Interviews: Merrick´s Tusk

In this new occassion we have had the opportunity to interview the  Post-Hardcore band Merrick´s Tusk 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?

John got drunk with our first guitarist Adam and started talking about how the elephant man would defend himself in a fight (obviously) and so Merrick’s Tusk was born.

2.Why did you want to play this genre?

We all grew up listening to post-hardcore and post-rock bands around the early-2000’s, bands like Hundred Reasons, Hell Is For Heroes, Reuben etc. It’s kind of stuck with us all to be honest but we also like to mix in other genres like math rock as it allows us to do something really interesting with the structure of songs. 

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

Ad and Sam have known each other since school and met John through the local scene in Mansfield when he was promoting gigs at about 15/16. They’ve all played in various bands but John and Ad stuck together while Sam had a bit of a rest from playing music.

When John and Ad started Merrick’s Tusk, they’d somehow come across Tim’s basement who was happy to help out and let us practice there while he was working at music festivals. Two auditioned drummers later we met Tim and realised his drumming style was perfect for the band!

Sam moved to Nottingham a couple of years back and after filling in on guitar for a few gigs he joined the band permanently in 2016 after the release of our second EP ‘Regroup & Reform’.

4. Each band member favourite band?

John: this one was a real struggle but right now I’d have to go All Get Out

Sam: Elliott. False Cathedrals is an incredible album and one that’s inspired me loads.

Tim: Led Zeppelin.

Ad: On The Might Of Princes - so much so he picked ‘Sirens’ as his album of the year in 2018 despite the fact it came out in 2003.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

As with most bands a lot of of our inspiration is from personal experience. This record has a pretty consistent theme around anxiety and mental health from both a positive and a negative standpoint, something we’ve all dealt with in different ways. Musically, watching other bands is always a huge inspiration, especially some of the math rock bands out there at the moment - they’re pushing some insane boundaries on songwriting. 

6. Where was your last gig?

We played as part of Free for All Festival at The Mothers Ruin in Bristol earlier this year which was awesome. We’ve been concentrating on the album release a lot this year and making sure we’re ready to hit the road again around May/June - we’re itching to get back out there though.

7. Where would you like to play?

2000 Trees. It’s one of the best independent festivals out there so being a part of that would be amazing. We’ve all seen some amazing bands there and festivals are probably one of the best ways of discovering new music so it’s definitely at the top of our list.

8. Who would you like to support?

There are some bands putting out incredible music at the moment, we’re all massively into the new All Get Out record (No Bouquet) so having the chance to support them right now would be awesome.

It’s the 15 year anniversary of Transmit Distrupt by Hell Is For Heroes next year too so if they do another anniversary tour Sam would probably sell a kidney to get on board.

9. Who not?

Polyphia because they’re insanely good, enough to make anyone feel a bit inadequate and want to stop playing guitar out of embarrassment.

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

Yeah definitely and I think there’s always an element of it there whatever gig you’re playing. It’s about understanding that everyone who’s come to see you is there for a good time and 9 times out of 10 they’re not going to notice that you missed a fret or hit a note out of tune. It’s easy to be really critical of yourself after a gig and pick out all your mis-steps but if you can flip that round and concentrate on the parts you absolutely nailed or got a good crowd reaction for then you’ll feel way more positive about playing live.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Our influences can be quite wide ranging depending on which of us you ask, but as a snapshot: On the might of princes, Smashing Pumpkins, Oceansize, Early- Biffy Clyro, Reuben, Rival Schools, Alpha Male Tea Party, Hell is for Heroes.

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

John once made a plectrum out of Tim’s old student ID card so naturally someone at one of our gigs asked for it. We’ve been thinking about a line of merch with Tim’s face on it ever since...

13. What do you think of your fans?

They’re awesome. We love the support and we’re really lucky to be able to work with a few of them like Carrie and Alex who designed our new logo and artwork for our new album ‘Between the earth and the trees’ and Dave and Marty who we use as a mini focus group for our new stuff! It’s also great to be in a position where we have a mutual love-in with other bands in the scene, having fans in bands is ideal for feedback, gig swaps and that sort of thing.

14. What do you think of our site?

Any website that helps to promote and talk about underground bands is awesome in our book. It’s great to see such a wide variation of bands in terms of genres and countries on the site as it only makes new music easier to find.

15. Something to add?

Come say hey if you can get along to any of our album release shows!