Slow Riot interview: A Completely Different Beast

Image: Slow Riot

A lightning bolt inception has seen Limerick three-piece Slow Riot hurtle to our attention with a double dosage of diversifying singles that are each razor-sharp and colossal in size. 

After recording their Cathedral EP in Manic Street Preachers' FASTER studio with Kevin VanBergen, they nabbed a swipe card from in-house engineer Loz Williams and the Manic's James Dean Bradfield to their arsenal of hit fixated weaponry.

The initial result, a burst forth ambience of chiming guitars that gather intensity with high impact percussion and a vocal delivery reminiscent of an Irish Matt Berninger.

That's not their only hand though, with preceding post-punk number 'City Of Culture' getting us second guessing on where the remainder of the forthcoming Cathedral EP will takes us. Whatever the band's approach, expect an experimentation of the their gargantuan sound that's outed Slow Riot with unmagnified potential. 

Are you pleased with the reaction to your single 'Demons' (Listen below) so far?

Niall: Yeah, we're really pleased with the reaction as it's been very positive. It was interesting because the first single we released, 'City Of Culture', is a completely different beast. It's angular and straight to the point, whereas 'Demons' is drawn out and atmospheric. We released the tracks like this, to show the different sides of the band. It's all been very positive so far.

Tell us more about the video?

Aaron: We shot it in Cardiff and it's incredible the vision that the guys from Storm and Shelter had for the song. They really created this monumental and cinematic visual to compliment the song. It looks fantastic!

Paul: Yea I really like the video and how it builds in line with the song. It was a long long day but Cardiff is a cool city and the boys from Storm and Shelter treated us very well.

What can we expect from your upcoming Cathedral EP, will we see more of the shoegaze sound from early single 'City Of Culture'?

Niall: Yeah, I guess the sound is still shoegaze-y but completely different in terms of structure. 'City Of Culture' is the most immediate track we've written so far whereas the other tracks on the EP are sort of a build-up of anticipation before reaching a climax at some point in the track.

The new tracks we've been writing since the EP has come out, have been more immediate. I can't say that's something we've consciously done, though.

You recorded at Manic Street Preachers Faster Studio with producer Kevin Vanbergen, what did you take from that experience?

Aaron: Being in the Manics studio was very daunting but exciting. There was a lot of hard work put in over there, we really pushed ourselves in the studio to make these songs the very best they could be and all the positivity about the EP is a great reward for our efforts. We're linking up again with Kevin later this month to work on some new tracks. 

What's this about Loz Williams and James Dean Bradfield lending a hand, did they play a big part in the EP?

Aaron: Loz was an absolute gent, he was in the studio day and night to help us and having that support was tremendous, a true professional. All the Manics were incredibly nice to let us use their gear while we were in their studio, so a big thank you to them for their generosity. I definitely overindulged on the amount of guitars I played over there!

James was nice enough to let me use one of his guitars for the Demons video shoot too.

Your mantra 'is to challenge any preconceptions', what are these preconceptions and are these what drive each of your songs to be different?

Niall: I think people are very quick to slap a genre on you but we don't want to feel as though we're under pressure to write certain types of songs. I don't think it's the preconceptions that drive us to write different types of songs. It's our open-mindedness and drive to push ourselves and experiment with our sound. As long as we like it, then that's all that matters. 

Your dynamic guitar sound is charged for the live stage, where do you guys hope to be heading in the near future?

Aaron: We're heading back into the studio this month to record some new material that we've been working on and we're really excited about that. Afterwards there's gonna be a some more live shows and we'll get our heads down and write even more songs. 

Paul: I guess we are still brand new as a band and have only played a handful of live shows. We are all itching to get out on the road and to record new tracks. I guess we feel we have grown a lot since this EP was recorded and our sound has developed further.

It's not often we come across a band from Limerick, where can we go for a good drink and see some live music there?

Niall: Costello's Tavern is an institution in Limerick. Flan who works the door is everyone who goes there's second father at this stage. The place hasn't changed since God knows how long. I reckon that's part of the charm. Anything goes. 

Paul: If you’re hungry hit the chicken hut, apparently they might be getting a Michelin star this year.

Thanks guys, we can't wait to hear the EP.

'Cathedral' is released Friday 23rd October via Straight Lines Are Fine