Page 28 - Black Velvet Issue 94

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about as well as offering some insight into how wanted to find something which got us off, I joined the band, so he was the right person to
the five songs on ‘Side One’ were picked from guess, in the way it should. So we met with Tom, do it. But I hadn’t asked him because he was al-
their already impressive collection of material, because Tom had played with us, he’d opened ready committed to a band, but he actually came
given songs like ‘On a Fucking Leash’, ‘Maybe I the show when we were Heaven’s Basement to me and said he’d heard we were looking for
Should Know’ and ‘Crawl’ were on their setlist and we were like, ‘This guy’s pretty good’. So we a drummer and said his band was kinda done,
when they opened for The Pretty Reckless and had him at the back of our mind.” which was pretty sweet! Perfect timing!
their EP launch show boasted even more fresh Interrupting Sid, we turn to a smiling Tom “We got in a room, jammed the tunes and Al
material on a night where they entertained with and ask if he was aware of this or if it was the just nailed it. Tom was actually away at the time.
more songs not on the EP than songs which first he’d heard of his now bandmates’ previ- It was Christmas and we were telling him, ‘Don’t
made the cut. ously held admiration for his talent. He replies, worry. We’ve got a drummer, it’s all good,’ and
Immediately they paint a difficult picture of “I have heard bits, but only in dribs and drabs!” he’s like, ‘OK, you’re sure?’ We finally all got in
how the songs were chosen for ‘Side One’ as Continuing with the lightheartedness, Sid adds, a room in January, did about four or five re-
Sid says, “It was a battle to the death,” although “Having said that, I didn’t actually watch that hearsals, so it was like, ‘Oh fuck, we’ve got a
Rob is quick to offer a more lighthearted insight show. It was our old drummer who said it and band,’ and then went straight out on tour! “We
when he says the tracks were chosen by playing then he left the band, so I feel maybe he was even had Taylor (Momsen, The Pretty Reckless)
‘Rock, paper, scissors’. setting me up!” asking us, ‘What are we advertising you as? Are
Sid continues, “We’ve actually got a lot of Getting the conversation back on a serious you Heaven’s Basement or are you a new
material so it was a case of, ‘Well, let’s just get track, Sid tells Black Velvet, “So we met Tom. band?’ and I’m having to say, ‘Take five, we’ll be
them done, because we played them on The We didn’t even bother auditioning other singers. back to you in a minute’. But once you name
Pretty Reckless tour and maybe keep it a little We were more, ‘Let’s meet a guy and see what something, it becomes its own thing, so once we
chronological’. This is ‘Side One’ of something, we can do rather than try and find someone to named it, we were off.”
so anything that doesn’t go on it can go on the come into a pre-existing shape. Let’s just throw Underlining how finely cut the whole thing
next one, but those five songs just felt like a co- stuff at the wall and see what sticks. Let’s be a was, Al adds, “I only met Tom for the first time a
hesive side. real, organic band from Day One. Within 20 min- week before we went on tour. It’s lucky we all
“The stuff on ‘Side One’ isn’t necessarily utes we had written a tune together and every- get on,” and Rob continues, “Yeah, I think we
better than anything else we have done, but the one was digging it. It had a sound, so we felt launched the band on a Friday and the first gig
songs are the first thing we did, so that is the there was something here and we all got on re- was on the Thursday and we only told The
starting point and anything else which we write ally well, so Pretty Reckless the
or have written might go on ‘Side Two’, but we we were like, “To be a proper band or musician you band name that week
are writing stuff all the time, so we don’t really ‘Fuck it, no have to be honest with people. If you’re not as well!”
know. But we wanted this EP to be a time stamp auditions, no
of where we were and what we did on that tour. Basement, no honest, it’s just bullshit. And people can t’s perhaps
And we wrote those songs pretty much at the new band. hear that because it comes across in every- Isomewhat stat-
start and that was kind of how the band came Let’s just write ing the obvious to
about. It was very natural, but in time it might be and see if we thing you do, so just jump and see what suggest bringing
good to have the EP and look back on it as how can create happens.” - Sid Glover, The Cruel Knives Heaven’s Basement
it started and how it all happened.” s o m e t h i n g to an official close
that we are was not an easy deci-
lot happened in the lead-up to the birth excited about’. I’ll let you know if that ever hap- sion to make, especially when you consider Sid
Aof The Cruel Knives and the creation of pens!” was a founding member of the band and had re-
‘Side One’ and again, it followed from the dis- With the others still chuckling at Sid’s last mained so for the sharp end of a decade, while
solving of Heaven’s Basement. Following the comment, Tom offers a little more insight into his Rob’s service to the outfit was only a year or so
launch of their long-awaited debut LP, ‘Filthy journey to becoming The Cruel Knives’ frontman shorter, Sid going as far as to say he “might as
Empire’, in early 2013, the band toured the and says, “It was never me coming down to au- well have been” an original member.
