Returning for a third year, StormBreakers hits Bathgate’s Dreadnought Rock to give new bands the chance to play Winter Storm’s main stage and follow in the footsteps of alumni Everyday Heroes. With five bands set to take to the Dreadnought’s stage, and the running order not revealed until the night itself, just like last year, we’re giving you an advance look at who you can expect to perform. It’s always been a great night, full of new discoveries to be made and while only one band can win the top prize, we reckon you’ll be leaving with a handful of new favourite bands.
Today, we’ve got another of this year’s Bloodstock line-up tackling the StormBreakers iteration of our #RoadTo questions after they nicely answered our BOA ones!
Brora Wolf
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Airdrie and Coatbridge, in central Scotland.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
The two Chris’ and Paul have been there since our inception, but we’ve gone through a few singers for various reasons. But Blake’s been around for nearly a year now and is settled well.
Where does the name of the band come from?
A small fishing town in the north-east of Scotland called Brora. It’s allegedly where the last wild wolf of Scotland was hunted down and killed. I guess we all feel kindred spirits with a hunted pariah on some level.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Chris Mac: We are a rock band but a rock band who aren’t afraid to play what we feel is right, we don’t do music by numbers, we won’t fit in to any one category.
Paul: I’m not entirely sure I could be objective about that. It’s undeniably in the hard rock/bluesy world but I don’t hear anything quite like us out there right now. Maybe it’s the storytelling we try to go for in our lyrics. It’s probably the most stark thing I can think of.
What’s your live show like? How are you hoping to impress the judges?
Chris Mac: Our music has an honesty about it and that’s what I think you get from our shows, four guys up there loving what we’re doing, no pretence, just an honest performance that will get you hooked.
Paul: We’re an old fashioned rock band live. 4 instruments and voices played loud, well (we hope) and ionately. I think doing it that way gives a certain energy and unpredictability that can’t be beaten. There’s no click track or anything so it’s all wild and in the moment.
Have you been to Winter Storm before?
Chris Mac: Unfortunately, no. I did buy tickets for it last year but due to how busy I was at work I totally forgot all about it. It wasn’t until a few weeks after the show that I found the e-mail in my gigs folder.
Paul: I haven’t personally, but I’ve never met someone who has that didn’t say how amazing it was. It’s big boots to fill!
How did you hear about StormBreakers? What prompted you to enter?
Chris Mac: For me there are a few reasons, as a band we are reluctant to take part in battle of the bands but I’ve been to both StormBreakers and in my opinion, on the night, the correct bands have won. We’ve also worked with Mark Robinson in the past and when he sent us the invite we found it difficult to refuse. Finally, I’ve been to more than a few gigs at the Dreadnought and it’s high on my list of venues to play, almost the perfect storm you might say.
Paul: It’s one of the biggest events in the rock scene in the UK so its always been in our sights as a goal. The fact we’re now getting to do it is amazing and proof of how far we’ve come.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Chris Mac: Our set is designed to bring you to a climax we start gently and get heavier, darker and faster as we progress through our set.
Paul: A progression from classic rock into the utter madness that is Brora Wolf, getting heavier as we drag you down the rabbit hole with us!
Other than yourselves, who are you most looking forward to watch perform at StormBreakers?
Chris Mac: Having been to the last two StormBreakers as a fan, I found it difficult to choose a winner prior to the event on the night. However, Anchor Lane and Everyday Heroes deserved to win it. This year, I feel we’re the under dogs, but these pups come with a bite. It’s going to be a great night with some great music, each band is slightly different so I can’t pick one over the other.
Paul: There’s not a single one of the bands that’s not great. That’s the best part about an event like this: it’s a great show from kick off to finish. So I couldn’t pick a particular favourite.
What’s been the highlight of the band’s career so far?
Chris Mac: Opening for Concrete Kingdom at Ivory Blacks, with Empyre and Tomorrow Is Lost.
Paul: Its definitely going to be StormBreakers. This is the biggest thing we’ve ever been a part of. We’re getting radio play literally internationally because this is such a hotly contested area. It’s a real buzz for us all!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Chris Mac: At a Faith No More gig in Glasgow, The intro to a song (very drunk, maybe “Evidence”) kicks in and Mike Paton disappears off stage. He returns wearing only a well-placed sock! As rock and metal fans, we’ve seen worse, that is until he decides he wants to go crowd surfing as he makes to jump in to the crowd, the audience parted like the red sea. Fortunately, he stopped short of doing himself some real damage.
What are you working on at the moment/your plans for the rest of the year?
Chris Mac: We have recorded our first single in our current format and we’re going through the process of getting it mixed and mastered. We also have some feelers out for gigs and festivals but at the moment nothing has come to fruition.
Paul: We’re in the process of mixing our first single, so there’ll be a video to go with that at some point before the end if the year, I would have thought. And then hopefully a massive gig to rehearse for in November!
Brora Wolf: official | facebook | reverbnation | youtube
