Surrender The Coast - Interview

Andy Connelly - Vocals
Gage Barton Long - Bass
Dave Griffiths - Guitar
Nick Lee Shield - Guitar
Dan Barton - Drums

They describe themselves as "five lads from Leicester playing Hardcore", but there's a bit more to the story then just that. Most of "Surrender The Coast" have been in bands together before, actually, very good promising bands (bands that I actually enjoyed watching), so it comes as no surprise that this end result has a very hard experienced edge to it. With the impending release of their excellent EP, "Breaking Morals & Losing Morale" nearly upon us, we speak to their drummer Dan Barton.

How did the band form, and how did you come up with the name "Surrender The Coast"?

We have all been around the Leicester music scene for what feels like a very long time, playing in different bands. Most of the lads played in bands together before, after previous bands fell through, a fresh start was made with Surrender The Coast. I'm actually the odd one out as I met the rest of the band through a mutual friend and an interest in the same musical style. We were originally a 6 piece with two vocalists, but parted ways with our clean vocalist, leading to our new, more hardcore sound. Anyone who heard our first EP 'Avert Your Eyes' will definitely hear a change with the new material. The name Surrender The Coast is related to WW2 and the D-Day Landings.

How would you describe your music to those who haven't heard your band yet, and who have been your main inspirations musically?

I would describe our music as, 'Passionate and Energetic UK Hardcore' with influences such as Dead & Divine, While She Sleeps, Bury Tomorrow, Your Demise, and Of Mice & Men.

Your EP "Breaking Morals & Losing Morale" is due out on the 3rd of February (and it's free for those who turn up to your gig on the 3rd February at Leicester's Sumo venue), can you tell us about the tracks on it, and the stories behind them (what inspired them)?

When we parted ways with our clean vocalist, it proved a very difficult time for the band. Don't get me wrong, it was a mutual decision, but we were still faced with a mountain to climb as we were basically back to square one. The majority of the songs on the new EP are based around the reasons for the split, how we felt at the time, and the huge task of getting back to full strength.

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What for you personally have been the highlights with "Surrender the Coast"?

My personal highlight would be the whole experience of the 10 day tour we did in March/April 2010. The van barely worked, It was too cold to sleep, and we had to visit local swimming pools for a wash, but I wouldn't change any of it.

We've seen some really great bands come to Leicester and get pretty poor audience turnouts, is it true that Leicester is a notoriously hard city to get people off their bottoms to a see a gig locally? If so why do you think that's the case?

I would say that is true to a certain extent, I think it has something to do with the fact we don't have a flagship venue in the city bringing big bands week in, week out. Nottingham has Rock City, Coventry has The Kasbah.. Lets hope the new O2 Leicester can fill the gap. When the O2 bought Bring Me The Horizon, Parkway Drive, Architects, and The Devil Wears Prada to Leicester, they proved that if you book the right bands, the crowds will turn out. Bringing big bands into the City would also help raise the profile of some of the excellent local bands we have.

It seems that even the big Record Labels are struggling to get to grips with the "industry", do you think this makes for more opportunities for new bands to control things for themselves, or does it add more pressure on to them, making it more difficult to reach audiences etc?

The Music industry is one which will always change as technology advances, look at the transition from vinyl, to tape, to CD, to MP3. The advances we have seen over the past 10/15 years are amazing and now mean that one person can produce an extremely professional track at home in their bedroom, surely this has to be great for music as it allows more people to get involved. It is really awesome that bands can now go a huge way whilst still unsigned, however I'm sure there will always be a place for record labels in the industry.

When we interviewed Amity Afflictions Troy Brady, he was saying that the money now isn't in CD sales, but in tours and merchandise, would you agree with that, and why do you think that's the case?

I would say that is definitely true, we were having this discussion at band practice the other day. I remember only a few years ago I would go into Rockaboom and buy a new album at least once a week, simply because that was how I heard new bands.. These days I think the first thing someone does when checking out a new band is to search on YouTube, if they like the band they might then download the album, ideally from iTunes, or otherwise..without paying a penny for it. Again, this is down to advances in technology, however not in a positive way..

New Years Resolutions, do you bother making them, and if so what have been yours for 2012?

I've not bothered! I'd only end up breaking it!

Do any of you have any musical bad habits (like slinging the thumb over the guitar neck for a G Chord)?

Nick's a big fan of being loud... maybe a too loud sometimes.

Dave and Gage are very energetic on stage, but combined with a poor sense of balance... we have a lot of falls.

Andy likes to fill gaps by reporting on the week's sporting events.

I go through drumsticks like they are balsa wood.

What's the one bit of music gear you just couldn't live without and have some sort of other brand as a replacement?

I think the only thing i can think of is that for quite a while now I have only used Zildjian Cymbals, I don't see myself using any other brand in the future.

What are the plans for this coming year for "Surrender the Coast"?

The start of the year is going to be very busy for us with a new video, single, and EP coming out. We will always be gigging as much as possible, wherever we can! At some point this year we will be going on tour again!

You can find their Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/surrenderthecoast