Introducing: Cancel The Transmission

South Wales rockers Cancel The Transmission release their new video ‘Rise Again’ on April 30th and we caught up with band members Justin Crowe (lead vocals/rhythm guitar) and Josh Thomas (lead guitar/backing vocals) to get the lowdown on the single, amongst other subjects.

Q. What are the origins of Cancel The Transmission? How long have you been playing together?

A. The band first formed back in 2015 but we didn’t release our debut album ‘Live It Up’ until late 2019, due to several rhythm section line-up changes and time spent honing our craft. The current line-up has been in place for around two years now.

Q. How did you feel performing your first gig as a band? And how was it?!

A. Justin: At the time it felt great to be out playing with a brand-new band and the show was pretty decent. From what I remember, we played a mix of covers and original music at that first gig, as we didn’t have enough original material at the time to fill the set. But when we think back to that time it’s amazing to think how far we’ve come since then.

Q. What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe Cancel The Transmission?

A. Hard-hitting, high energy, good time rock and roll is what we’re all about! We’ve always tried to combine killer hard rock riffs and solos with more pop-inspired vocal melodies to create a “best of both worlds” type sound. The heaviness and punch of great hard rock tunes, combined with the infectiousness of pop vocals.

Q. ‘Rise Again’ is the new single, what was it about this one that made you chose it as a single? And what are the lyrical themes behind it?

A. Justin: The reasoning behind choosing ‘Rise Again’ as a single was that we felt that it was a very strong song that had the potential to not only appeal to our usual rock-based audience, but also have the ability to crossover and appeal to fans of other styles of music that wouldn’t ordinarily listen to rock music. We’ve always wanted to appeal to as many people as possible, so in order to capture the attention of the 20-year-old female Justin Bieber fan, the track needed to be outrageously catchy while still maintaining that rock swagger. There are other singles coming very soon too and that may mean that a new album could be just around the corner but we’ll say no more than that for now…

When I wrote ‘Rise Again’, I was working in retail and had not long come back from being on furlough. I really did dislike my job and knowing that I could be on stage performing to people instead of folding clothes made me resent it even more. All we’ve ever wanted to do as a band is write music and be creative as it’s the only thing we’re really good at. ‘Rise Again’ was almost written to myself as an outsider or an older version of myself, telling me not to give up, to pursue my dream, to stay positive, and to not let anyone tell me otherwise. It’s about hope and persistence. I think it’s relatable to any musician finding their feet in the industry and it applies to anyone who has a goal in mind and wants to push for it, even though others will tell them they can’t. There are times you may feel like giving up but you’ve just got to rise to the occasion and go for it.

Q. What goes through your head in the run-up to releasing new music? Are you excited? Nervous? – Both?!

A. We’re incredibly excited in the run-up to the release of a new track/album because we can’t wait for our fans to hear what we’ve been working on. It’s our favourite time as a band and the energy in the Cancel The Transmission camp before a release is palpable.

Q. Is ‘Rise Again’ indicative of what a potential full-length album would sound like? And, is there one in the pipeline?

A. As we’ve mentioned, there may be plans for a full-length album towards the tail end of the year but we can’t say too much at the moment. If there is an album, it will definitely have a mixture of different sounding songs on it ranging from ‘Rise Again’-esque lighter songs to some of the heaviest stuff we’ve ever written.

Q. Who designed the impressive cover artwork, and what were the ideas behind it?

A. We created it ourselves using an online tool called ‘Place It’. The idea behind the artwork was to bring the term “Rise Again” to life and to tell a visual story of someone rising back up after failure and disappointment and continuing to push forward towards their goals. The artwork depicts a character rising up from a lake signifying a resurrection of energy and passion towards a certain goal.

Q. In terms of a similar audience: who would be the ideal act for Cancel The Transmission to support?

A. There are so many bands out there that we would love the opportunity to support but a few that spring to mind for us are The Struts, Guns N’ Roses, and The Darkness.

Q. What are your first musical memories? And what was the lightbulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?

A. Josh: My first musical memories are being in my dad’s car listening to rock music at high volume. I think that was the catalyst for getting me hooked on music, particularly rock. He had a CD that he had burnt to disc himself and on it was about 12 tracks that he would listen to in the gym and in the car. From memory, some of those tracks included Heatseeker by AC/DC, Whiskey In The Jar by Thin Lizzy, In The Shadows by The Rasmus, Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses, and a few more that currently escape me. I must’ve listened to that CD every time I was in the car for about 4-5 years as a child and I believed that’s where my love of rock music stemmed from.

Q. Personally, who has been the biggest influence on you becoming a musician? Would it be a teacher? A family member? A fellow musician?

A. Josh: For me, it would have to be Slash. I’ve always been a huge fan of his and he’s the reason why I started playing guitar in the first place. I would always listen to his playing / watch him perform as a child and think how cool it would be to be able to do that myself one day. Fortunately, I’ve been able to do that but had it not been for his influence it’s likely that I would never have picked up the guitar.

Justin: This hands down has to be my dad. If it wasn’t for him, I would have never been a musician and this band would have never existed. My father introduced me to all kinds of music from a young age, from The Beatles to dance music, to 80s rock to melodic prog rock! I was exposed to it all. I never really thought about learning an instrument until my dad asked me if I’d like to learn guitar. So he enrolled me to have guitar lessons in school and bought me my first electric guitar around 13 years old. I was originally a footballer and all about sports, but that guitar changed everything and I really took to it! So thanks dad, this wouldn’t have been possible without you!

Q. What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?

A. Josh: Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators at The Hammersmith Apollo in London back in February 2019.

Q. What current social issue are you particularly passionate about?

A. We don’t really tend to get too caught up in social issues or news stories. What’s going on in India at the moment with COVID is terrible though and we hope that situation gets better soon.

Q. What album do you have in your collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?

A. Josh: The soundtrack to Rock Of Ages. I loved the film, there were so many great tracks in it!

Q. Although 2020 was a year to forget, there was some great music released; what would be your album of 2020?

A. Josh: For me, it would probably have to be ‘Strange Days’ by The Struts. However, I did also really like a country artist called Kolby Cooper’s EP called ‘Vol. 2 – EP’.

Q. Who would you class as an underrated songwriter?

A. Dappy. Not an answer that our fans would expect but we think he has some great tunes!

Q. What are your plans for 2021 should COVID ever disappear?!

A. The plan for the rest of 2021 is to continue releasing more new music and to get back out on the road! We’re itching to play live again so hopefully, it won’t be too long before we can!

Q. How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?

A. We’re very active on social media! They can find us through the links below.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CancelTheTransmissionUK

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cancelthetransmissionuk/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCQuXntVS0kxBIVfCnkedUYw

Website: www.cancelthetransmission.com

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cancelthetransmissionuk

Also be sure to pre-save our new single ‘Rise Again’ on Spotify: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/cancelthetransmission/rise-again

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