Interviews: Arkdown

In this new occassion we have had the opportunity to interview the Metalcore/Deathcore band Arkdown 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? 

We could go on forever about this but essentially it's something we came up with that ticked a lot of boxes for us such as conveying the kind of image we wanted, being unlikely to be used anywhere else and also wouldn't help you in guessing what kind of music we played if you just saw our name written down on a line up.

2.Why did you want to play this genre? 

I don't think we ever consciously chose our style. When we got together we just played whatever came to us. I guess you could say that as we all got into metal around the early 2000's and metalcore and deathcore styles were gaining a lot of popularity around then so that likely shaped our natural style.

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

Alex and Ed have the longest history as they have known each other from nursery and it was Ed who drafted Alex in at the birth of what is now Arkdown. Ed and Mike had previously played in other bands together previously. Kyle and Walker didn't know any of the others until joining the band. Kyle joined not long after Alex and Walker came into the fold mid 2017.

4. Each band member favourite band?

Difficult to pin down favourite bands as we're general fans of music but stand out bands for us would be:

Kyle - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Mike D - Parkway Drive

Mike W - Guns and Rose

Ed - NOFX

Alex - Ghost

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs? 

As we mature as a band as well as individual musicians we appreciate bands for other reasons such as efforts put into live performances. We feel a lot of modern metal bands, certainly at independent levels; often forget that it's at the very least a 50/50 split between what the audience hears and what they see that makes up the quality of a show. We take a lot of influence from bands and musicians who pay mind to that and bring a unique live energy to the stage so thinking about what we can do live with a song is something that is always at the forefront of our mind when writing.

6. Where was your last gig? 

Our last show was a hometown show supporting one of our favourite bands, A

Night In Texas.

7. Where would you like to play? 

Download festival, for sure.

8. Who would you like to support? 

Any of the guys really spearheading modern heavy music like Whitechapel or Thy Art Is Murder would be the dream. Also the likes of Parkway Drive as those guys are really stepping up the live show and making the leap to that stadium band level and we admire that focus on the theatrics.

9. Who not? 

Any pop or 'manufactured' groups.

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

I think we all did early on but it quickly passed. Now we just feel anxious from waiting as we can't wait to get on stage. I think nerves stem from feeling exposed on stage as though people will be judging you but what you need to remember is that everyone there is excited to see you and no one is looking for people to fail, in fact, everyone in the crowd wants you to succeed because that's what makes a good show. Everyone there is rooting for you and most of them are probably jealous and wish they could trade places and be the one rocking out on stage.

11. What bands have inspired you the most? 

To pin it down to 3 bands, we'd probably say Whitechapel, As I Lay Dying and

Parkway Drive for musical inspiration.

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

We were once offered some "free promotion" by fan who asked if we wanted to be a part of his "sexy tyrannosaurus" videos. We politely declined in the end and actually the Facebook police shortly put a stop to the videos later anyway. All we'll say is this involved a naked man, a tiny thong and a strange dance.

13. What do you think of your fans? 

We have some fantastic fans. Some of them are unbelievable, not just in their support for us, but for independent music and emerging bands in general. Some of these people are going to underground shows every week and promoting emerging bands and showing so much love for local music scenes. Their selfless love for music is really admirable and it's an honour to be able to play for these kinds of people.

14. What do you think of our site?

We love the genre split menu that lets you just jump to featured bands from whatever genre you want. It makes it really easy to dive right in and discover new bands.

15. Something to add?

Hope you dig The Calling!