For those people that haven’t heard of InAir could you tell us a bit about yourself, your story?
We all have known each other for some time as we used to go to shows back when we were in school at our local venue The Facebar. We saw some great acts there such as Don Broco, Lower Than Atlantis, Royal Blood, Deaf Havana plus loads more in a 150 cap venue! After uni, we were all back in Reading started to work on some songs together using a wide spectrum of ideas that excited us, we played a few shows, recorded a single, played some more shows, then recorded our debut EP, then toured, then another EP and are now doing more shows supporting that second EP ‘Dreamful’.
Who inspired you to get on stage and perform?
So many different artists! Linkin Park are a big influence on us and their live shows were always phenomenal. Also seeing the rise of bands from playing a small venue in our hometown to Academies, arenas and huge festivals is really inspiring, just seeing that development and growth in songwriting, musicianship and live show.
Are there any particular artists or albums that have stuck with you and inspired you?
We all have a wide range of influences. Joe, our lead singer/bassist, loves ‘Meteora’ by Linkin Park, every track could have been a single and it still doesn’t sound dated despite being released in 2003! Aaron (guitar/backing vocals) has always loved ‘The Poison’ by Bullet for My Valentine for him it really has that contrast of heavy moments and delicate vocals. Connor our drummer is a huge Kanye West (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is his favourite) fan but as for influence on our sound ‘From Under The Cork Tree’ by Fall Out boy is something he still drums along too!
Could you tell us a bit about the writing/recording of the ReverbNation winning track Chemicals?
The song was inspired by how we were feeling at a certain moment in time and a conversation Aaron and Joe had on the way to a small show. Joe came up with the bulk of the track lyrics and chords, with Aaron tweaking a few bits in some of our late-night songwriting sessions at UK Live Sound studio in Reading. Connor then, as he often does, helped with the arrangement and tightened a few parts up. Finally, we worked with our producer/recording engineer Simon Jackman to ensure the structure was snappy (an area we feel we’ve really grown from our debut EP) and to really bring out the sounds in our heads for the final product. For us, it was the obvious first single for our EP ‘Dreamful’ and always feels massive live.
Are there any current plans to release a new EP or album?
We are currently writing some new songs, lots of ideas flying about some are sounding really exciting – others may never see the light of day. We’ve been exploring different sounds to give the next releases something that sounds like InAir but with the growth, we’ve had as people and musicians since writing the last EP. Some tracks are sounding more ‘poppy’, some are sounding really filthy and heavy, some are very electronic, others less so – whilst we are still in the creative exploring phase for our next release no ideas are off the table.
What’s the most interesting venue you have performed at?
Percy’s Cafe in Whitchurch is definitely one of the most memorable. Not only is Mark, the promoter, a fantastic guy but the bar staff are lovely and the sound engineers have been spot on too. Oh, and there is a stained glass window next to the stage, a vintage dentist chair, a few taxidermy tigers, church alter, airplane chair and many other amazing quirky things. So much character at that venue!
What do you think is missing from today’s music industry?
Perhaps we are biased, but more people need to come down to shows! There is a lot of really exciting talent out there, people will pay £4/£5 for a drink at the bar but sniff at paying £5/£7 to come in a see some bands. Maybe you won’t like all of the bands, but you might like one, you might find your new favourite, maybe you’ll get to be that guy ‘oh I saw them 10 years ago when no one knew them’ – either way, if you enjoy music then paying that to see some bands in a genre you enjoy should be natural? Don’t just say ‘support the scene’ go out and do it. Go to a show. Work/volunteer at a venue. Get involved.
Here at Artistic Echoes, we are always on the lookout for new artists do you have anyone to recommend?
Our friends in Lastelle have been picking up some really good shows this year. The music has always been ace but great to see them getting about with some other great bands.
Our producers’ band ‘Veridian’ consistently have released some finely crafted tracks and if you don’t know them definitely check it out.
What plans do you have for the rest of the year?
We are in the process of confirming lots of shows for the rest of the year, whilst continuing to work on new music. We have a vague timeline for when we’d like to release a new song but for the time being, I’d recommend keeping an eye on our Facebook and Insta for some show announcements for the rest spring into summer.
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
