interview with Upon Those Dying
What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you?
Kage Sheppard on vocals, Samwell Gayne plays the drums,
AJ and Luke Sullivan chug the guitars and James Hardiman slaps the bass!
We are all in our 20's
Where are you from? We are from Cardiff - Wales!
What year did the band form? We formed in November 2015 and started playing shows in March 2016, it's been a good time so far.
What's your style of genre? A mix of Djent / Deathcore & Metalcore.
What inspires you? The drive to push the band as far as we can, and for the fans who give us the most amazing support. We have met some of the best people whilst being in the band and the response has been phenomenal.
Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? At the moment we are doing pretty well by ourselves, but if one did come around with a killer deal, then we would definitely consider it.
Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? Pretty much the same regards to the booking agency question, if one came around and it was good for us, then sure.
Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? Sam does a lot for this band, he writes huge portions of the material that we produce, he's a brilliant composer. Kage writes the lyrics but there are occasions when AJ & Sam will add great lyrical content. We all have an input and put fourth our ideas towards the final version of a track.
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? Always the music first, this has been the best way of writing for us.
What ages are most of your concert attendants? We'd say mainly from the ages of 15 to 24, it can vary depending on the type of show.
Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? Variation is something we are looking to do at all of our future shows, we've previously been sticking to the same songs and feel now is the time to change it up.
Do you have a regular place you play live often? We are trying to expand as a band, so the plan for us is to play at different venues and not stick to the same places.
What was your first gig like? Amazing! It was at Celtic Mosh in Merthyr, to this day it is still one of our favourite shows. It was crazy!
When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? We started selling merch at our second show, we currently have new T-shirts with new designs. Expect to see more designs and merch show up as we progress.
Where can people buy your merchandise? Our fans have been buying our merchandise on bigcartel http://uponthosedying.bigcartel.com/ and they are also available to buy at our shows.
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days?
It comes with the territory of living in a digital age and it's something to expect these days. Although financially it's harder for bands, the internet allows you gain a wider audience, there are still many people that buy records.
What do you think of my work? It's because of people like you that bands like us get our name out there, keep doing what you are doing, you are awesome!
Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? A combination of both, which helps us to develop our music in new and exciting ways.
What have been your biggest obstacles? Personally we don't feel that there have been any major obstacles that we haven't been able to overcome.
What advice would you give other bands or artists? Keep pushing yourselves to be the best that you can be and don't forget to have fun along the way, always stay humble.
Do you have any new material? Yes, we are currently working on new material, in fact, we may be releasing an album soon, keep your eyes on us.
How can people reach you? Via social media or email [email protected], and at shows.
What are your web sites?
www.facebook.com/uponthosedying
www.instagram.com/uponthosedying
What are your plans for the future? More music, more shows! And hopefully meeting the best of people on the way!
