Delve into the grungy, riff-filled world of Dry Run as they share their journey, influences, and the spirit behind their music in this exclusive interview.
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1. Can
you introduce the band members and tell us what each member plays?
There's lovely boy Stuart Rushforth, who plays guitar and is a total riff
factory. Then there's our rumbly tumbly bass chugging hero George, who
absolutely outright refuses to use a guitar pick. Silly sad boy Mark fronts the
band and likes to have a good old wobble around on stage. Recently our good
friend Jonny Ross (Beach Riot) has been smashing the tubs for us and he's an
absolute beast.
2. How did the band come together, and what inspired you to restart your
musical journey in Brighton, UK?
Mark: Stuart and I originally were in bands as teenagers in Southend, the last
of which was called "Dry Run". He shot off to the navy at 18 and that
was the end really. We ended up living together in Brighton on and off in our
twenties, and both played in an Indie band called "Little Fears". We
wrote different material when living together in our twenties but never really
got it together to do another grungey band.
Stuart: I wrote a load more songs in the intervening periods and during
lockdown. I fired them off to Mark who started writing lyrics, and we really
enjoyed sending demos back and forth and creating this darker exciting music
that we used to do together as teens. We decided to get them recorded properly,
and called up George to do bass. We sent the guide tracks to Adam Betts (Three
Trapped Tigers, Heritage Orchestra), our favourite drummer, who did the drums
in his home studio. We then went into Seaside studios in Brighton and recorded
our first ever EP together - "What comes next?"
Mark: I was living back in our home town in Southend at the time. We decided to
try to get a band together and eventually once we got it going I moved back to
Brighton, my spiritual home. Every now and then, we still play a song Stuart
and I wrote together at 16, called "Nightmares". It's a fun nod back
to where we came from, but really, Brighton is where we grew and became people,
and it's our true home.
3. What are some of the main musical influences that shape your sound as a
band?
George: We all have quite a wide range individually that we bring in to the
collective that pop up somehow. I have more of an appreciation for metal and
funk than Mark or Stuart for example, and manage to whirl them in where I can!
Stuart writes the majority of the source material that we work into songs and
grew up listening to Nirvana, Muse and Radiohead. Mark often gets compared
after shows to Mike Patton and Henry Rollins, who he has huge respect for, but
you won't find any Faith No More or Black Flag in his 500+ record collection.
Superfuzz Big Muff is in there though...
4. Have you had the opportunity to play at any notable gigs, festivals, or
events? Any memorable experiences from those performances?
Mark: Every show is super fun in its own way. We go really hard and leave
everything on stage. Brighton is very saturated for music and can be a bit
cliquey. We've not really broken into the inner circle yet, and are somewhat
ignored! We're fine with that; we just keep doing what we're doing and if it's
good enough, it will come good and speak for itself. We book most of our
Brighton shows ourselves and self-promote. Our first headline we played
recently at The Hope on 28th March really stands out. It was a beautiful night
for us, loads of laughter, free flowing banter, joyous, and importantly the
tunes sounded great and we were well-received. We're going to try and get the
desk bounce of that show up on SoundCloud as I think it's a much better
starting point for discovering what we're really like than social media or
streaming our recorded tracks.
5. Do you have any interesting or amusing anecdotes from your time as a band that fans might find entertaining or surprising?
Stuart: We're all super close long-time friends so you only need to scroll through our WhatsApp media sent to each other over the years for a deep well of amusement. Or just come to one of our gigs - they're always a good time.
Mark: I wouldn't recommend that we share those. Maybe just the various fart voice notes we've accummulated over the years? There's a double album's worth of material right there!
6. Could you share a favorable quote from a previous review of your music that stands out to you?
"You guys are alright!" - some dude the other night.
7. Where was your latest single/EP/album recorded, and who was involved in its production?
Our last single "Cast the Spell" is from our upcoming EP "Now You See It". We recorded it at Brighton's incredible Salvation Studios. Seriously, what an amazing space - we also did some shots for our music video for "Denied" there as well. The team at the studio are all so warm and talented. They've got something really special going on there. We tracked live with Cameron Nesbitt at the helm. We had Lewis Foord and Liisa-Lotta (that's Lisa, with two eyes) doing some excellent engineering work and helping to hold the space. Our good friend Izzi Bard did a hell of a mix, and then Mark Roberts, who's worked with some of our favourite bands in Physics House Band and Delta Sleep, put a nice glossy master on top. We're blessed to have worked with such an amazing team, they really helped us shine, and it's something we'll always be proud of.
8. Is there a specific ethos or theme behind your latest release, or are there certain musical styles or events that inspired it?
Mark: "What comes next?" Was our moody EP, with themes that reflected on past issues, trauma, badly managed relationships and the awkwardness and loss of direction that can, but doesn't necessarily have to, accompany change. It's angsty, sad and grey, just like it's cover. Our new EP out later this year, "Now You See It", is all from the same journey, but further down the line. It's brighter, and though still very angsty, the overarching theme is: you've got this, you know how to deal with this all now, you know yourself.... Our latest single is about being able to poke fun at yourself once you realise just how much control you really did have over things that you felt so powerless over before. "Be it, now you see it, can you cast the spell?"
9. Can you give us a brief overview of what your lead tracks are about, or the overall concept behind your latest album?
See above. 🥰
10. Were there any notable or amusing incidents during the recording or production of your EP that you'd like to share?
George: We really loved having Maddie from local heroes Jar of Blind Flies come in to lay down some backing vocals on a couple of tracks. She's a real talent and just an all round legend. It was a great way to round off the sessions.
11. How would you describe your experience working with the engineers and producers involved in your latest project?
Stuart: Cameron Nesbitt is one of those names destined for bigger things. At some point when all of this is said and done, and we're telling nonsense to our disinterested grandchildren who are more excited by the chicken nuggets we've just popped in the oven for them, we'll be bragging about having worked with him.
12. In a few words, what does being in this band mean to each of you personally?
Stuart: The chance to escape into a creative world, make music and have fun with my best friends.
George: Good times during stressful times.
Mark: Expression through connection.
13. How do you navigate the challenges of promoting your music in today's digital age, and what are your thoughts on the current music industry landscape?
George: We haven't figured out the algorithm. We've put out a fair few decent tracks that not a lot of people have heard. It makes me wonder just how much amazing music is out there that I've not been able to find.
Stuart: We just put stuff out for ourselves, and if anyone ends up listening to it, that's a bonus. I'm proud of everything we've done. It's always great when others connect with it, but we've learned to not get too bothered by the numbers.
Mark: Its a strange time, things are very skewed, and it's hard for small artists to get a leg up. It's amazing how quickly and easily people can create and publish music these days, I'm a big fan of the accessibility of the current landscape from that perspective, but unsure about the tastemaker / gatekeeper culture. But ultimately, it's all people driven, and there are some great people out there. We maybe would have been better suited to the zine / cassette sharing era!
14. What are your plans for future gigs, tours, or upcoming projects that fans can look forward to?
Stuart: we've got a big old stack of unworked tracks in the locker. I'm looking forward to getting them in the room and working on them together. We're off for a writing weekend at the beginning of June, and have a couple of bits we can release in the meantime whilst we figure what and how we want to record next.
George: And we'll hunt down fun gigs and play as many as we can.
15. Finally, if you could sum up the essence of your band or your latest release in one catchy line, what would it be?"
*Terminator 2 theme tune plays*
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