Alternative punk rockers RADIO AFTERMATH have not one but a total of three single's out and about right now! A ton of new music and song ideas are also in the pipeline right now too. Look's like an EP could be expected in the future, with them hopefully being able to play some shows as well. See what the band had to say about this all below.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Chris (Dennett, Vocals and Guitar): After a few years of playing with some other local bands, I had material written that didn’t really gel with the overly pop punk style I was surrounding myself with, as it was much darker and heavier, so I started Radio Aftermath in 2014 a to bring those songs to life and to better control the sound and style of the band. Quite a few years and members have gone by since then, we recorded a demo EP in 2015 called ‘Survive the Bomb’ we ultimately never made it widely available as the potential was there, but the quality of the recording wasn’t up to scratch. That demo really helped me understand what this band’s style was and where it could go.
We gigged regularly around Leeds making a little name for ourselves locally, until around 2017 when all members bar myself decided to leave, some wanted to go travelling, some couldn’t afford the travel to Leeds for rehearsals, and some just couldn’t be arsed anymore.
That’s when I got Rob onboard, we’d known each other for quite a few years now, he actually covered for our bassist a few times in the past when he couldn’t make gigs, so it felt right to ask him to be in the band, I say ask, I told him to turn up to a few rehearsals so we could jam, it wasn’t until a few months later I asked him if he actually wanted in… Luckily he said yeah (laughs).
We got the old songs back up to speed and ready to play live again with our new drummer Steve, and a new lead guitarist called Matt. Ultimately it wasn’t gelling as well as we’d hoped, Rob (Burns, Bass) and I would jam alone and write new songs, then present it to the other guys and basically tell them what we wanted for the track. Between that and some scheduling issues we decided it was time to look for some new members, again, and hopefully for the last time! Fast forward to Jack (Craven, Drums) and Sam (Moran, Guitar) joining. Things couldn’t be better, we’ve gotten more done and accomplished in the last two years even with a global pandemic happening, than we have the whole 8 years the band has been going!
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
Chris: I read once that Matt Skiba (of Alkaline Trio) when coming up with his band’s name, went into a dictionary and just picked out words he liked and put them together, or something along those line. I basically did the same, I wrote down words I liked the sound of, put them together and Radio Aftermath just stuck out to me, had a ring to it, and it didn’t just sound like any other band name out there which was important to me as I’ve always wanted to bring something different with this band, from artwork to visuals, performance. I wanted us to be the biggest small band in Leeds (laughs)
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Chris: We’re based in Leeds, UK. The music scene is great here, it did used to be saturated with local indie bands, but I really think rock music and alternative music as a whole is making a big comeback! Bands like When They Riot, Bad Idea, Sundancer, and Fudge Prove that.
4. How would you describe your style?
Chris: Alternative Rock, Punk, Post Punk, Heavy Rock. There’s something for every rock fan, hopefully you can bang your head one minute or sing along to a catchy chorus the next minute.
Rob (Burns, Bass): I’ve been slowly trying to bring more technical and heaviness to the band for a while now so I’m sneaking in a bit more Alexisonfire and Defeater than Chris would probably like!
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
So far, we have officially released 3 singles:
Kiss From a Rebel
We Eat the Buffalo
Estranged
Along with a few remixes and our Atomic Age saga available on YouTube, which are a bunch of little experimental instrumentals spearheaded by Rob, they help get his other creative outlets out there, so he doesn’t go looking for another band to cheat on us with.
We’re about to release out first new single in over a year called Cup of Coffee in the Big Time. It’s the fast punk intro to our upcoming self-titled EP which really sets the mood and tone for the rest.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Chris: We have a ton of demos and song ideas knocking about, some more fleshed out closer to completion than others. We debuted a new song live earlier this year called Skull Brain, still needs some more tweaking and maybe a new title, we’re not sure yet, but it seemed to go down well with the crowd.
Rob: Yeah, I’m not crazy about the title but most of the songs we have normally go through about 15 titles before we settle on one we like (laughs).
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
Chris: I believe we have a show booked in a few months time, we’ve been putting off booking shows as to get the EP completed first and have a release date for it, but we’re getting antsy! Hopefully we can get some more shows and maybe a little tour booked for later in the year, I think summer will be too late to book anything now unfortunately.
Rob: I flat out refused to play any gigs until the EP was finished as it’s been dragging on for nearly 2 years now. I’ve caved a little. I want to get this all sorted and in place and then focus on a full tour to support it though, so holding off made sense at the time!
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
Chris: We have material set out for another EP straight after this is released so I imagine we’ll get to work on that immediately so we can keep up the flow of new material. Hopefully then we can gig and tour. Loads. I would love to try and play some shows around Europe at some point. But it’s difficult now we can’t roam free. Remember when we could do that? What a time that was.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Chris: You can find us on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music, Bandcamp, YouTube, Google Play, Deezer. Pretty much everywhere, you can’t escape us, we’re like a disease, bringing about another pandemic with our infectious hooks that no vaccine can protect you from. We are pro vaccination by the way… Get your jabs and stop being a selfish arsehole.
Rob: We’re on all good streaming platforms, and some of the shit ones.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Chris: I suppose I’d want the listener to feel the same way I do when I discover new bands that I end up falling in love with, something about it just entices you, it’s got a good beat, it’s got catchy hooks, it’s got good production, the artwork looks cool, the overall message is something you can connect with and relate to. That’s what I hope new listeners find in us.
Rob: My stupid sexy bass fills.
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