Throughout their sprawling tenure to date, London’s Beat The Drum have always been ones to venture towards a more enthralling path. And with their recent offerings ‘Before The Fall’ and The Stranglers cover ‘No More Heroes’ continuing that adventurous spirit, they are back once again with their woozy new single ‘Shine Like A Star’.
So we thought now would be a good time to catch up with them to discuss their background and what plans they have for the future.
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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in music?
Chris: My dad was was a big Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd lover and a school friend had older brothers who had records by Johnny Winter, Led Zeppelin and King Crimson so I was grounded in that very creative rock sound early on but that all seemed quite hard to play! Punk music was the big explosion that seemed to get all my friends playing together and was something that was more accessible. I was in a few of bands and most people I knew were making music or clothes or somehow involved in being creative. That attitude that you can create or make what you want I think is quite important.
Steve: My dad had a Brennel tape recorder, I screwed a pickup into a Beatles plastic guitar, and used the tape recorder as an amplifier. Made a fantastic noise, and I never stopped making a racket. I learned audio engineering at the BBC. I thought I should find out how to capture the sounds that made me happy.
Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
Chris: There are many for different reasons. David Bowie not just for his music but he was unafraid as an artist to follow his interests and I think was creative to the end. PJ Harvey who has also changed with each album and seems to do what she likes. Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Eno, Steve Reich, Gang of Four, Talking Heads and many others have shaped our sound or way of working.
Steve: Led Zeppelin for the groove and bite, Steely Dan for that smooth sound, David Sylvian for an intimacy that is hard to come by, James Brown and Sly and Robbie for that groove again, Electronica to spike things up, Musique Concrete for the mystery.
Was there a specific moment or experience that made you decide to pursue music seriously?
Chris: I think it was something that has always been happening every time I see a band or listen to a great piece of music I just get the feeling that ‘I want to be doing that’ so that is the inspiration and that has been a constant made up of those moments.
Steve: No. It was just something I wanted to do. I consistently wrote music, played guitar, and enjoyed the end results of playing with others. And it never went away, it was just fun for me. Still is.
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?
Chris: We try not to have a typical songwriting process and some of the things we create are not songs or do not conform to a typical song structure. Having said that we do both appreciate the art of song writing. So a riff or sound a beat or loop may point the way to what it wants to become. We also have lists of song titles as idea sparks to get us going. Lyrics usually come after the music where I just sing sounds and see what comes out then we refine and drop anything that isn’t working and feature or enhance the good bits. If it makes us smile at each other we know we are getting it right.
Steve: I think we try many means to write our songs, and the starting points are split between us. Recently we have tried to have separated approaches to the development of ideas. But once we have begun, we tend to discard the parts that do not work and expand on the sounds and words that feel right. It is more like an evolution of the idea, and blending it into a final shape. Remember, we make the rules.
How do you find inspiration for your music and lyrics?
Chris: Being interested in everything that catches my ear or eye. I listen to a lot of music and I can get bored easily so I switch round to lots of different styles of music and I love films and reading. So those experiences set off a chain of events. I may love something and want to emulate it or I may think ‘if I was doing that, I would do it this way’ and so then I start making something inspired but different because it filters through my brain and senses in a way that is unique to me.
Steve: Found sounds will often set me off exploring what’s possible. It could be a piledriver or a nightingale, or the rhythm of windscreen wipers. Some chords will just feel right to me and make their intentions known when we sculpt our soundscapes. Sometimes it’s just a groove we want to explore. Lyrically, there are ideas that come out of the ether fully formed, sometimes it’s a chorus, or maybe a line about what is going on right now, and then you explore all possibilities.
What themes or messages do you hope listeners take away from your music?
Chris: I would hope that our music might inspire others as I have been inspired. That life is complex and beautiful and strange but that we can share and dance and create and enjoy the ride.
Steve: I would like to think that despite a sprinkling of dark shit here and there, we aim to be positive about our responses to the world. We all have the ability to transcend. Feeling good about something even if it’s just a moment on the dance floor.
What challenges have you faced as an emerging artist in the music industry?
Chris: Getting heard by more people I think is always the struggle and then getting paid for your efforts!
Steve: There’s always the issue of expanding your audience beyond your friends. But just keep doing good work, and it will shine through. Also being genre fluid can be difficult, but it does keep things interesting
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your musical journey so far?
Chris: Making and playing music I am proud of and seeing others enjoy it.
Steve: Having the audience bellowing along with our songs has been a big high for me. And I think we are making a better noise all the time, I really don’t think we have peaked yet.
How do you stay true to yourself and your artistry in a constantly evolving industry?
Chris: Only do what you want to do and what you feel proud of. Fashion and genres come and go but if something is good it’s good for ever. If I can make someone I like then I am being true to myself.
Steve: That’s easy. We don’t have to compromise our artistic integrity, we just keep doing what we want to. The industry will catch up with us eventually.
What can fans expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or tours?
Chris: We have an album which we are working on which we call our dub album. We have had the material for a sound installation sitting in the background waiting for the right way to stage it and maybe the right people to work with so I would love to see that get staged. Then we also have some more dance, electro funk fusion material that we are enjoying bringing to life.
Steve: We are trying to book some shows for the autumn, and we are going to release a more downtempo set of tunes in the near future, quite dub influenced I guess. Most of it is already recorded, but the finishing touches are all important. Beyond that we would like to stage an installation exploring psychology and mental states. And after that there may be a funk explosion.
Where do you see yourself and your music career in the next five years?
Chris: Getting to reach a bigger audience, traveling the world, collaborating and working with other musicians and artists would be an ideal way to spend the next five years.
Steve: Still exploring possibilities, staying out of any rabbit holes, playing to larger audiences, and of course introducing our lines of exclusive merchandise. Avalon stage at Glastonbury, here we come.
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Watch the video for Beat The Drum’s ‘Shine Like A Star’ below.
