aaamusic | On 17, Jan 2015

Who are you and where are you from?

In 2009, a crack commando band was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Welsh music underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as musicians of fortune. If you have a problem… if no one else can help… and if you can find them… maybe you can hire… The Undivided.

What inspired you to get into music?

We’ve all been playing music as long as we can remember and it’s always been a huge part of our lives. It’s difficult to imagine what we’d be doing if not music. I’ve got the band Spotify blaring in the background right now as it happens! Looking through some of the playlists we have on the go it’s really interesting to see how all our different influences come together. We all have a shared love of lots of bands like Feeder, The Manics, Young Guns… but then we also all have completely different influences that probably subconsciously shape our sound massively. Joe (Vocals/guitar) might be singing along to Twin Atlantic while Rhyd (drums) is blasting out Korn at full tilt. Somehow it all does come together though…

What have you done?

Last year was pretty eventful! We finished writing and recording our debut full length album, This New Day. It’s something we are all incredibly proud of and sounds bigger and better than anything we’ve done before it. The album has really opened up some new doors and some of the shows we have been playing recently have been fantastic. Still on a bit of an adrenalin come-down after playing to a packed out room in Cardiff supporting Kids In Glass Houses on the first date of their farewell tour last year. Lots more of that to come…

What are you like live?

We’ve really stepped up our game recently on the stage. The new songs really breathe live and we do lose ourselves a bit. It can get really hot throwing our guitars around. We are really enjoying the live shows right now as the crowds are growing and getting more interactive with us. That and we never know what Craig (bass) is gonna come out with next (Hi, Wycombe!).

What makes you different?

We won’t claim to be reinventing the wheel, but we definitely put our own spin on the alt-rock sound. We are big on dynamics and Joe can write a vocal hook like nobody else I know. We’ve seen people come up to us still singing a chorus line after the first time they see us and stuff like that always makes a night great for us. We aren’t afraid to show some of our older-school influences and can happily drop a U2 guitar line over a filthy modern rock riff. We are starting to branch out and find a few more like-minded bands. It’s interesting because I couldn’t name too many bands who sound like us but at the same time we can fit onto a stage with an indie band or a heavier rock band and still hold our own.

Physical vs Downloading vs Streaming…How do you listen to music?

I said earlier that I’m listening to Spotify now and it’s a great way to discover new music. I’ve found so many new bands I never would have without online services. But I’m still a sucker for a physical CD or Vinyl. It’s cool seeing a lot of bands start to do both – like how Radiohead did a high-quality download with their newspaper album, but also included a vinyl and CD. Options for people on the go and people who love having the art and something to show off on their CD rack…

What have you been listening to?

I’m in a bit of a heavy mood recently and have been playing a lot of Baroness. I love them because they do these huge fuzzy riffs but there is loads of ambience too which I’m really into. But we have all been very influenced recently by Young Guns and that’s probably coming through in our writing already.

What are your aspirations for the future?

We are back in our HQ writing constantly now for our next album. It’s anybody’s guess how it’s gonna sound yet, but we are really enjoying writing with Craig as he didn’t play on This New Day. This year is already shaping up to be a really busy one and we are stepping up our plans up by the minute. But I couldn’t say more just yet…

Questions answered by: Lew (Guitar) of The Undivided…