Interviews: Crone Tye

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Industrial/Glam Punk band Crone Tye from the UK. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it, or did it come out like that?

Mik: The band is a collaboration between Tye and me. I took my surname and Tye’s first name. We have both played in bands over the years that have gained levels of recognition, so this one’s name lets people know it's us involved in this project right off the bat!

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Mik: Alternative music has always been my first love. When we grow up, we relate to certain things and the spooky loud music stuck with me. That and the imagery and art that go with it always seem to relate to me.

Tye: I’ve always been a more extreme, energetic and frenetic person with an interest in the darker side of life, so I and heavy metal just matched perfectly when I was around 11. More specifically to this project, I feel this style is very emblematic of Mik, it’s a commingling of the genres I associate with him, like sleaze rock, glam and old school punk ethics with a touch of 90s industrial. The cool thing is, these are all styles of heavy music I love but wouldn't necessarily write or create within my other bands, so when Mik sent me the demo of the song over, I thought it would be the right opportunity to try my hand at it and expand my rock vocabulary.

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

Mik: I have known Tye for 10 years, and every now and then we would send greetings and check out what each other was doing musically. This helped in the fact that when I started writing and recording this industrial-toned sleaze retro metal, I knew Tye would be the right choice for vocals.

Tye: We met through music a long time ago and have kept in touch ever since, and watched each other pursue our musical passions. It seems pretty fated that our paths would eventually be brought together and we’d be releasing music together. 

4. Each band member's favourite band?

Mik: I have a few, but probably my all-time favourite would be Ministry. I like a lot of different genres of rock and metal, so it's pretty diverse. In that one minute, I could be listening to Aerosmith, the next Slayer, a bit of Deicide. Even the Bee Gees.

Tye: I’m very much the same as I think most metal fans are. I love the classics like Dio, Sabbath, and Metallica. Mainly, I’m inspired by the 2000s metalcore and New Wave of American Heavy Metal style acts like Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, and Killswitch Engage. I’m a big fan of a few more modern bands like Motionless In White and ICE NINE KILLS. 90s death metal is great, Cradle of Filth, there’s loads!. I love artists like Psyclon Nine and Marilyn Manson, too; they’re huge inspirations creatively.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Mik: Playing guitar and getting a great rhythm tone. From there, I can find a good riff to groove on. I also like messing with synths and programming music. Movies also inspire me. We are both massive horror fans.

Tye: Usually, when I get the music from my fellow writers. I handle pretty much the entirety of the lyric and vocal duties, and I’ll help with composition, arrangements and refining songs after the first drafts get sent through. In terms of vocal inspiration, I’ve got a pretty eclectic range of abilities with my voice and can make many different sounds, so listening to the amount of style and genres I do lends itself to that and makes my vocal writing interesting. I’m also a big reader and fan of film, literature, history, etc., so I’ve always got things brewing that make good topical focuses for lyrics.

6. Where was your last gig?

Tye: The last show I played with my main band INHERITOR was in Bradford, doing a Motionless In White tribute set and a headline set for a friend in the industry’s birthday. It was interesting playing some of my favourite songs, but swallowing a wig and streaming with makeup the whole time.

Mik: It's a recording project, so no gigs at present. Not that we aren't open to that in the future.

7. Where would you like to perform?

Mik: Download, Bloodstock, The Whiskey A GoGo, Dynamo, Hellfest. Already played some great venues in the past. I was in the second-to-last band to play the Marquee in London.

Tye: Mik’s pretty much covered all the heavy hitters there. I’d love to play the festivals I grew up reading about and seeing on YouTube, like Rock am Ring, Download, Sonisphere, if ever I return. I’ve always wanted to play Stylus in Leeds as I’ve seen so many great bands there.

8. Whom would you like to perform with?

Mik: Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Atari Teenage Riot, Wednesday 13, Rob Zombie, The Cult, Rammstein.

Tye: Crone Tye would be great alongside the names Mik has mentioned, I’d throw Skold in there too, and maybe this cool gutter glam metal band called Sister. I’d also love to play alongside my idols like Motionless, Bullet, etc.

9. Whom not?

Mik: Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Nickelback, Anyone with right-wing warped views. 

Tye: Lostprophets…

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Mik: I haven't suffered from stage fright in the past. I've had bad experiences where the crowd has been a bit rowdy. I used to have bad anxiety anyway, so I used to carry a bucket with me in case I threw up. Sat behind the Marshall cabinet.

Tye: I’m like a hyper-extroverted person, so not really no, the first time I ever played live I was about 13 and I wouldn’t say I was nervous at all, but there was definitely a feeling of it being a new experience I wasn’t familiar with yet. But, within 2 songs, it was the best buzz I’d ever felt, and I was instantly wanting more. 

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Tye: I suppose it’s an era thing. Nirvana and classic rock bands like Kiss, Motörhead and Scorpions captivated my interest and planted that desire to play rock and metal when I was young. Then, discovering bands like Slipknot, Bullet For My Valentine and Machine Head helped me develop my taste and the style I wanted to play. Then, after a few years of not doing music as much, Motionless In White got me really wanting to create again with their myriad genre blends, controversial lyrics, inclusion of film and literary references in their work and their amazing live shows. They relit a spark for me in a creative sense and made me realise I still had a lot to say and do in metal.

Mik: Depends on the style of music again. I'm really inspired by people like Gary Numan, Al Jorgensen from Ministry, Alec Empire, and Trent Reznor. The people who have a hand in the production too. As for rock bands, I'm a child of the 90s, so initially 80s 90s bands such as Shotgun Messiah, L.A. Guns, but also Stone Temple Pilots, Deftones. A great UK trio called Die So Fluid. I was in one of their videos. Proud to call them friends.

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

Mik: I've never really been asked for anything. I've had a few experiences where the audience has gotten a bit too close and in my face. I once got a phone call telling me 9 fans were standing outside my house wanting me to go to the pub with them.

Tye: I don’t think I’ve ever had a “bad” or “weird” experience as I’m usually the biggest weirdo or nutter in any room hahaha, perhaps some young ladies being a bit too friendly shall we say, or actually, now that I think about it…I used to find that when playing gigs super regularly in 2019, I’d have a lot of new followers, friends and message requests, etc. afterwards. Well, one night after a show, a young gentleman had added me on Snapchat and proceeded to send me some interesting videos of himself. I just laughed it off and ignored it.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Mik: I wouldn't like to think of them as fans. More like-minded people who relate to us. The people who know something others don't.

Tye: A lot of my fans become friends through seeing them regularly enough in person or chatting online. It’s still wild when I see people I barely know with my lyrics or symbols tattooed, or quoting my lyrics in social media posts or wearing merch. I’m just super grateful if people want to listen to 1 song for 1 time only in their lives, so to have people come to shows, support the band, check out the music, it’s the greatest thing ever, and I’m so so humbled by it.

14. What do you think of our site?

Mik: Great. Thank you for keeping things real in a world of TikTok and fast clicks. Let's forget the algorithms and actually create real content. Good to see what our fellow peers are up to.

Tye: I absolutely love any form of written or video interview, and it gives that window into your platform and what artists have to offer. I’m just super glad people still create and use mediums like this. It’s very human in the algorithmic world.

15. Something to add?

Our new single can be found by searching Crone Tye - No Guts, No Glamour. If you like Gothic industrial mixed with 80s rock and a bit of metalcore screaming, give it a blast! You can head over to our Instagram @cronetye666 and follow our bio link to find anything you might need!