We may be a little biased and think the best bands come from Wales, but surely the sheer quality of the bands coming from Wales speaks for itself such as The Missive who’re from Rhondda/Aberdare and are no exception to this rule.

This female fronted 5 piece are about to release their recently recorded 4 track EP. I’ve been lucky enough to have a preview of the EP and it’s pretty darn great. Lead track ‘Look Me In The Eye’ is cracking, full of razor sharp riffs and a great melody. Now chuck in some aggressive vocals and a hell of a break down in the middle and what more could you want? We spoke to Mitch and Emma recently about the EP and of course, coming from Wales.

Who are you and what do you do?

Emma: We’re The Missive! I’m Emma and I sing in the band.
Mitch: I’m Mitch and I play guitar and just generally look good.
Emma: Ok Mitch… There’s also Bell who plays bass, Tom who plays guitar and Jeff who plays drums. We didn’t tell them we were doing an interview haha!

How did you get started?

Emma: Pretty much, I woke up one day wanting to start a band. It was just luck that my mates happened to play the instruments that a band needs.
Mitch: Yeah thinking about it, it was just pure luck! We had a drummer before Jeff but parted ways with him and feel the line up has strengthened since.

What have you got going on at the moment?

Mitch: We’ve just recorded our debut EP with Jethro at Mwnci Studios. That’s going to be released very soon and then we’re going to gig, gig, gig.

Favourite music and why?

Emma: I’m loving Failsafe this week but last week I was addicted to Chase The Sunset. We’re all into so much music it’s hard to put my finger on a particular genre.

Favourite book and why?

Mitch: (shocked face) Read? I don’t read.
Emma: Nah, Mitch just doesn’t like wasting valuable brain power. I like “Emma” by Jane Austin, simply because of the title.

Favourite film and why?

Emma: Horror films, especially Zombie horrors.
Mitch: Toy story, naturally. I love pixar.

Best experience in the business?

Mitch: Just being recognised for a good reason! People coming up to you and telling you they love your music is just immense.
Emma: Yeah, I mean that’s what it’s all about. Doing something you love and other people appreciating it.

Why should Soundscape readers care?

Emma: Because we want to be one of the next big bands out of Wales and feel we have what it takes.
Mitch: We need support from anyone who is willing to give it. Look us up, come to a show. You won’t be disappointed.

Tell our readers an interesting fact about the band?

Emma: We don’t play gigs on a Sunday because some members of the band are quite religious.
Mitch: We would play a Sunday though if it was a tour date or the gig was too good to pass up.
Emma: But something even more interesting is that Mitch carries a little rubber duck wherever he goes. He calls it “Da Duck of Doom”.
Mitch: Or DDD if I’m in a rush.

Best thing about coming from Wales?

Mitch: Knowing that so many bands have made it big from around our area.
Emma: Yeah, that is reassuring. We work our asses off and to be even half as established as some of those bands would make the work even more worth while.

Who are your role models/idols?

Emma: Being a female vocalist it’s hard not to look up to Beyonce. She has unbelievable vocal strength. But being a member in a band is completely different. I look up to bands rather than particular members.
Mitch: My biggest inspiration when writing is probably Blessthefall’s Eric Lambert. His style is simple but effective and I try to use that when I pick my guitar up.

Hardest thing about the current business?

Mitch: It’s hard enough trying to get your stuff out there to people, but when local venues are constantly shutting down, Wales’ once amazing rock music scene is dying along with them.
Emma: It’s heart breaking mun. When Barfly shut down, we were all gutted. We played some great shows there. Fingers crossed with bands like Attack!Attack! and Straight Lines making their mark in the world, the music scene will soon find it’s way back home to Wales.

Like Mitch said, it’s definitely worth some of your time to check this band out, they’re on facebook, twitter (www.twitter.com/The_Missive) and Myspace (www.myspace.com/themissive) – so say hello.

Keep an eye out for the EP, which should be out very soon, and you should definitely check them out live, if only to meet “Da Duck Of Doom”!