Interviews

A Quick Chat With This Be The Verse

• 9th Jul 2014

We caught up with This Be The Verse front man Ed Melech ahead of the launch show for their debut EP ‘Consequences’ on 10th July at The Barfly in Camden to find out more about the London newcomers, whose EP is officially released on 14th July 2014.

When we first started playing music…
It felt a bit strange as I hadn’t played with a band for about 4 years. I spent that time focusing on electronic music and learning about production, but deep down I had always wanted to get this band going and get back out on stage with a guitar in my hands.

If I had to choose a new name for the band it would be…
The Fragile…because that album by NIN rules. I think it’s also a very cool name for a band but perhaps too obvious for us seeing as the NIN influence is already clear in the music and our aesthetic.

I knew we were onto something when…
People started giving up their personal time to help the band progress. Whether it be band members or the directors and producers for our latest music video. I don’t think everyone who has helped us so far would do so if they thought what we were doing was rubbish and that makes me feel that we must be going in the right direction.

My biggest non-musical influences are…
Movies. I find watching a good movie as inspiring as watching a great band. I’ve been learning about the film making process over the past couple of years and just started getting behind the camera co-directing our teaser video and full length music video.

We’re most proud of…
Our latest music video and new EP. I think for a brand new band we’ve set the bar high. We even filmed and uploaded our new video to youtube in 4K which hardly any big established bands are doing yet. I try to make sure everything that we do is of the highest quality possible.

Our ideal support slot would be…
Nine Inch Nails. I did warm up for them at the Scala last year but that was just a DJ set. To walk out on a stage with TBTV and play to their fans, that would be the real deal. I’d also LOVE to support Tool, Deftones, Mastodon and The Dillinger Escape Plan. To support anyone one of those would be a dream come true.

Something we haven’t achieved yet which we’d like to is…
To go on tour and open for a band we love. Hopefully that will happen towards the end of the year as things progress. I’d also love to hear our music on Radio 1! For now I think those two goals are relatively achievable. After those we’ll move onto thinking about playing the main stage at Download, Sonisphere and Reading as well as travelling around by private jet.

Our favourite place to hang out is…
The pub after a long rehearsal with a well deserved pint. Personally I love hanging out in record stores as well as metal bars. I always feel at home in a rock / metal bar.

We can’t stop listening to…
The new Mastodon album ‘Once More Around The Sun’. For me it’s their best album since Leviathan. Every track is killer and it makes me want to practice guitar which can only be a good thing. I’ve also had ‘Superunknown’ by Soundgarden on repeat for the whole of this week since seeing them play the full album live at Hyde Park recently. It’s one of the best albums of all time.

We’re not ashamed to admit that…
We do vocal warm ups together before every rehearsal and gig. We also enjoy eating carrot batons, humus and other healthy snacks during rehearsal. We also make sure we wear earplugs whenever we are at gigs or rehearsal. Got to take care of your body kids!

Catch us next…
At The Barfly this Thursday for our EP launch party. We also play at The Old Blue Last with Hawkeyes on 24th July.