Spitfire – Fresh Act March 2017

Rory, Luca and Barry hail from Antwerp, Belgium, and together they are SPITFIRE, our new Fresh Act of the month.

Who are you – could you introduce yourself and all of the band members?
We are SPITFIRE, an Antwerp based Groove-Rock Power Trio!

How did you meet each other, and when and why did you form this band?
We met each other while making music for a television series called ‘Crimi Clowns’ which aired on Belgian television.

How would you describe your musical style, and how did this style develop? What are your musical roots and influences?
We describe it as groove-rock. For us the groove is always the focus. In the beginning we were using rap vocals because our initial influences were Rage Against The Machine, Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach.. those kind of bands. As we progressed we altered the vocals to a more ‘singing’ voice. But the groove is still the main element we watch over. Nowadays people often compare our style with Royal Blood, Wolfmother, Queens of The Stone Age, sometimes even a hint of Tool…

Was it a particular incident or song that inspired you to become a musician?
I can’t really remember exactly but I think I was at a friend’s house who had a drumset, started banging it… and never stopped!

In which bands have you played before? Do you all still have other side projects?
I’ve played in several bands throughout the years, with the most successful being NUDEX, which was a live electro-rockband. That was a lot of fun too. But now my focus lies with SPITFIRE and none of us have any side-projects for the time being.

How do you write your music and lyrics, is it teamwork?
Most of the time the bass player and me (the drummer) come up with ideas and we send it to the guitar player to write lyrics to it. Later on it gets molded into a real song in the rehearsal room.

Is there a particular philosophy behind your works, or where do you get your inspiration from?
We try to build some kind of concept around the band visually as well as sound wise. In the songs and artwork of our debut album we also tried to think of it as a concept. For this album we came up with ‘State of Mind’ with a Rorschach test for the album cover. The songs on the album can all relate to that one way or another… For a following album I’m sure we’ll find a new concept so that the image of the band stays fresh.

How did you come up with the band name – is there a story behind it?
We love the sound of it since the first time it came in our minds. We’ve had some other temporary names in the beginning like ‘The Smokes’, ‘Cut To The Chase’, ‘Nerdquake’ … but that was while we were still searching for the ‘spark’ you feel when you know you’ve found it.

What is it like in your country to be a Rock / Metal band (playing the particular style you are playing)?
We are a pretty loud rockband but we don’t fully belong to the Metal Scene nor to the Pop Scene. We are somewhere in the middle… which can be a good thing or a bad thing. At least we can play festivals in both genres!

What are your goals, dreams, what do you want to achieve with your music?
First we want to release our debut album and promote it in Belgium and the Netherlands. From there on we will also try to build some contacts in the UK and Germany to play some shows. Within 2 years we want a new album and a big bang in mainstream music land!

What are you doing ”in real life”, when you are not making music?
We all have a job but not in the entertainment business, except for the bass player who is working at a production company.

Are you looking for a record company or would you prefer to stay in the DoItYourself mode?
Sure, why not? For the moment we are very much DIY just because we don’t want to wait for the industry to pick us up. If we put a lot of effort in our own product, eventually people will notice! At the right time a label will surely be helpful to further spread the word…

What should an ideal record company do for you?
They should be excited about what we do!

What are your live shows like? What´s the perfect venue/show for you?
Our live shows are energetic displays of raw power smacking kicks in da face! or in any other order.. if you like.

If you could freely choose a band to tour with, who would it be, and why?
We wouldn’t mind playing a support slot for a band like Wolfmother. We have a weakness for 3 piece bands 😉 Oh and Muse may call us any time as well!

What are your plans in the (near) future?
Our debut album has recently been released, so exciting times are ahead for us!

http://spitfireband.be/EPK.html
https://www.facebook.com/MUSIC.SPITFIRE/
photos: www.dgshootsraw.com