Wicked Snakes have just released their new album Sleep Dance. We caught up with their singer Luke ahead of the release to find out a bit more – see what happened below.
Can you introduce yourself and tell me a bit about the band?
My name’s Luke and I sing in a band called Wicked Snakes. We formed Snakes in August of last year as a complete departure from anything we’d ever done before musically. I’d say the best way to describe our sound is psychedelic doom rock, trippy and spacey but heavy in all of the right places.
You’re currently getting ready to release your debut album Sleep Dance – how did you approach the writing and recording process?
We started writing Sleep Dance whilst we were gearing up for the release of Lead Me To The Sun, so it was all a little bit confusing for a couple of months, trying to keep our heads in the game with the debut record and trying to push for a complete departure with our new writing. We hid away for a fair few months in our Birmingham lockup, in between tours we’d try to write as much as we could so we were almost ‘spoilt for choice’ when it came to selecting tracks for the debut album.
Were there any tracks that were a bit more of a challenge to perfect?
There were a couple of tracks that put me on the edge of a mental breakdown in the vocal booth. Cold Moon Rise was extremely challenging due to its stripped back, raw yet floaty nature, as was Dream In Paralysis for the same reasons. Ain’t got no time for bum notes!
Which track are you most proud of?
Personally, Wonder And Delirium or Cold Moon Rise. Although, there isn’t a track on the record that I’m not proud of.
Do you have any interesting studio stories?
Whilst recording Sleep Dance, in 11/12 days, we got through around 500 beers and 12 bottles of red wine. Creative juices and all that. It helped.
Would you say it follows on from your EP Lead Me To The Sun, or is it more of a standalone piece?
I’d say that realistically Sleep Dance is a standalone piece. It is an entirely incredible departure from the EP, and not to take anything away from Lead Me To The Sun, we intended it to be so.
Moving onto live shows, how would you describe a Wicked Snakes show to someone who hasn’t seen you live before?
Don’t expect a frontman who’ll be getting in your face, stomping, spitting and screaming or a crowd-surfing guitarist. That shit just isn’t us. Embrace the vibe. We often have cool lighting too. And I always seem to spill a beer, somehow.
What’s the best show you’ve ever played?
Hard to say really. We played a great show in Cheltenham back in June in the basement of a cafe. Unfortunately since then, the venue’s closed its doors but that was a really sick night. Packed out room and good food and beer. It’s one of the reasons we’ve chosen to have the Sleep Dance release show in Cheltenham.
And perhaps the strangest or weirdest?
We played a venue in Sheffield where we had to store all of our rigs and gear in a disabled toilet. That place was rubbish.
If you could play anywhere in the world, on any lineup, what would you choose?
Personally, it would have to be Wembley Stadium with Baroness, Mastodon, Queens Of The Stone Age as main support and Pink Floyd headlining. Or, were we talking realistic lineups?
And finally if Wicked Snakes could put their name to a product, what would it be?
Anything that rhymes with ‘snakes’. Wicked Cakes for the sweet-tooths, Wicked Bakes would be a shit Greggs, Wicked Shakes for all of your dairy needs, Wicked Lakes for the tourists and Wicked Steaks for the carnivores.
Wicked Snakes: Website|Facebook|Twitter
