Interviews: Concrete Kingdoms

In this new occassion we have had the opportunity to interview the   Rock  band Concrete Kingdoms from UK. Check out the interview and this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1.Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that? 

Fife has often been described as a collection of ‘Concrete Kingdoms’, and with the original line-up all being Fife based lads, we felt it was a name that was very meaningful to us!

2.Why did you want to play this genre?

That’s simple; we’re all big fans of hard rock, so that was a natural direction for the band to take. 

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed? 

Ben (Guitars) and Doug (Bass) are brothers, and Ben had played in a different band previously with Grant (Drums), before the formation of Concrete Kingdoms. Both the Marks, Fauldsy (Guitars/Backing Vocals) and Hawth (Vocals) joined following auditions after the original singer left the band in summer 2017, but they are very much part of the CK family now!

4. Each band member favourite band? 

Hawth - Bon Jovi

Ben - Guns N Roses

Fauldsy - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Grant - Alter Bridge

Doug - ZZ Top

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs? 

We all grew up enjoying different kinds of rock music; 70s/80s classic rock, grunge, metal, nu-metal etc, but unfortunately there is relatively little of that in the mainstream nowadays. It’s the lack of more recent music akin to those sorts of styles that inspires us to write our music.

6. Where was your last gig? 

Our last gig was in Club Rock, Carlisle, supporting tribute band ‘Guns Or Roses’. It was our first time in the venue and we loved it! We are already looking forward to going back in future.

7. Where would you like to play? 

In the early days of the band, we only really played around the Scottish central belt, but have recently been performing in more venues around the UK. Going forward, we’d like to keep doing more gigs UK wide before hopefully venturing into some of the rock music hotbeds around Europe.

8. Who would you like to support? 

We have already been very fortunate to support established bands such as Puddle of Mudd, Diamond Head & Nazareth, and it’s a big ambition of the band to pursue more opportunities like that in future.

On top of that though, there are plenty bands making waves on the domestic scene right now, the likes of Mason Hill, The King Lot, Anchor Lane, and we are keen to start mixing it up with those sorts of bands on the festival circuit. 

9. Who not? 

We don’t want to discredit any band and their work, but, particularly at grass roots level, it’s really common to see bills where the bands really don’t fit and nights can feel a bit disjointed. There is a lot going on in the UK rock scene at the moment, and when the better bands perform together it makes for some really great nights!

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that? 

Everyone suffers from stage fright from time to time, but the more shows you play the more comfortable you become on stage and the stage craft improves. The best advice we could give is to try not over think it before a gig, it’s all too easy to get wound up with ‘what ifs…’ and self doubt, but the hard work is done in the rehearsal room, gigs are meant be the fun part- it’s the payoff for all the graft!

11. What bands have inspired you the most? 

We mentioned earlier we are all hard rock fans, but all with differing favourites, ranging from the old classics like AC/DS, GnR, Aerosmith etc, to the more modern acts like Alter Bridge, Creed, Audioslave etc. We think that has resulted in quite a broad range of influences evident in our sound 

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for? 

Our drummer Grant is notorious for breaking sets of sticks on stage, and at the end of a gig we once had someone ask if they could take a set of broken sticks as a keepsake. The sticks in question were pretty much firewood by that point!!

13. What do you think of your fans? 

Our fans mean a lot to us, and give everything we do a greater sense of purpose. We are always grateful for their support. 

14.What do you think of our site? 

The site is fresh and really well presented, and a great resource for discovering new bands potential fans may not have otherwise found out about otherwise.

15. Something to add?

There are some great bands out there at the unsigned level, but the scene needs busy venues to thrive. Get out there and support live music and the bands that work hard to create it!