Albums, Gigs, Projects: An Interview with Broadsea
by Rory Buccheri
On their way to their brand new UK tour and preparing for the Fudge Awards, Broadsea discloses their hopes, fears and projects with the Gaudie.
A dynamic blend of atmospheric post-rock and experimentation, with vibrant touches reminiscent of Biffy Clyro, Aberdeen-based band Broadsea like to play, experiment and reinvent themselves every time. After the release of the single ‘A Space Devoid’, Broadsea’s second EP is on its way and we have spoken to three of the members to have a wee sneak-peek of their new project.
What’s the background of the sound of Broadsea? And what’s your ‘chosen’ track?
Kieran (Drums): Having similar grounds is good, you know what sound you’re going for and how you’d like to shape it. Despite the fact that we didn’t share the same exact music taste and background, some sounds appealed best to us, Biffy Clyro above all.
Philip (Vocals/Guitar): Biffy Clyro was where I started, I went to a gig with some of my friends in secondary school and it’s been a huge change for me since then. As soon as I heard those guitar tones… I knew I wanted to play and create that.
Nathan (Guitar): About our chosen track, I’d say ‘Aros’ perfectly showcases different elements of Broadsea.
Philip: Yeah, ‘Aros’ is 100% Broadsea start to finish. It captures the true core of the band – the structure is completely different from what you’d expect: it’s an intro-intro-intro, it just starts again and again, it feels like a cycle, a build-up, a climax.
And what’s new in the second EP?
Philip: We’ve put a lot of new ideas in the new EP. We’re playing different time signatures now, which is a first for us.
Nathan: We’ve been messing with different tempo changes, varying sounds and playing with the beat… we want our audience to lose the beat!
How was the process of recording the 2nd EP compared to the first one? Any pressure?
Kieran: It was a smoother process overall, it just flowed way better. Taking time to be together and write music again was amazing. We spent much of last year just playing shows, so it was actually good to be together in a room and just jam…We got our songs spot on before they got edited.
Philip: Yes, it was much easier, especially ‘cause we learned from our mistakes from last time. And the amazing setup made it easier to achieve the exact result we had in mind. There was no space for pressure, the excitement about the new songs was dominating the atmosphere and we were looking forward to get them down!
Nathan: It’s so much easier when you know the people you’re working with because they already know your sound. Also, to me personally it felt like we were stricter with ourselves, but there was less pressure from outside.
But it’s not over: Broadsea has been nominated in three different categories in a milestone gig for local bands: the Fudge Awards.
Nathan: We’re very excited about it. We’ve attended the Fudge Awards for the past years and now it’s awesome to be nominated for Best ‘Alternative’ Act, Best Video and Best Live Act.
Philip: Especially Best Live Act. We care a lot about our live gigs. The secret is, whatever the gig and whatever the audience, to never take it for granted.
Kieran: I’d say the best part is playing for different crowds. This is what we’re looking forward to in our upcoming UK tour starting next month. We’re super hyped about both the Fudge Awards and the tour.
What’s next after the Fudge Awards?
Nathan: We’ll be on tour from the 29th of March starting in Elgin, pretty much until mid-April with the last tour date in Whitchurch. We’ll be organising our setlist before that, get stuff sorted out with rehearsals and merch. It’s going to be a busy time!
Kieran: Now everything’s pretty much set for our second EP – it will be out within the next month, surely before our tour… Stay tuned!
