Festival season is well under way and one band that will be making their presence felt is Suffolk based hard rock band Aethoria. The band is in an exciting place having recently finished up a UK tour and with new music on the way our interviewer Dave Martin posed some questions of the band in the weak building up to their performance at the Maid of Stone Festival in Kent.
You’ve not long wrapped up a tour with Phoenix Lake and Black Lakes. What was the highlight of the tour for you and do you have any future plans to tour in the pipeline?
The highlight has gotta be meeting people in different counties that are fans of our music – it still blows my mind that you can travel hundreds of miles and meet new people that know your songs! Also have to say another huge highlight was just meeting the bands, Lana & the guys in PL were such a nice bunch, as well as Will & the guys from Black Lakes. Makes a world of difference when the bands your playing alongside with are super friendly like these guys!
After playing to different audiences on tour, did any of those live experiences influence how you think about the new material or how you’ll perform it going forward?
I don’t think so. We’re still focused on writing what feels right to us, and I think that has to remain the priority. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to write for other people’s expectations, but for us it’s always about making music that feels genuine first. If we stay true to that, I think the live performances will naturally follow.
3. You’ve got a packed festival season ahead, including Maid of Stone, Stonedead, London Metal Festival, and Bloodstock. Does your approach to a festival set differ from a headline club show, and how do you decide which songs make the cut?
It’s absolutely crazy seeing them all written down like that! With our headline shows, we’ve got a bit more time to play with, so we can take the audience on more of a journey and let the set breathe a little—whether that’s throwing in a ballad or a slower song to change the pace. Festival sets are a different beast. You’re often on stage for 40 minutes or less, so it’s all about keeping the energy high from start to finish and making sure everyone is having a great time with us. We tend to pick the songs that hit hardest live and make the biggest impact in a shorter set.
4. Your new album arrives next month. Looking back at the writing process, was there a particular song that became that encapsulates the record as a whole?
Definitely “More Time.”I don’t know how many times we ended up referring back to that song throughout the writing process. We all felt like we could’ve done with a bit more time while making the record, and it became a bit of a running joke between us. Someone would inevitably say, “If only someone had written a hard rock song called ‘More Time’ that we could all relate to…” It definitely became the song that summed up both the album and the experience of making it.
6. Without giving too much away, what do you think will surprise fans the most when they hear the new album for the first time?
I honestly don’t know whether the songs are what people will expect or not, but that’s part of the excitement. There’s quite a range across the album, and I’m really proud that we’ve been able to show that diversity without losing who we are. It might not be what some people are expecting, but I actually think that’s a good thing. If an album can surprise people while still feeling true to the band, then we’ve done our job.
7. The UK rock and metal scene feels incredibly strong at the moment. Where do you see Aethoria fitting into that landscape, and what do you think sets you apart?
The UK rock and metal scene is in a really exciting place right now, and it’s great to be part of it. I’d like to think we sit somewhere between nostalgic and modern. There’s definitely a bit of that 2000s hard rock influence in what we do, but with a more contemporary edge. Hopefully that’s what helps us stand out. We write the kind of songs we’d want to hear ourselves, and if we can keep connecting with people the way we have over this first year, then hopefully we’ll just keep building from there.
Festivals like Bloodstock often introduce bands to people who’ve never heard them before. If someone is seeing Aethoria for the very first time this summer, what do you hope they take away from your set?
I hope they come away feeling the energy, passion and rawness of what we do. For us, every song tells a story, so I hope that comes across as much as the music itself. More than anything, I hope people can see how much we genuinely love doing this. If someone walks away having connected with the songs and thinking, “I’d like to see that band again,” then we’ve done our job.
Looking beyond the album release and festival season, what does success for Aethoria look like over the next 12 months? Is there a particular milestone you’re determined to reach?
I’d absolutely love to support some bigger bands, such as Florence Black. As well as getting ourselves over to Europe. We have a lot of fans in US, Canada & Australia too, but one step at a time!
You’ve got one song to introduce Aethoria to someone who’s never heard you before. Which track do you pick, and why?
I’d pick “Tamed.” For me, it’s the song that sums up our sound the best. It’s got beastly riffs, heavy drums and big vocals, but it also has those more delicate moments that help tell the story and give the song some real depth. It was the first song we wrote together, and I think it still defines both our sound and the direction we want to keep heading in. Every time we play it live, we’re all stood there with huge smiles on our faces, and to me, that’s Aethoria in a nutshell
Catch Aethoria at one of the gigs below. They have a new single “More time” being released this Friday before their full debut album drops next month. It’s an exciting time for the band and we can’t wait to see watch the future holds for these talented musicians.
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