Polar
Sam Woodgate speaks to Polar's Max O'Neill and Fabian Lomas.
Your most recent tour was with Shadows Chasing Ghosts; what's it been like touring with them?
Max O'Neill (Guitar): It's been absolutely hilarious! They're great guys who are fun to hang out with; and the music is good, as well!
Did you get a good reception? What was the fans' response?
Max: It was pretty different from one of our headline gigs; it was a younger crowd than we're used to, but it's also been a pretty varied turnout too. Overall it's been good fun!
Does being on tour with another excellent live band make you constantly push yourself each night?
Max: There's no competition, as we're both pretty different bands; we're more of a punk band, whereas they've got a load of metal elements instead. It's been nice, not to mention very different from our usual!
Fabian Lomas (Guitar): Having said that, I guess it does push us on a bit to be the best we can be live!
Tell us a little bit about the recent video for 'Tonight Matthew I Am The Batman' - how does the concept of the Chucky doll tie in?
Fabian: The Chucky thing was mostly just a visual aspect to the video. He follows each individual member to the band practice, then he gets killed by the sub! It was certainly interesting to make!
Have you plans to make any more videos?
Max: We've been filming a video with Jordan Green - he was on tour with us for a few days. It'll be for the song 'Smile, You Son Of A Bitch!', which is also on our EP.
What was it like playing the '6 Good Reasons Tour' alongside such great bands as TRC and Feed The Rhino?
Max: It was good; they're both great live bands - not that we didn't know this before!
Fabian: You should all be hearing more about Mallory Knox and Brotherhood of The Lake soon, too.
Based on this evidence, would you say that the UK hardcore scene is in good health, currently?
Max: It's certainly the best it's been for a while; bands like Gallows have thrown the genre into the mainstream.
Fabian: Your Demise deserve loads of credit too - they're just one of the bands helping bring mainstream audiences closer to hardcore.
Do festivals such as Ghostfest - where you played an outstanding set - help promote the cause?
Fabian: Ghostfest was great, it's definitely a good thing because it's so organised. There were so many good bands on at Ghostfest, like Basement and TRC, and there's just no stereotyping involved; it's just people who love heavy music.
Max: There are also festivals such as Hevy and even Slam Dunk who put on great heavy bands - it certainly helps bands like us because of the organised nature of the festivals.
What bands would you recommend readers check out?
Max: Defeater, Daylight, Hildamay, Mallory Knox, Feed The Rhino, Heart In Hand and Departures.
What sort of bands influenced you the most when you were growing up?
Max: It was a mix of everything really, from the Foo Fighters and Nirvana through to Will Haven and Poison The Well. It was definitely a good mix!
Fabian: We didn't just have hardcore influences - I mean, I love the Gaslight Anthem [who are currently playing over the PA], but they're definitely not a hardcore band!
Do you have plans to record new material?
Fabain: We're currently writing our debut album, to be released next year!
Exciting stuff! Does the positive response - both from press and public - that you received for your self-titled EP give you confidence?
Max: Yes, because the response has been amazing! We've done so much since its release, from playing Ghostfest to outdoor festivals and other brilliant tours... we've got big plans for the future!
Can you give us a clue as to what the new material will sound like?
Fabian: We don't want to say too much; all I'll say is that it's definitely Polar! It's the same in some ways, different in others; there's a good bit of variety on the next record.
Max: Fans will know it's us, though, for sure!
Finally, what advice do you guys have for young, aspiring musicians out there?
Max: Just not to give up, if it's meant to happen it will. Get in people's faces, too, that always helps!
Fabian: Yeah, just get out there and learn! You're not going to be amazingly good from the off, but that gives you time to grow and improve as a band.
Thank you for your time, and good luck with the gig this evening!
