Bloodstock Bound: Smother
As Bloodstock gets closer, we delve deep into the line up to find out more about some of the bands playing the New Blood and EMP stages at this years event.
Today we chat with Smother
The Razor's Edge: Please introduce yourself and your band mates.
Smother: Yo, we’re smother.
Vocals: Jacob Morgan
Guitar: Liam Franks
Guitar: Tom Davenport
Bass: Olly Murphy-Tinsley
Drums: Andy Wheeler
The Razor's Edge: How would you describe your sound?
Smother: Crushing, intense, violent. We’re a band that mixes DIY hardcore roots with a unique blend of influences spanning everything from metalcore, death metal, hardcore, doom metal, powerviolence, etc. to far more obscure & unconventional music & media.
The Razor's Edge: How did you land your spot on the Bloodstock bill?
Smother: We were fortunate enough to win Stoke’s Metal To The Masses competition.
The Razor's Edge: How tough was this years M2TM competition?
Smother: We were against some incredibly tough competition (shout out to the Stoke music scene) but we were given an incredible amount of support from family, friends & fans that propelled us through the competition all the way through to the unbelievable moment we won.
We’d like to give a special shout out to 2x4 WMBD who are another awesome band from the Stoke City Hardcore scene who played with us in the final & absolutely smashed it, a great band you should definitely check out. And The Underground, the absolute best independent music venue a local band could ask for, they’ve supported us since day one and we thank them for giving us the opportunity to enter this competition in the first place and have, in turn, played such an integral part in us playing Bloodstock. This is a venue that most of us grew up in and have played in many other bands there over the years and we can all say for certain, none of our bands would’ve gotten to where they were without The Underground and their team, special shout outs to Lee Barber & Jord Jennings, total local legends.
The Razor's Edge: What does playing at Bloodstock mean to you?
Smother: It’s insane to us. We never could have imagined that after only 6 months since we officially completed our line up, we’d be preparing to play one of the biggest metal festivals in the UK.
We have members in this band who’ve been through some pretty rough times in the past few years, this band has been an escape for them to pour themselves into and that has been one of the main reasons why we’ve progressed so fast. As a band we have put so much blood, sweat and tears into making sure we’re always the absolute best version of smother, because we know we’ve got something special here. And above all else, we are absolutely honoured to be representing Stoke City Hardcore and the wider Stoke Music scene at Bloodstock. To fly the flag for what is an often overlooked, but nonetheless incredible local music scene with so many creative, talented & passionate people involved, it is not something we take lightly. We know that a lot of people, especially our amazingly dedicated fans will be watching in anticipation and I only hope we do them proud. No, we will do them proud.
The Razor's Edge: For people who’ve never seen you live, what can they expect at Bloodstock?
Smother: Our sets have become infamous in the local scene for their intense energy, oppressive atmosphere & unrelenting heaviness. And the set we’re preparing for Bloodstock is the biggest & most aggressive so far. No gimmicks. Just hard mosh music with a variety of unique twists to keep you on your toes.
The Razor's Edge: What day are you performing?
Smother: We’re playing Friday. We can’t announce our set time yet but keep an eye on the New Blood Stage around Midday.
The Razor's Edge: What other bands are you looking forward to watching at Bloodstock this year?
Smother: Main bands for us would be Malevolence, Whitechapel, Hatebreed, Deicide, Cauldron, Grove Street, but we’ll be checking out as many bands as we can across the weekend.
The Razor's Edge: Playing the New Blood Stage is just the first steppingstone in a bands journey. What’s next in your plans for world domination?
Smother: Funnily enough we’re going into the studio to record our EP only a day after Bloodstock ends, so that’s the big immediate focus. Our debut single was a song that Liam, Tom & Jacob wrote around 3 years ago, before smother had officially formed. Whereas the new songs for the EP are songs we’ve worked on over the past 6 months and we’re so excited to show everyone the amount of growth and hard work we’ve put in to make this EP something truly special and leagues apart from anything you’ve heard from us before. Keep an eye on our socials at the end of this year (@smother.hc).
Aside from that the plan is to play as many shows as possible. We want to play outside of Stoke in as many cities as we can both before & after the EP drops so if you’re a promoter reading this, hit us up.
The Razor's Edge: Are you camping with the fans? Which campsite are you heading for?
Smother: We’re still not entirely sure on our camping plans, we’ve been too busy putting in as much time as possible into making our set truly Bloodstock worthy. But partying with the fans is always on the cards.
The Razor's Edge: It’s festival weekend, what’s your food vendor of choice on site?
Smother: Gotta keep it classic with a sweaty burger from a random van when we’re about 6 pints deep. Followed by a smoke & a milkshake. Bliss.
The Razor's Edge: See you at Bloodstock this wekend!
Smother: See you there, make sure to check us out!
