I
was asked recently to interview UK Sludge/Doom Filth Merchants –
GARGANJUA
– as I was a fan of their debut EP – Trip Wizard. GARGANJUA
will
be releasing their debut album in early 2016 and by all accounts it's
going to be HEAVY!!!
Before
then I decided to catch up with the guys to see how things are going
with the band and what we can expect from the album. So lets get
started with GARGANJUA!!!
Hi
guys. How are things with you today.
Hello,
We are very well thank you.
So
why did you choose the name GARGANJUA for your band. Any specific
meaning.
Haha
the name came about as we wanted something that sounded MASSIVE, sort
of like Mastodon or Bison haha. We came up with Gargantua originally
but there are a few bands called that already....so we changed one
letter to be "original" haha.
How
did the band get together. Did you all know each other before forming
the band.
We've
all known each other for years and all played together in various
other bands but It started off with Scott and Gaz(bassist) getting
together and recording riffs in Scott's bedroom and that was
basically how Trip Wizard was born. We decided to ask Benj to be
involved as we all have similar musical tastes and it went from there
really. Played a couple of gigs and just really enjoyed it so decided
to record something. We never thought it would get out of the bedroom
to be honest.
How
would you describe your music. Apart from it being pure fucking
heavy.
Musically
I'd describe it as Melodic Doom. There are so many genres and sub
genres that I dont give it much thought but that'd be our
interpretation.
You
released your debut EP – Trip Wizard – last year. How was the
response to that EP. I loved it when I reviewed it for The
Sludgelord.
Trip
Wizard seem to get a positive response which was surprising. I mean,
we loved it but personally, it was very stripped down and basic so I
didn't expect much of a response but it was very positive.
Would
you change anything about it.
We
wouldn't change anything, we had such a blast just jamming and
hanging out, it sort of felt like it used to back in the day when
you're starting your first band. It just flowed and felt great. I
still love listening to it. Probably the best first record I've ever
been a part of.
Apart
from the music itself, I think the album cover makes it stand out.
Shows your wicked sense of humour. Who designed the cover.
Got
to be honest, the artwork was just a really old school public domain
image that we loved haha! We were so keen to get the EP out, we just
found something simple we liked quickly haha.
You're
about to release your debut album soon. Can you give us more details
about that.
The
new album is completely different from Trip Wizard!! A lot has
changed for us in the last 18 months, on various levels and we
started to look at our music differently. We wanted to expand the
sound, explore melody more and lyrically, write about more than just
goblins and wizards. Basically, it's like a different sound all
together now. We got a second guitarist on board which gave us more
to do dynamically and personally, its a game changer.
Its
4 songs and 40 minutes long. We are planning on releasing a "single"
soon and will hopefully release before the end of the year but we
haven't set an official date yet.
Are
you releasing it yourself or have you got a small label to release
it.
The
album is going to be released digitally through Black Bow Records and
physically through Hibernacula Records
How
hard is it being a band in today's world. What are the most difficult
aspects in being in a band.
Being
in a band is tough but it always has been in our opinion. We weren't
playing in bands in the 90's when record labels had cash and getting
signed was deemed as "making it". Things have clearly got
harder in recent years but if you enjoy it, its worth it. We've
always had that attitude.
Some
people say the UK Sludge/Stoner/Doom Metal scene has hit it's peak
and it can't get any bigger. What is your own verdict on the UK
scene.
Our
perception of the UK scene is that it's very strong, probably the
strongest its ever been. There is a definite sense of community in
stoner/doom especially and I think that's down to people still really
having a love for live music. It still feels like days of old when
people would travel to shows, help each other out and generally rep
for each other. Its a great place to be.
How
is the scene like in your home town of Leicester. Do you play gigs
there regularly or do you have to travel further afield.
The
Leicester scene has definitely improved over the last year, there are
a couple of people doing really good work locally for the city which
is great to see but our attitude has always been to travel to
everywhere we can. We've done the whole, week in, week out in your
own back yard type of thing but reaching new audiences and making new
friends is what we like to do.
What
is the song-writing dynamic in the band. Is it a group collective or
down to one individual.
Song-writing
wise, certainly for the new album, the blueprints for the tunes were
done by Scott. They'd be emailed over and if the rest of us liked it,
we'd set to jam the idea out and gradually the fine tuning begins and
everyone will contribute in their own way before the song is
complete. Although I believe the title track was born out of a
spontaneous jam at practice and just grew into the beast it is now
within 2 hours haha. Lyrically is generally a 50/50 job between Gaz
and Scott.
With
you guys being from Leicester. We have to talk about MAGE and the sad
passing of guitarist – Ben Aucott. I spoke to Ben a few times via
Social Media but he was a lovely real genuine guy who I knew did a
lot for the local music scene. How is everyone doing especially the
MAGE guys who I have a lot of time for. Amazing band and people as
well. My condolences to Ben's family and friends at this sad time.
Needless
to say, the loss of Ben shook the local scene massively and has
continued to extend outwards. Collectively we've been jamming within
the same scene as Ben for over 12 years and his previous band with
Andy, Outburst were hugely influential on us growing up. I cannot
imagine the impact its had on the Mage boys but its a great community
and we all chat and are there for each other every step of the way.
Its a day by day thing.
And
your performing on the Ben Aucott memorial gig in November with Mage
and Temple of Lies. How much of an honour is that. Can you give us
more info about that gig.
The
only word to use is 'honour' at being asked to play the memorial
show, we'd have been there regardless anyway but to able to jam it is
obviously extra special and a great way to celebrate Ben's life.
The gig is at Duffys in Leicester on November 28th so come down, jam your balls off and raise a beer to Ben.
Well
guys thanks for doing this interview. Can't wait to hear your debut
album. All the best with Ben's memorial gig. Looks like it's going to
be a top night. Before you go do you have anything to say to your
fans.
Thanks
for your time and the only thing left to say is, keep your eyes
peeled for the album and we also have some tour dates to announce for
early 2016 so hopefully we will see you soon.
Words
by Steve Howe and Gaz Owen
Thanks
to GARGANJUA
for taking the time out to talking to me.
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