We’re running our Unsung Heroes of 2014 competition and Ghosts As Alibis have entered themselves into this. Head to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IKkHtlrDpc to view their entry and like the video to vote for the band. Here’s some info about the band below.
Could you introduce yourself and tell us about your band?
We are Ghosts As Alibis, a post-hardcore, avant-garde, death-pop (with a wee dash of post-metal) band based in Cardiff, South Wales. Our line up consists of Dan Izzet (Vocals/Guitar), Ben Hooper (Guitar), Julian Prothero (Bass), and Pete Baldwin (Drums/Samples).
Our songs centre around a concept involving one mans search for the answers to eternal life and his journey through a fictional City of the Dead and the experiences, trials and losses he endures along the way. Our first EP ‘The Fine Line Between Coincidence and Fate’ and our upcoming mini-album are about the characters he meets and how they will come to play vital roles in a much larger part of his journey. These characters include ‘The Boatman’, ‘The Diver’ and our nameless protagonist’s unlikely allies ‘The Wolves’. We back these stories up with a musical backbone that is energetic, spell-binding, chaotic and beautiful in equal measure.
We spent 2013 releasing a number of digital singles (which are compiled on ‘The Fine Line Between Coincidence and Fate’), the first of which ‘Tarantulas’ was very well received by Miniature Music Press. We also made our live debut and played a number of venues across South Wales and Bristol with bands such as Rolo Tomassi, Bastions, Zinc Bukowski and THISISWRECKAGE.
We are currently in the process of readying a ferocious mini-album titled ‘Where The Desert Meets The Mountains’. Which is going to see a release in May 2014. We also have upcoming shows lined up in Cardiff and Bristol, with more to follow.
When did the band form?
The band was formed in September 2012.
How did the band form?
The band originally started to come together when Julian (deflated from the break up of his then-current band) decided to meet up with his old friend and ex-bandmate Ben. They caught up over a bottle of whiskey and Jules drunkenly decided that he and Ben should start a new band together. Luckily Ben agreed, as long as they could find a drummer! Within three days the they’d met up with Pete. The three then arranged a rehearsal session and found that they gelled well together, the hunt then started for potential vocalists and after a few auditions we quickly settled on Dan, thus Ghosts As Alibis was formed!
Who are your biggest influences?
We are all huge Deftones fans but other influences include The Mars Volta, Glassjaw, Cult Of Luna, Oceansize, Thrice, Million Dead and Reuben. There’s plenty of others but I’d say they’re the major ones.
What’s the biggest show you’ve ever played?
The biggest show we’ve ever played was actually our first! We managed to get a slot supporting Rolo Tomassi in Undertone, Cardiff.
We have also done a number of headlining shows at Le Pub, Newport, where we get to pick the bands that play. The first of which was packed full of people on one of the hottest days of the year, with no air-conditioning, needless to say it was a wee bit sweaty all round! After playing a few of these we’ve managed to start creating a cool little scene in recent times featuring other local bands such as Calling Apollo and Cavalry.
How would you describe your live show to someone who hasn’t seen you yet?
Energetic, chaotic, unpredictable and above all engaging. We do like to give a fair bit of volume live as well. The aim is to make you feel like you’ve been sucked into a musical whirlwind and been spat back out. We’ve also been described as being ‘heavy as a team of Sumo wrestlers wearing lead boots’ when we play live which is nice!
