New to my radar I had heard some of their latest tracks and was keen to delve in a little deeper. As individuals the four guys have an expansive history of being in bands, but as MOTHER they’ve latched onto a sound that both embodies and enthuses their muscial ethos and ambitions. MOTHER is made up of Joshua Alden, Danny Fisher, Sam Alden, and Everton Barbato. Asking about their illusive choice in band name, frontman Josh Alden explained that “The name itself is earthy and warm, but it’s also incredibly versatile and doesn’t box us into a specific genre - we can do a lot with it - and it opens up possibilites to experiment as we progress.” [caption id=“attachment_36525” align=“aligncenter” width=“686”]
Photo credit Daniele Longo[/caption] Citing thier EP Remnants of a Wasted Dream, for me their sound resonates with the likes of Radiohead, Talking Heads and The Vaccines with a polished but gothy finish. The first track on the EP, Petrichor, really embodies the latter - it’s got all the elements of a funky and psychedlic grunge vibe, and their live performances ignite a revival in the post-punk scene (something I’m very keen to see). Having a chat with Josh and drummer Sam, I got onboard with their determination and energy very early on. They’ve somewhat turned a circle and despite going up hill with a sound which isn’t necessarily ‘of this moment’, they’re hell bent on moving forward. “In the early days we used to perform a gig, get pissed, go out and party afterwards. Now we want to make sure we deliver on our performance - it’s a military operation: get in, and get out” Josh said, and with that they haven’t gone unoticed. [caption id=“attachment_36526” align=“aligncenter” width=“706”]
Photo credit Daniele Longo[/caption] MOTHER have been picked up by the likes of BBC Introducing Oxford, had a chat on the show and got 4 out of 5 tracks played on air. They’re certainly making some noise but they have a long distance view of where they wanna go. Josh continued: “The Cellar gig was the gig we were waiting for since we’ve started, now we’ve got to top it. For our next EP we’re going for a live recording, which is new for us, but it captures our live show and essentially our music.” Sam added: “It feels like we’re genuinely growing a small fan base - it does feel like it’s happening and picking up. The music scene in Oxford has emerged in the last few years - a real revival, and MOTHER feels a big part of that - and there’s a real sense of community amongst bands.” [caption id=“attachment_36528” align=“aligncenter” width=“762”]
Photo credit Daniele Longo[/caption] With their determination comes a certain frustration, and I get it - music scenes are not too disimilar to style trends by means of being ‘in’ and relevant. On that Josh said: “It’s a gamble. We want to make the music that MOTHER are making and not have to go in a different direction in order to get picked up. That’s not what we do - it’s not our band.” For their next gig the guys will be heading to The Monarch, London, alongside Saytr Play and The White Lakes. For further information and to purchase tickets click here. To check out MOTHER visit www.motherband.co.uk
