What was the beginning point for your music career? How did it all start?
Our career as Faded Shades started burning in the ashes of another band myself (Joe) & Liam had left after musical differences drove us apart from the other members. We jammed some songs I’d written together and decided to make a demo of a first album. The band needed a drummer, and after many failed or terrible auditions we gave up on finding one! It was at that point I asked my younger brother Charlie if he would learn drums and join the band, to which he said yes! Faded Shades was born and we haven’t looked back since.
Were there any bumps on the road? What kind of challenges did you have to deal with?
Oh wow where do we start!? Starting and being in a band is one of the most challenging things I could have imagined, from rehearsal space, to recording demos, to travelling with gear to gigs and promoting yourself online. It’s a never ending journey of throwing creative energy into a seemingly bottomless hole. I guess as long as you are having a laugh emptying your soul and wages into a pit then it’s all worth it right!? The biggest challenge is still finding an optimistic attitude that it will eventually all “pay off”.
What was the most fulfilling and satisfying moment so far?
There is no better feeling than playing a song live and hearing the room and crowd light up with it singing and moving. A song becomes so much greater when it’s shared collectively, and it really is a moment when you as a band become an aura or persona that is much greater than the sum of its parts. We also love the process of recording professionally and hearing a song or jam come to life through the speakers.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
It’s like a chill vibe with distorted edges and a plop of old school mixed with some new school. It’s also quite cosmic and ethereal.
What is your creative process like?
I write songs in acoustic jams and record myself singing a stream of consciousness style vocal and melody to form a song. Then I take that song and show the band and we thrash it out together until it becomes part of our regular set or it fades away. We only keep the ones that you can’t wait to play again and that’s how you know you’ve written a keeper!
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
I’d change back to the “giving people a chance” tactic. Like please, give us a support slot of a well known band and watch us win everyone’s hearts over? Stop making bands drag themselves through the bullshit sell yourself as a product on social media and pretend to be online personalities. We just want to make people sing and jump about.
If you were asked to give a piece of advice to upcoming bands, what would that be?
Go big or don’t bother!! Take your biggest most crowd pleasing single and take it to a professional studio, get it professionally mixed and mastered. Make a metal professional music video with photoshoot and promo vids and then spend the same amount of money promoting it as you did making all that. Bosh! Go! And don’t use not having money as an excuse, get a job, save up, maybe ask granny for what’s under her mattress and seriously invest in your musical future and career.
What has been the best performance of your career so far?
Spice of Life for Animal Farm Music was pretty explosive recently! And we’re returning this summer! So make sure to follow us via handle @fadedshadesband to keep up to date with all our live shows!
If you didn’t become a musician, what would you be doing now?
A professional tea drinker! Well, that’s what my friends call it anyway. I am actually a qualified Air Conditioning engineer and have had many decent jobs across London, so put the kettle on… we’ve got a job to do!
What is new with the band at the moment?
Right now we are just making the most of live music being back! We’ve recently seen Liam Gallagher, The Eagles, Kula Shaker and Red Hot Chili Peppers to name a few!
What are you currently working on and would like to share with the world?
We have new singles released really recently and another on the way in September! Our singles Waiting On Tomorrow, Heartache Calling & Stay are all amazing products from the Animal Farm Music Biscuit Factory studio! Give us a listen!