globe tirelessly until the end of 2014, when dition for Heaven’s Basement; it wasn’t like that Sid admits, “It was difficult, but there was no
things started to slow down, and, behind the at all. It was just coming down to write tunes with option. It was the right thing to do. I didn’t like
scenes, unravel. other musicians, have a dabble and see what it the idea of never playing songs again that I had
In May 2015, Heaven’s Basement played was.” spent my whole life writing and performing. It is
what would prove to be their final shows with Sid again picks up the conversation, “Then quite a hard thing. But then you think, ‘Well, fuck
Aaron Buchanan on vocals, his departure from we just hung out at mine for a few months and it, I’m not going to live through one album. It was
the band being confirmed in October, which was just wrote songs. Me and Rob had been writing the road that had the integrity. Yes, it’s harder,
followed by an announcement that Danny songs, instrumentally, for a while, so we had this but ultimately it will be more rewarding, so just
Worsnop, arguably best known for fronting Ask- well of material and we were just having a really sack up and write some better songs. That’s the
ing Alexandria, would guest for them at a hand- good time and it just started to sound like its own only mentality you have to have.
ful of already announced shows in December. thing, so we were like, ‘Well, it could be Base- “We won’t be playing any Basement stuff
Following these performances, Heaven’s Base- ment but it doesn’t really feel like it,’ and I think with this band. We don’t need to. If we do, it will
ment disappeared from the public eye for almost we started to feel we’d just be using it for the be for fun, not because we need to. I think start-
a year until in October 2016 they appeared as a sake of it. So we decided to start our own thing. ing off like that would be the wrong thing for us.
surprise support act, again for The Pretty Reck- The chemistry felt different, it felt rejuvenated, it I think if you do that, it’s like having that little
less for a small number of shows, this time with feels like a new band, so let’s give it a new name crutch there to lean on. It’s like having a safety
Tom Harris on lead vocals. But any hopes for a because it deserves its own chance. net because you know the songs are going to
re-launch of the band were terminated in Janu- “And then Chris (Rivers, Heaven’s Base- work, but it’s not true; you’ve got to be honest.
ary 2017 when The Cruel Knives were officially ment drummer) left. Chris hadn’t really been on To be a proper band or musician, you have to
announced to the world mere days before they the scene for about a year as he’d been off hav- be honest with people. If you’re not honest, it’s
set out on a European tour with The Pretty ing a family, so when it came to the touring as- just bullshit. And people can hear that because
Reckless. pect and we thought we’re ready to go, he was it comes across in everything you do, so just
Giving a little more detail on the steps, Sid like, ‘Guys, I don’t think I’m actually going to be jump and see what happens.”
explains, “We knew something had to change able to do this’. We kinda already knew; it was
with where we were to start with, because there the elephant in the room. No-one had actually he first single released by The Cruel
just was a slight break in the chemistry. We said it, but he kept convincing himself that he TKnives is also the opening track on their
weren’t all on the same page and we didn’t want could, but it was probably never really going to debut EP, ‘The World We Were Sold’, in which
to just phone it in and do a second album just happen. And this was about a week before The they sing of the streets being paved in gold. But
for the sake of it because it would be a massive Pretty Reckless tour! So we were like, we defi- do they think the streets which lie ahead of them
lack of integrity. nitely can’t be Basement now if Chris has gone might be as well?
“So we thought, ‘Fuck it! Be bold. You go do as well. It feels a bit contrived. So the only other Sid says, “It’s two parts really. The world is
your thing and we’ll go do our thing. All good,’ person who could have played drums with us what you make it. So, we’re doing everything
but now we have to find what our thing is! The was Al. Me and him played in a band together ourselves so whatever happens, happens. We
plan was originally to just carry on as Heaven’s when we were kids. He worked with Heaven’s can’t blame anyone else and I quite like that, just
Basement and just bring in a new singer, but we Basement. He teched with Chris and Chris having the clarity and confidence in what you
weren’t stuck to that idea. We just knew we would have been pissed off if anyone else had are doing. The lyrics of the song are more about
THE CRUEL KNIVES