Formed during the pandemic with pedigree in the British rock scene, Big Mono is a new rock band
for the classic rock fan. Big riffs, tight grooves and soaring vocals. With an album due in mid ’23, the
band are set to hit the road to support the record, starting with a single launch show. A full set of
dates will be announced very soon.
Give us a potted history of the band
Drew:
The band was formed at the start of Covid by Dan, Neil and Gavin who’d played in the band Godsized together, after compiling some musical ideas and rough songs they contacted me. We knew each other from gigging with the Mercy House back in the day, sharing various stages and hanging out at a few festivals. We are all based in different locations and countries, Germany, Scotland and England but we found getting together to work in person and remotely worked fantastically.
Dan:
After contacting Drew he immediately sent us back lyrical and melody ideas and we knew we were onto something; we kept working throughout Covid and recorded an entire album. We are really excited to put our first single out together and to get the ball rolling on Big Mono…
Who inspired you to start making music
Drew:
We are all rock fans at heart even though we have worked in other genres. Personally I was inspired by the band Queen and Jimi Hendrix as teenager; my family also contains artists and musicians and I always felt compelled towards that knid of creative / artistic life.
Dan:
My big brother’s record collection led me to Metallica, and that was basically the course of my life set!
And the one or maybe two records that inspired you artistically
Dan
Well, the Black album really turned me on to music. But the real game changer was the video, “A year and a half in the life of Metallica”which is documentary about how that record was made is what made me want to be in a band. As a little kid I found the whole thing so interesting, the work these guys were putting in to getting everything how it needed to be, the tension, Bob Rock’s role in it all, the outcome being a masterpiece! It’s an awesome watch. Years later, Songs For the Deaf by QOTSA really influenced me, the way to approach what’s best for the songs – both from a playing and a personnel point of view. Lot of people on that record and they’re all serving the song in a unique way.
If you’re trying to explain whom you sound like to someone that’s never heard you, what do you say
Drew
This is always a tough question to answer, probably an amalgamation of various bands across the record. Thin Lizzy, David Bowie, Alice In Chains, The Who, Nazareth…You’ll find elements of these bands in our sound.
Tell us about your new single
Drew
A Thousand Times was recorded at Tileyard Studios N1 by Mark Anderson; we captured a totally live and organic performance from the band, no overdubs using vintage guitars, amps and drums, namely a fantastic Ludwig kit. Mark did a great job tracking the band and then I recorded the vocals at my home studio in Glasgow. From there Sean Genockey did a fantastic job mixing the track and it was mastered by Ed Woods.
Dan
It’s such a great riff. I remember when Neil sent me a demo of that and I knew this was gonna be a band I loved being in. The process from writing to recording this has all gone so well, everyone is happy to be on board. It’s been a nice journey of working with people we know and respect from other projects, so it’s really been fun. It’s easy working with people who are awesome at their jobs!
Where can we get hold of it
The track is available on all streaming platforms on 23/09/22, but it’ll be premiered on Planet Rock on 12/09/22 from 11pm on the New Rock show with Wyatt Wendels.
Pre-save the track here
Tell us how you write
Drew
Songs come in many different ways, I’ve written onto band compositions, we have written all together and recently we’ve discussed themes for a second album. There’s many ways to skin a cat so I’m sure we will keep finding songs coming from various places.
Tell us about your live show and how much have you been missing it recently
Dan
Well, we haven’t done one yet! Covid has largely dictated the time lines of this band so far, and the fact we haven’t hit the road yet. We all love playing live and have toured the world, so we know our way around a show and have plans for the set. We’ll take everything we know, take risks where we need to and we’ll leave it all out there. We cannot fucking wait.
What can we expect from you in the near future
Drew
We have an album in the can which will be out next year. So there’ll be more singles and shows before that comes out. We are finalising dates for shows, if the last few years has taught us anything it’s that things can change but we’ll be announcing very soon on our socials.
Tell us your favourite records that’s rocking your headphones/tour bus/stereo
Dan
This really refers back to your earlier questions about influences, it’ll be a similar list. I’ve been going in on Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots lately, and Gav and I had a deep dive on Danzig in the car the other day. One of us is always talking about a huge band like a new discovery when we meet up. But to answer your question directly the last record I blared out was King Animal by Soundgarden.
Find out more via the bands Facebook
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