I
t’s quoted that “Throats don’t do sing-a-longs. They don’t do melodies. They don’t do
harmonies. In fact, the young quintet barely do songs”, so what this hardcore metal outfit must’ve created is a visceral experience, the effects of which on your solar plexus are only akin to music. To lead us gently into this experience, we laid some chatter on Throats’ Alex to ease us in…
Throats! Who are you? What do you do? and Why do you do it? I'm Alex, I sing for Throats. I still don't know why I do this.
You have recently toured with Rolo Tomassi and Trash Talk, who have both got a lot of buzz around them - how was the tour?
It was easily the best tour I have been on, everyone knew everyone so there was no awkwardness at all, just good times. From the first day it was smooth sailing for us all.
Both of these bands are known for having a predominant and intense live show. Is the way that you perform important to the band as a whole? Of course, the way any band performs is important as a whole. The live atmosphere is the most raw and brutal experience you can give to anyone who listens to your music, to not utilise this to its full potential would be plain stupid. Anyone can stick on a CD and listen.
So you have got 2 gigs in Norwich coming up – you must really like it here!?
I used to live in a small town a few hours away from Norwich and from around the age of 14
I THINK DIY IS ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE A STRONG PLACE IN ALTERNATIVE MUSIC, SIMPLY BECAUSE NOT ALL HEAVY MUSIC HAS A MASS MEDIA APPEAL IN GENERAL.
started going to shows in Norwich at places like the Ferryboat. I have the best memories of shows there. Actually, our first show was in Norwich at the UEA in a Kitchen, it was sick.
You have also got some pretty big festival appearance coming up; Sonisphere and Hevy Festival. Are you excited to be playing these prestigious events? Yeah, it’s awesome to be playing these festivals, having a big stage to work with means you can care less about yourself and throw yourself around more without the fear or worry of hitting someone in the band.
Who were important influences to you when you were starting to make music? We all listen to a wide range of music, so to answer this for anyone else would be impossible. From my point of view, I have always been interested in bands whose lyrics are more confusing to read, anything that is intelligent, with wordplay or interesting imagery always works well. Everytime I read Issac Brock of Modest Mouse's lyrics I'm in awe; everything just fits in place. Other than this, everything around us is an influence whether it is conscious or subconscious.
Did your local scene play a part in that at all?
My local scene in Spalding was probably the most life changing experience I've ever had, the music I grew up watching completely moulded my tastes today. Watching Backstabbers Inc play with full-stacks when you’re 14 can definitely give you a lust for intense music.
Hardcore seems to come hand in hand with quite a strong DIY mentality, why do you think that is? And was / is that mentality important to Throats?
I think DIY is always going to have a strong place in alternative music, simply because not all heavy music has a mass media appeal in general. Fair enough some bands have made it and are still living well off their band, but from my point of view the DIY scene is far more rewarding. Knowing that what your doing is something different to the endless waves of mass media bullshit is a good feeling.
You are on a great label – Holy Roar Records – how did the two of you join forces? After Alex saw us play a few years back he wanted us to release a song on the first Holy Roar Christmas tape. He liked what he heard and from then on we've always worked together. Both Alex and Ellen are amazing people, undoubtedly, we would not be were we are today if it wasn't for them.
Finally, within the Outline mob this month, there is definitely a bit of festival anticipation – who are you most looking forward to seeing in your festival jaunts? Europe. Rammstein. Napalm Death. Rolo Tomassi. Trash Talk. Dead Swans. Slayer. Turisas.
Maxie Gedge
THROATS WILL BE PRESENTED BY ABANDON ALL HOPE AT THE MARQUEE ON JULY 2ND. FOR TICKETS, GO TO
UEATICKETBOOKINGS.CO.UK.
outlineonline.co.uk / JULY 2010 / 21
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