The Irontown Diehards haven't been a band for very long but they proclaim that they will be one of the coolest rock bands you will ever see or hear within the music scene. The band got together to discuss their song and video for "Step Inside" who are exactly The Irontown Diehards.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Phil (vocals) and Andrew (guitar) reached out to each other on Facebook hoping for the opportunity to work together. Gordy (drums) had dropped Andrew a similar message but by the time he got back to him he was involved in another project. Thankfully for us that fell through, so we had our drummer. Mark was recommended and was the first guy to audition. We didn't audition anyone else.
2. What is the origin of the band's name?
The Irontown is an old name for Belfast and it does hark back to a time that, for the most part, no longer exists. But the foundation is still there. This place is built on hard graft and determination; a bloody-minded refusal to take no for an answer and to take a hit and get straight back up again. So here we are, the men from Belfast that respect our past but haven't given up on our dreams. The Irontown Diehards.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Belfast has a thriving music scene and right across the city and Northern Ireland there is certainly an embarrassment of riches for talent that has a rich heritage of incredible musicians. There is a great deal of other acts that are fantastic, but they can speak for themselves. ;)
4. How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?
We are first and foremost a rock band, but one man's hard rock could be another man's pop rock so we try not to get bogged down in labels. If someone sees us live and we remind them of their favorite Avant Garde Harmonicore band, who are we to tell them otherwise? As our influences go, you can ask each member and you would get wildly different answers, Gordy has a more thrash metal background which contrasts quite a bit to Mark's pop/funk tastes. We all certainly have a love for rock music and the great variety in tastes helps keep us original and there's absolutely no judgement in our influences (well except towards Mark).
5. What's the story behind the song "Step Inside"?
The song is essentially about the sort of people who believe they're entitled to a certain way of life and expect us to kneel for them and let them have their success at our direct expense. We see it in our 'celebrity culture', people become famous overnight and live in luxury despite the fact that other than being a celebrity nobody can name a damn thing that they do for a living! We see it in our politicians, who are constantly re-elected despite having abysmal approval ratings and being woefully awful people.
6. Can you briefly discuss the video that accompany's that same single?
Certainly! The idea for the video was we wanted a promotional video to establish the band's style, image and sound. We didn't release it to be a single as such, but we wanted to do something a bit different to give people an idea of who we are and what we do. The band were kicking around some ideas with Jim Crone - our director and friend - and we were a long way down the road to making a very different video when something he'd shown us made me ask; "Can we make a Versace ad? For a rock band?"Jim's experience in fashion photography is unparalleled and thankfully he ran with the idea.
7. What can we expect to see as far as the new material is concerned, will we be seeing an EP or a full-length release?
We're in the studio as we speak recording our debut album, it's been a fantastic effort all round and have been working with the exceptional Frankie McClay. We're aiming to have it out towards the end of this year, we promise to keep you posted!8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
Being better today than we were yesterday. That's all we can have control over, whatever comes after that will reveal itself in time.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Listen to us via Facebook, YouTube, iTunes, Spotify all the usual spots really. There's so much more to come so keep in touch and drop us a line!
10. What is it you'd like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
That we're just four lads from different walks of life from a country that sometimes struggles to bring such people together who want to do things our way. We don't try to be different, we just are.
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