promote Strange Creatures. The 2019 record took around four years to produce, a stark contrast to Drenge, which was ‘thrashed out quickly over the course of a few weekends’. The pair attribute this to their relaxed approach in conjuring their third album, ‘this one we took a lot more time getting it right’ [R]. Set- backs caused by the band’s producer were also mentioned, yet this isn’t something they dwelled upon, and brushed off the issue considerately - ‘we were delayed by our producer, but that’s ok’ [E].
Also relating to their Philharmonic session, Eoin reflects upon the way In which playing smaller venues and shows to more intimate crowds ‘comes naturally’ to them, as it’s what they 'set out doing’, regardless of the ‘ego boost’ that comes with playing to a vast audience. The front-man also explained that ‘it’s good to have a bit more of an intense connection’, as ‘you get a greater sense that people have really travelled to see you a bit more’.
When the question of festival playing was raised, both members maintained that ‘a healthy balance’ of headline shows and summer performances is necessary; ‘Just as you’re getting seriously sick of it, it finishes, and then you go back into venues and you get vitamin D depravation and you think “oh I miss being out and playing to loads of happy people”’ [E]. Rory also highlighted the pleasant experience of playing to a slightly smaller festival crowd, fondly citing ‘Knee Deep Festival’ in Cornwall where they put on a ‘tiny show’ for ‘about 500 people in a field’.
On touring abroad, the brothers highlight the ‘surreal experience’ of playing in Japan, as ‘there were people that knew all the words and had been waiting for us on the barrier’. Eoin contemplates, ‘on the one hand it’s not surprising if people are really into music that they know about it, yet it’s crazy that what we started out doing off the back of our frustrations of not being able to find work and being a bit confused about what was going on in the world and who we were’.
Shifting discussion from the stage to the studio, Drenge are pleased to have ‘broken through a couple of inhibitions on the record that we’ve just put out’, and are inspired when ‘listening to other artists with the ability to bring jazz, pop, experimental and tribe music seamlessly’ into genres such as ‘metal’ [R]. That said, they understand that ‘you can’t just make a hip-hop alum’ as a Punk artist, ‘it’s all about it being right’ [E].
The brothers initially took a great deal of inspiration from bands such as 'Green Day, The Hives, White Stripes, and even the Arctic monkeys’, not to mention ‘A lot of American garage Rock’. As they acknowledge, the sound of Drenge ‘isn’t particularly fashionable’, they don’t follow trends, and this has allowed them to amass a following across generations. The Loveless’ explain, ‘we played in London the other day and the people who came to get the record signed were all ages’[E]. Rory affirms that they tend to attract 'a good spread’ of audience members, and Eoin further highlights that ‘the original punks are old people now, they’ve got bus passes', continuing that 'it’s not surprising to see a bunch of old people at our shows because they’ve always been into it’.
Despite their punk-politics, the brothers are humble, and remain unaffected by the successes that the last six years have brought them. Strange Creatures is eerie, eccentric and almost Cure-esque in parts. Drenge are back with their most ambitious project yet, and in the coming months will be embarking on a not-to-miss UK tour alongside Brighton-based Rock band, The Wytches.
To catch Drenge’s Bristol gig on 5th April, click here.
You can listen to Drenge’s new album Strange Creatures below.
Featured Image: Bethany Marris / Epigram
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