Interview: Aphelia
Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life are pleased to bring you an interview with indie rock/pop band, Aphelia.
1. How did you get started as a band?
The band started because I (Sam) had written a few songs for an EP I was putting together and I wanted to get the input of a couple of other people so I got Phil on drums and Dom on bass. We finished the tracks for that and decided we wanted to play them live but there were a couple too many guitar parts for me to do alone which is when Josh came on board. After a year or so gigging Dom left to pursue other things and Jamie joined the band playing bass. We also decided we’d like to be able to do some of the key’s parts live so we brought in Ash and the rest, as they say, is history.
2. How would you describe your sound?
I think our sound is trying and failing to sound like the 1975. We’re an indie band but we try not to pigeonhole ourselves too much. We just write what comes to mind. Sometimes it comes out poppy (popy? popish?) sometimes it comes out more rock. But it I like to think we do a good job of making sure it sounds like us no matter what.
3. What bands/artists would you say have influenced your style of music?
Definitely the 1975, also Two Door Cinema Club and Bombay Bicycle Club (all the clubs really). I also think that artist like Prince, D’Angelo, John Mayer, Bon Iver, have all had an influence on the way we write and play even if some of them aren’t immediately apparent. Seeing the standard of performance these musicians have put on really pushes us to up our live game and make sure we’re playing the best show possible.
4. Has the rise of YouTube & music streaming helped or hindered you as a band?
We arrived after the whole shift so I can’t say for certain that we’d be worse off without it. I think especially at the moment what with everything being shut down. Being able to maintain a connection with your fan base online and distribute music without being able to tour has been a major bonus. I have a lot of views on how streaming and a singles based market have effect the way that music is being consumed thus altering the way it needs to be created and released, but I won’t get in to that here (we’d be here all day).
5. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?
At the moment I’ve got really into reading again. I just finished re-reading the Harry Potter books (yes I know they’re for children) and have just started Lord of The Rings so I can finally say I’ve finished it.
6. What are your future plans musically? Tours?
I’d love to say we know exactly what we’re going to do and it’s going to knock your socks off. But we have no real idea. We have a few gigs lined up for later in the year but right now everything’s very up in the air still in a way. Also due to the pandemic a few of us have had to move away, which leads to a whole other set of issues. But we have a few new songs in the works that we plan on releasing this year and hopefully we’ll be able to sort some more gigs out soon.
