Ahead of the release of their new EP and co-headline April tour, we caught up with Servant Sun.
The Glasgow alt rockers are set to release their ‘Hundred Waves’ EP on April 15th before embarking on a 12- date headline UK tour with Derange.
We caught up with Servant Sun to find out more about their new EP, live sets and plans for the year.
Can you tell us more about the formation of Servant Sun?
Ron: The band began when Colin (guitar) and I, who were already long time friends, decided to take the guitar based material we had been casually putting together to the next level and put a band together. We found Will O’Brien (drums) quite quickly through an online forum, and immediately bonded over similar tastes and ideas. We spent a solid year writing together, rehearsing and demoing ideas which we used to advertise for the final members of the band. Will had met Andrew (vocals) in music college, and after hearing him sing ‘Black Hole Sun’ by Soundgarden, he asked if he wanted to audition. Unfortunately, we had to part ways early on with friend James Rundell due to creative differences after the first EP, so the last through the door was Will Keogh, who took over bass duties in 2015.
How have things progressed for you guys since forming in 2014?
Andrew: Predominantly it’s been a real learning curve, and we feel like we’ve come a long way from the green eyed guys we were two years ago. We’ve tried really hard to make sensible decisions for the band and stay true to what we want to achieve as a group in terms of sound and direction, and it’s been quite humbling to see a growing positive response to that. As well as growing as musicians, we’ve grown even tighter as a band.
Throughout the two years together, what have been your career highlights to-date?
Colin: In 2014 we released our debut self titled EP, which we were and still are really proud of, and followed up with a Music Video for ‘Prism’ and our first UK tour. 2015 held a lot of new experiences and opportunities for us, including two sold out hometown shows, one with local talent Halo Tora and one with U.S heavyweights Nothing More. More recently, we’ve announced our second EP, ‘Hundred Waves’, and have just announced a UK tour in its support. The response to the title track so far has been awesome, people seem really eager to hear the rest of the EP and see some more shows!
Your new EP ‘Hundred Waves’ is due for release in spring, what can we expect from the release?
Will O: People can expect ‘Hundred Waves’ to further explore the Servant Sun sound that was established with our first release, as well as some things you may not have expected. On one hand you have tracks like ‘Hundred Waves’ and ‘Taste of Silver’ that have a lot of heavy riff-based grooves, soaring vocal sections and wide, ambient passages. On the other hand you have a dancey feel-good track with catchy, sombre lyrics in ‘Misgiver’ followed by guitar solos and mood changes in ‘Cold House Collapse’. As a band that draws on many varied influences, there’s always a pretty distinct difference in style and approach between the songs we write. This was something we wanted to underline and not shy away from when we picked the tracks that made the cut. Putting out four very similar tracks seemed unnecessary, and I think our fans will come to expect that from us, if they haven’t already.
With your forthcoming headline tour dates, how would you describe a live set from Servant Sun?
Ron: A live show by Servant Sun is always going to change and is something we take just as seriously as recording or deciding on artwork. We strive to take people off guard with our music and media. In a live setting, we strive to avoid a set full of songs that sound like the last song you’ve heard. So our set is pretty diverse and you can expect dance pits, singalongs and chilly, gloomy ballads. We also have plans to bring more visual elements to our shows too, so the show becomes more of an experience for anyone that comes along!
What are your plans for the rest of 2016?
Will K: In 2016 we have a lot planned. In March, we’re got another track from the EP coming out, we have the Glasgow EP launch show in April, alongside a co-headline tour with Derange around the UK. We also have a show with Tides from Nebula in May which we’re stoked about. After this, we’ll be planning our second tour of the UK and hopefully joining in on some festival fun in the meantime!
Anything else you wish to add?
We would just like to say thank you to everyone that has helped us thus far and to those have come to a show, bought some merchandise, let us sleep on their floor or have just said something positive. We appreciate it all and can’t wait to let you hear the full EP!
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