Meet Dead Beat, the brand new punk outfit to come out of the UK. Consisting of members from other bands and musical projects, this exciting line up have got a lot in store for their first year as a band.
Having only recently launched their profile, the band has immediately premièred their first track ‘Punk Rock Con,’ a song that perfectly encompasses everything that Dead Beat is about; think Propagandhi crosses Rise Against and you’re along the right lines. Impressively they have already managed to build up a strong fan base having been in the forefront of talk with many punk fans, which hopes for a promising future for the quintet.
Already Heard caught up with Ben Mills, front man and also member of The Smoking Hearts to hear about his new side project, their new track ‘Punk Rock Con,’ what else is in store for the band and more.
Already Heard: Could you please introduce yourself and your role in Dead Beat?
Dead Beat: I’m Ben, and I sing for the punk band Dead Beat.
AH: How did Dead Beat form?
DB: It was a bit of a fluke. My other band The Smoking Hearts played Hevy Festival this Summer and the session guitarist from the band before us, (I think they were called Reachback) happened to play with our drum tech (Matt Marlow) in a wedding band haha! So they were talking about how they wanted to do something a bit more serious. So Richie (Cooper) and Marlow started putting a band together of all the best people for the job – that’s when they recruited Joey (Black) and Craig (Stacey). I got wind of it and jumped at the chance to work with them.
AH: Are any of you in other bands and has this influenced Dead Beat’s sound in any way?
DB: Well I sing in The Smoking Hearts, Richie plays in Reachback (and Happy Hour with Marlow – the best wedding band in the UK), Joey plays in Shortcuts and Craig plays with himself haha. I don’t think it’s influenced our sound but it’s definitely influenced our approach to song writing and being in a band.
AH: How would you describe your sound in one sentence?
Dead Beat: Punk as Fuck, Fast as Hell and Catchy as the Common Cold.
AH: Who would you say that your main influences are?
Dead Beat: I don’t think we can say we have a main influence, but there are elements of Bad Religion, A Wilhelm Scream, Sick Of It All, Black Flag, NOFX, Rise Against and Pennywise amongst others .
AH: You’ve recently released your first track as a band called ‘Punk Rock Con,’ what are the meanings behind it?
DB: Meanings, haha I dunno I just write what I’m feeling at the time. This song is about the shit we get spoon-fed by mainstream music press and TV channels. The mass marketed “Punks” and sell outs that stop great bands making a dent in the world of music.
AH: When can fans expect to hear more new tracks?
DB: The end of December. We’ll have 2 tracks that are being released digitally and on a 7" and a new music video. We have our first EP pretty much written, but don’t expect to see that till March/April next year as I’m going to be away with The Smoking Hearts. Our album ‘Victory!’ finally gets a release at the beginning of 2013.
AH: Having never played a show together before, what do you hope to bring to your live performances?
DB: Who knows. I think people are gonna expect another The Smoking Hearts live, but I don’t think Richie and Craig can move that much being in their 50’s, haha. Just expect a tight fun performance.
AH: When and where can fans see you live in the next couple of months?
DB: We’re playing on the 7th December for the Lightening To The Nations launch party.
AH: London is a big city that has some thriving venues, which ones would you love to play?
DB: Luckily our first ever show will be at our collective favourite venue; The Underworld in Camden. I just played a sold out show there with AxeWound and The Smoking Hearts and it was insane!
AH: Are there any notable bands from London that you think we should check out?
DB: London? The Social Club, Deathskulls, CB6, Aghast! are the most local to London I can think of. But check out Marmozets if you haven’t already. That band are pure energy.
AH: What’s next for Dead Beat?
DB: Get the 7"/ digital releases out and film the video and then play some shows. Then record the EP. We’re in no rush, but we want to bring DEAD BEAT to the masses as soon as possible.
AH: Any final words?
DB: Get onto YouTube and listen to ‘Punk Rock Con,’ then tell all your friends, and get them to tell all their friends!
Dead Beat links: Official Website|Facebook|Twitter|Youtube
Words by Hannah Gillicker (@HannahGillicker)