It’s that time of year where we set out to interview as many of the Sophie, New Blood, and Jager bands as we can in the lead-up to one of the most anticipated festivals of the year, Bloodstock. Answering our questions here are Godless Suns who play the Jagermeister Stage on Friday.
Simple things first. Where are you guys from?
We’re from South-East London.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Four years total, we were gigging for the first year under a different name though. Prior to that Sarah and I (Pete) played for Bloodstock alumni ZOCALO.
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Where does the name of the band come from?
The band name comes from a love of sci-fi and theology, the idea that other worlds aren’t held under the notion that they were created by an omnipotent being and the exploration of that idea, not anti-religion, more pro-thought.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
It’s so hard to be truly unique these days without being so far off the wall you dilute the idea of music and it becomes more a performance art thing. Nothing wrong with that though. For us, we just want to be the best we can be at what we love, playing big heavy riffs and telling stories.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Our set this year takes the form of a story, which, considering in its full form is around the 45-minute mark, has been a challenge to get down to a 30 minute set time. I think we’ll be fine though. As to why people would watch us instead of another band. I suppose it would have to do with what kind of music turns you on, we’re slow, riff-based storytellers with plenty of groove, if that’s your jam then we’ll see you there.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Personally (Pete) this will be my 10th visit to the hallowed grounds of Bloodstock and can say unequivocally that it’s my favorite festival in the 30 years of festivaling(?). The sense of family is unparalleled, the amount of talent, especially unsigned, is unmatched. No wonder so many of us call it ‘Home’.
When/how did you find out you’d been selected to play at Bloodstock?
Back in early May this year the sexy Mr. Hall put out a post on social media that he was looking for acts to fill the Jagermeister stage and that if bands were interested they should him ASAP. So we did. I knew Simon had seen us play back in December 2019 with Boss Keloid, Famyne, and a few others and hoped he ed. So, just lucky I guess.
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What sort of set-list can we expect?
A 30 minute set of stoner doom, packed with riffs dripping with groove, set to a story about mankind’s fall from grace and the discovery of self belief. I hope people dig it even though it is abridged somewhat to fit into the 30 minute stage time.
Which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
In no particular order: Sail, Conan, Raging Speedhorn, Garganjua, Jinjer. But given that no stage times have been announced yet we can’t say for sure which if any we would miss.
What are you working on at the moment?
Still trying to get our debut album finished off. Thanks to Covid19 restrictions over the last 18 months we’ve not been able to get into the studio in any meaningful way. It’s so frustrating and I’m sure we’re not alone in that. However that said, we hope to have it fully recorded and finished by year’s end. Fingers crossed.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Seen, that would be at Donington Monsters of Rock ‘95, the bottle fight before Metallica blotted out the sky for a good 10 minutes, that was hairy as hell..
Done. Personally, that would be yeeting myself off the stage into the crowd mid-song, bass in hand (I was a bassist back then) stacking it on a beer-soaked floor and fracturing my elbow, finishing the show, getting home, and not realizing until the morning after by being woken up feeling like my arm was on fire. 22-year-old resistance to pain I suppose!
What drink do you throwback to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
I don’t. I can’t play for sh*t if I’m drunk. I think I play better, but I really don’t! But if you were to force one into my hand I’ll take a nice cold lager or a double bourbon over ice, cheers.
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Header image by Ya Cheng Photography
