Volatile interview with Revenant

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

i first got the music but aged 11 - I remember watching the paradise city video by Guns N Roses on the tv and just thinking "I want to be doing what THEY'RE doing!". Slash was my first guitar hero, but AC/DC's Girls Got Rhythm made me want to play the instrument at 13. I think if I wasn't doing this I'd likely be selling guitars or working on them! I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to them, despite my playing left handed. I could talk for hours about them, so working with them makes sense. 

 What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity? 

Away from music I like to watch all sorts of films and spend time with my family. Which sounds cliche, but my kids especially influence the music and songs that I write. It's a comfortable way for me to give them messages about life and things that may come up during this crazy journey and for them to listen to in years to come, when they've matured and have their own families and lives. Film scores influence what I do too - some of my favourite films are Jaws and the Star Wars saga. John Williams wrote both those and I think he's a bonafide legend, but most importantly they allow me to switch off and enjoy and escape from reality. Fantasy and horror are my go-to's! 

 How long has your band been around?

We’ve been a band since Feb 2023, so just over 13 months now. 

 Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

We’re based out of south east England, with 2 members being from Newbury in Berkshire and 2 being from Basingstoke in Hampshire. We’ve all got a significant influence from British Classic Rock bands, such as Thin Lizzy and Gary Moore, and Robin Trower lives in Basingstoke too!

 How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

The name Revenant means to come back, so we felt this was really appropriate for our collective musical statement. Matt and I were in a previous band together and Revenant was our rebirth - our opportunity to do what we wanted to do and to write the music that we believed in. It was actually Matt’s idea to have this name and we all felt a connection to what it meant - so here we are. 

 Tell me about your most memorable shows.

Our first ever show together was pretty memorable. We played a biker festival in Hampshire, but bass player Robin spent the first song out of tune! We laughed about it then and laugh about it now, but it was also great to get our live mojo going after months of writing and recording. 

Another was our show at The Facebar in Reading in December 2023. We sold out our ticket allocation and it was such a rush to play to such a receptive crowd. That crowd all got their phones out to our new single ‘Rolling on My Back’ which made for an epic shot, so we’ve used that for the artwork in tribute to them. We sold out all of our original merch run at that show too, which was an unbelievable feat for such a new band. It’ll certainly live long in the memory! 

 What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

I have been fortunate enough to play at the O2 academy in Sheffield, which is such a cool venue to experience with a capacity crowd - I’d love to go back one day. Our favourite venues are places like the Facebar in Reading and Arlington Arts I. Newbury. Smaller venues with tight crowds. Having said that, we’d love to play Wembley Arena one day! We want to get all over the UK and Europe in the future - USA too! 

 If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

What a great question! I think my headliners would be original lineup Guns & Roses, with Chris Stapleton, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC (with Bon Scott - sorry Brian!), Metallica, Audioslave, Brothers Osborne, Black Stone Cherry and The Darkness...but that might change next week!

 What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Do it because you love it and get out and play live as soon as you can. There is no better lesson than playing with other people and playing in front of a live audience, because there is no hiding and you've got to roll with the punches. In terms of advice to our younger selves, I'd definitely say do your research and try to retain as much control over your songs, band and gigs as you can. No one else can put a value on that and no one else can believe in you as much as you can. 

 If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

Stay true to yourself and don't compromise on your art. 

 Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Rolling on My Back is close to my heart, because it talks about 3 things that everyone can relate to; time, home and life. The verse about life is kind of a message to my kids too. The chorus is about dusting yourself down, getting back up and telling the world you're here to stay. It's got a guitar solo straight out of Lynyrd Skynyrds book and it's so catchy. 

 Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

I love playing Coming Back To Life, because it just has everything we have as a band. Great riff, personal lyrics, huge chorus and a ripping guitar solo. Each band member gets to show themselves, but I LOVE what Matt plays under the guitar solo. It's so melodic and fits things so well. My guitar solo would not be anywhere near as impressive as it sounds if it wasn't for the blocks underneath. The energy of this one live is off the chart. 

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

Usually Matt and I will come in with a riff, a melody or some lyrics to spark a session off. Once we get going, everyone contributes. Robin and Carl really get involved in not just their own instrument parts (bass and drums respectively) but also changing of lyrics, melodies and even solos - it really is a band of 4 members and everything we do is 4 ways. It's such a creative environment to be in. We're inspired to write songs about everyday life and things that everyone can relate to, songs that you can play to 100,000 people for 100,000 reasons - to quote Dave Grohl!

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music? 

Hope. Love. Life. Reinventing yourself. Messages that ultimately tell everyone that it's going to be ok. You CAN do it and you CAN get back to your best, whilst having a bloody good time doing so!

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Genuinely we don't. If we disagree creatively, we try it everyone's way and come up with the best route forward. We make sure we communicate effectively and clearly, so as to get to what is best for the song, but we're not afraid to give our opinions when we need to. We've all spent time in bands where people want it all one way, so we don't have time for that anymore. 

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

We want to spread our music and message everywhere we can. We're playing all over the UK this year with more dates coming and we're hoping to have some festivals coming as well. Our e.p "What a time to be alive" is out on May 10th and we plan to do an album in 2025, but maybe you can expect some more songs before then! We also have a really active TikTok channel as well, so we encourage everyone to head over there (@revenant.band) to follow our shaman's and get your hands on exclusive merch!