You simply can’t pigeonhole TRIBE OF GHOSTS into one genre. Their stunning singles and captivating live shows are gaining them more fans by the day. At one of their warm up shows before their appearance Bloodstock 2023, Rock Out Stand Out’s Lotty Whittingham caught a quick chat with the band. They spoke about their vast sound, mental health and who their post-apocalyptic survival team would be.
So Tribe Of Ghosts sound has evolved since your debut EP, what’s inspired this change in your sound?
Adam: I think it came from our former guitarist leaving. They left the band for understandable reasons, all four of us came to a decision that we either find another guitarist or we go down this industrial route we have been talking about. The decision we made opened up a new pit for us to jump into, it wasn’t a case of trying it and seeing how it goes; we went straight in there and we even thought on how far we can take it.
Beccy: That sounds right. When we were writing from 2020/2021, it’s a lot more post metal and we did a couple of shows with a five piece post metal line up. It felt really good but I remember there were times when Adam and I were doing vocals, thinking about trying different things for the next track. Me and Danny went to see Reena Sawayama’s album show at The Roundhouse and it was amazing, so not only did we think to go down the industrial, metalcore route, we throw some pop in there too. We got fully creative with it, threw caution to the wind and wanted to write what felt right to us. We didn’t want to worry about genre, style or anything like that.
That explains why your singles that are out are sound so different from each other.
Beccy: We always like to try and write something new. We’re not trying to write something that sounds the same as every other song out there. We’re always exploring different avenues, it’s always ‘now we have tried this, let’s try something new’ and the areas of that in a cohesive set really works together well. Sometimes you listen to a band with songs that all sound very similar, it’s really good music don’t get me wrong but when you’re watching a forty minute set, you can faze out a bit. Whereas our songs are very different, it can help pick up the pace and keeps up the interest.
Adam: I’m the lead song writer and I show the rest of the band what I have written. It’s never a case of ‘this is what I’ve written and this is how we’re doing it’. I have an idea for the song writing I want to do and then these three have other ideas on what can be done with the song. They push me further and pour these ideas into brain. It’s a collaborative process.
Are there any styles you’re looking to try in the future?
Beccy: Even though we love to mix a weird variation of styles together, I think there is a cohesiveness to it. So we’re not going to say I don’t know, try a country song. That’s never going to happen. [laughs]
Ben: It’s all about the energy really. If we can fit it into the energy of the song or the set, then that’s what we go for.
Beccy: Something that’s going to add to the song rather than subtract or feel too out of place. A lot of the song writing comes from honouring the song itself rather than honouring the ego of the band or brand. It’s what feels right for the song.
A question for you Beccy, do you already have in mind what vocal style you’re going to use for each track or is it a case of trying something and seeing what works?
Beccy: It’s about what works and what feels right in terms of the melody. So when Adam has written the basics of the instrumentations, we’ll normally have a session in place to go through the vocals together. Sometimes Adam has lyrics, other times it’s a bit more vague. One of the songs we’re playing tonight actually is one where Adam wrote all the instrumentation and I wrote all the lyrics and guided the vocal direction. So it is all about what feels right. It also depends on the vibe as well and to do with the emotion in the song. The style then comes into that.
Adam: It’s not a case of ‘I write this, it’s my way or the high way’. It purely is collaborative experimentation, there’s a vision in my head and then I hear a song for that vision. I will say to the rest that I am hearing this in my and ask what can we do with it. The song Beccy was talking about was a vision she had in her head and asked what I could do with it.
With regards to lyrics and instrumentation, what usually comes first?
Beccy: Well, we are currently writing a body of work which we are hoping will be out some time next year. We don’t want to say too much as we want to make sure everything is in place before we do. A lot of that writing was Adam’s big idea for an album and a lot of that was very conceptual. So a lot of the themes and lyrics did come first because of that. I would say our writing is about a vision of what we want it to be, almost a description of the end product and what we want tell in the story in the song. Then the instrumentation comes from it which gives it a really nice bed for the vocals.
Is it still a dystopian theme you currently write about?
Beccy: Absolutely. I think a lot of it is what Adam has been able to define really well before. A lot of stuff that’s coming up like Sunburner, which is separate from this body of work. It’s much more the hardships we are living through, we are essentially living in a dystopian society we talk about. It’s about the prevalent hardships that people go through and how as much as there is despair, there is also hope.
Talking about Sunburner, I know Adam it’s about your experiences with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Could you tell us more detail about that?
