Spectres – Influences

Everyone: Louder Than War called us the Primark version of Sonic Youth, we were never quite sure what that meant, but to be mentioned in the same vein as the band who probably inspire us the most, is always nice. We are an artistic band, we want to make art and music, SY showed us that this can be achieved. It just so happens we like to detune our guitars and explore the world of manipulated signals too, and our practice room can sometimes feel like a sweatshop.

Joe: There are very few moments when something rewires your head and changes your perception of a whole genre of music and this is what happened the first time I saw Container. I knew nothing about him until I went to the night in some prison cells below Bristol and I walked into the most beautiful barrage of pummelling noise. My head stayed stuck in the speaker for his whole 35 minute set, and I left altered. No one makes dance music that gets in my brain and fills my whole body like this and this song is a staple of any ‘DJ set’ we ever do.

Darren: A pretty heavy riff and an almost lo-fi sound that’s definitely more about catching the moment than playing perfectly. Energy and feeling always trump technical ability.

Darren: Gang of Four completely changed my approach to playing guitar. The aggressive, percussive one string riffs, harsh feedback and sparse production taught me that it wasn’t about Bread & Butter barre chords and Blues solos.

Andy: I’ve always loved punk and Fugazi are arguably one of the most punk bands ever. I respect their attitude and how they did everything themselves from setting up their own label to stating the price for their shows. Spectres is very reflective of Fugazi’s DIY ethic and I like the fact we have retained control over our output.

Andy: The way they slowly build their songs and the thought that is put into each different section is incredible. They create such wonderful records but watching/hearing them live makes me feel like I am in my own ecstasy. I’ve always wanted to make music that is atmospheric and creates a tension/sound you cannot ignore. Godspeed do this perfectly.

Adrian: My girlfriend once said that The Blood Brothers sounded like ‘cats fighting in a bin’, she then said we sounded like that without realising she was listening to Spectres, so I feel like we have some kind of affinity with them. I discovered them when this album was released and the pure chaos/dissonance/dis-harmony caught me in some kind of disheveled trance. This song in particular is an unpredictable mess of buzzsaw noise and spazzy melody. I learned that the most beautiful melodies could be carved out of a cacophonous bombastic assault and structure can be played with infinitely, which is something I’ve carried forward into Spectres. I lost my mind at a Blood Brothers show once, completely lost in the noise, I never forgot that feeling so to be able to now send people to a similar place with my own music is a great honour.

Adrian: Lydia Lunch, the Queen of No-Wave. I feel like we would have had so much fun in the New York No-Wave scene, we always try to bring some kind of artistic element into what we do, whether it’s playing one off curated shows in galleries, making our own fanzines, making elaborate releases that lose us money or making long winded videos. A girl put this song on a mixtape for me about 10 years ago, and it’s never left my ears. Throbbing bassline and a beautifully off kilter guitar sound that dances you straight to death. One of the greatest songs ever and an introduction to a scene that changed my life.