Adam: When putting Sunburner together, the idea of it was to talk about my experiences before I was officially diagnosed with GAD. I had a lot of extreme light sensitivities so whenever I saw the sun in the morning, it caused me intense waves of pain and Sunburner came after I was diagnosed.
The whole idea of the story behind Sunburner was to tell a theme of denying this illness and everything being fine, it was the sun being a dick. I kept telling myself that over and over again that it was the sun that was to blame, not because there was a root cause behind it. I was unwell and denying that there was a bigger problem. I was taking medication that wasn’t actually helping me such as painkillers.
I then realised that actually, it was brain that wasn’t working. It looks at that at the end of the song, which is the diagnosis and realising I’m not well. At that point, realising that helped me move on. So as much as the final song sounds disgusting, it’s about acceptance of this diagnosis and realising that I can’t move on until I accept it. It’s not a happy ending but there’s optimism and hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Beccy: I like to see it as a way of dealing with the anxiety head on in an aggressive way. One of the lines is ‘I embrace the sun’ and that’s when everything comes to a head as part of the song. It’s more of an aggressive acceptance rather than the serene type which you might expect.
One of the things we do at Rock Out Stand Out is spread mental health awareness. What’s general awareness like in Brighton?
Danny: Brighton is incredible for it. Everyone is very open about it, especially in our circles I’d say. Everyone is very accepting and supportive, couldn’t have asked for a better city for it.
Adam: I can definitely say that when stuff like this has been mentioned, at no point do I get ‘you sure you’re going through that’. When I got diagnosed, I got lots of support from this lovely bunch [gestures to rest of band] and the other members from the Brighton scene. They encouraged me to talk to them, they asked me what I needed and how they could help. The Brighton scene has been part of the healing process and they have been integral to Tribe Of Ghost’s journey too.
Beccy: In terms socially, it’s a really positive experience to be in Brighton. I think it’s still important to note that in societal structures, there is still a long way to go. I think because everyone is so open about mental health in Brighton, it fuels the arts and the culture; particularly for alternative and heavy music in scene. So many of the shows are often beautiful DIY movements and very community driven, this comes hand in hand with supporting people and their mental health in this weird journey that is life.
Is there anything you think we can do more of as loved ones so people feel more comfortable to reach out if they are struggling?
Beccy: I think one of the key things is that a lot of people are open to listening and lending an ear but I don’t think they know how to do it effectively. There is a skill when it comes to discussing mental health, I’ve done mental health first training myself. It would be great if everyone knew the basics of this such as listening without judgement. I think sometimes people say they want to lend an ear then you start talking and they react to you. If they learnt that and put themselves in the position where they will listen without judgement, then I think people would talk about mental health a lot more openly.
Are there things you like to do to unwind and relax?
Danny: Yes, cry and take a bath. [laughs] It’s worked for years.
Adam: Playing my Xbox or Playstation, writing and playing music helps me. The biggest help for me is definitely this band.
Ben: It’s an emotional release for me.
Beccy: I have little things that help me let off steam. This band definitely does and I like to lift weights.
Danny: Working out is such a big one. I mean the release of endorphins you get after any kind of workout is a great antidepressant. Also playing shows is a great antidepressant.
Adam: It’s the Catharism of this, spending time with these three in any way, shape or form gives me the biggest sense of happiness.
If you listen to music that matches your mood too, that really helps.
Adam: Absolutely. The number of times I have been in the van after a rough day, we drive around and put on something ragey. Sometimes, when Beccy and I drive around places, we feel we need to put on the most hyper pop possible. Whatever music we have blasting out, it’s the best time.
Given the dystopian theme and it bringing post apocalyptic to my mind, which five people would you have in your team?
Adam: These three, my cat and John Chase.
Beccy: He knows what’s what, I’d want him on my team too. I will also have a couple of friends who are very with it on my team. You’d want people who have common sense with the outside world. I’m willing to bludgeon something to death to survive.
Danny: Keanu Reeves as John Wick, Freddie Arany, the bloke from 127 Hours and Joey Diaz.
Ben: Probably Bear Grylls, I don’t really want him but he would know how to survive. Tom Hanks from Castaway, Wilson and Rick Astley. Why not.
Do you have messages for your fans and our readers?
Beccy: Our new single Hive is out now on all streaming platforms. Hope to see as many of you at Bloodstock as well. Keep an eye on our social. If you’re in the Oxford area, we are playing Rabidfest on 5th November. We’re hoping to release some new material very soon and keep an eye out for gig announcements too.
Thank you so much for talking to Rock Out Stand Out and best of luck with your Bloodstock appearance.
