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Cambridge-based five-piece Planet Fatale are gearing up for the release of their debut album ‘The Cycle Repeats’ later this year, we grabbed a chat with vocalist Hels to get the lowdown on the band, and find out what to expect when ‘The Cycle Repeats’ lands in September.
What are the origins of Planet Fatale? How long have you been playing together?
Planet Fatale came together in Cambridge, UK in early 2019, with members from previous rock/metal outfits Powderhead (Hels – Vocals, Miller – Bass, Ollie – drums), Unit 9 (Simon – Guitar), and Salamander (Chris – Guitar). The band started out under the monicker ‘Powderhead’ and renamed to Planet Fatale in 2021. Miller, Ollie, and myself (Hels) have been playing together for around 6 years in total, and we’ve been playing with Chris and Simon now for 2.5 years.
How did you feel performing your first gig as a band? And how was it?!
We couldn’t wait and definitely didn’t hang about – less than 2 months after forming we played our first gig! It was a great experience, we gelled really well on stage and that has only grown as we’ve played more shows together. We’re all gig addicts and the live stage feels like home, it’s our favourite place to be!
What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe Planet Fatale?
We’re all about heavy riffs, groove, and fierce vocals. We play heavy rock with blues/stoner and alternative metal influences and always bring our all to the stage – expect an all-out live performance full of energy!
Debut album ‘The Cycle Repeats’ is set to land later this year, what was the gestation period of the album like? How long had the songs been brewing before getting them down?
We had written the bare bones of two tracks as a 3-piece (Miller, Ollie, and myself) a couple of months before Chris and Simon joined the band in 2019. As soon as they joined we completed those tracks together and started writing the rest of the album. We were all set to record the album in 2020, so just over a year since the band formed. As with everything else, COVID got in the way so this was postponed to 2021. Having an additional year to let the songs “gestate” definitely changed the way we recorded them. We couldn’t help but continue to develop parts during that year!!
Any particular meaning behind the album title?
It is taken from the lyrics of the final track on the album, but we chose it as we felt it connected the lyrical themes across the album. Everything in life can be considered a cycle and, depending on your perception, this idea is either full of hope or the complete opposite. I’m interested in exploring interpretation and how this differs from person to person, place to place, and also the way we take meaning from individual actions – are we consumed within the cycle, or is it possible to break free from it?
At what stage did Russ Russell come on board as producer?
We were delighted to work with Russ Russell on this album – we follow a lot of the bands he’s worked with and absolutely love his work, we knew he could produce the album we envisioned and he’s certainly done that. We recorded one of the album tracks with him in December 2019 with the intention of releasing that as a single in 2020 in the run-up to the album release later that year, but with COVID postponing everything this stayed well and truly in the vault! It’s an absolute banger of a track though and we’re excited for everyone to finally hear it when the album is released! We recorded the rest of the album with Russ in early 2021, spending a couple of weeks together in the studio – it was such a creative time and we loved the process.
What goes through your head in the run-up to releasing new music, especially your debut album? Are you excited? Nervous? – Both?!
Yeah, we’re all really excited to finally be releasing the new tracks and with this as the debut album, it’s even more special for us. There are definitely nerves as well, we’ve put a huge part of ourselves into this album and we really hope people connect with the music and the sound we’ve captured.
‘Talking To Myself’ is the lead single, what was it about this one that made you choose it as the first single? And what are the lyrical themes behind it?
The track has a killer riff and the lyrical theme is very poignant right now, so it seemed the obvious choice as the lead single. The lyrics are about battling with your inner cynic/critic; the inner voice that likes to put you down. They explore the idea of this voice being like an addiction – despite knowing it’s a destructive force you keep coming back to it.
The 180g splatter vinyl version of the album looks incredible! It seems important for the band to have a physical product out there? Who designed the stunning cover artwork?
Thank you! We’re stoked with how this has come out! It’ll be our first vinyl release and we knew the artwork was going to play an important part. It was designed by a close friend of ours, Darren Douglas. He’s a very talented artist and is always able to bring our ideas to life. By knowing us all personally, he’s able to very quickly understand exactly what we’re after visually. He also designed our logo – we love working with him!
I think having a physical product is important. I personally like to have something physical from the bands I follow; it’s nice to hold something real in your hands, I feel it connects you more to the band and their vision. Plus, there’s something very special about vinyl. It’s immersive, you have to stop what you’re doing, get the record out, drop the needle down – almost like a ritual.
In what ways has the band grown since forming in 2019?
As individuals, we all bring quite different influences to the band and we’ve worked a lot on effectively using these in our songwriting. We’ve also developed our sound and established our vision for the future of the band. We’ve been through a lot together in a relatively short time, having played over 50 gigs across the UK (despite COVID wiping out most of the live shows in 2020), in addition to our releases (two singles and a live EP), plus during 2020 we worked together on multi-camera livestream shows and a bunch of cover videos for our YouTube channel – we’re a tighter unit now because of all of that and it’s clear we’re all on the same page creatively.
In terms of a similar audience: who would be the ideal act for Planet Fatale to support?
Clutch would be a great band to support. We’ve probably gone down a slightly heavier route with this album but the bluesy vibe of Clutch is something we’ve always got in the back of the mind when writing. Their groove and the evocative storytelling in the lyrics are definitely something we aspire to.
What are your first musical memories? And what was the lightbulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
Rocking around to my grandparents’ vinyl player, nicking my parents’ 80s rock cassette tapes, and jumping around to them in my bedroom as a kid! Starting a ‘band’ when I was about 10 with my brother and writing some lyrics that I can actually still remember to this day! I was always interested in music and got involved in everything musical at school, I played clarinet and sang in every choir going. I had a very encouraging music teacher in middle school, who persuaded me to sing a solo in assembly – the most nerve-wracking gig I’ve ever done, nothing else has been quite as brutal as that! I was absolutely terrified but I went through with it and afterward thought everyone would make fun of me (kids can be pretty mean!), but actually, they came up to me and said “wow, I could never have done that” – I think that was the first lightbulb moment for me.
Personally, who has been the biggest influence on you becoming a musician? Would it be a family member? A teacher? A fellow musician?
A defining influence for me in my early teens was Matthew Bellamy from Muse. I was blown away by his voice, his use of high falsetto in particular, and how all-round talented he was with piano and guitar. I was lucky enough to see them play in London on the Origin of Symmetry tour and I came away with a cemented passion for live music and the stage. After that, I took up regular singing lessons and shortly after started singing with an acoustic guitarist – the beginnings of my band career.
What album do you have in your collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
I am a huge fan of The Doors and have most of their albums in my collection. Jim Morrison was a big influence on me when I started writing lyrics.
Although 2020 was a year to forget, there was some great music released; what would be your album of 2020?
It has to be Holy Moly by Blues Pills for me – an amazing album! Elin Larsson’s vocals are hugely inspiring and the range of sounds she has used on this album is outstanding. She has such presence and her vocals are very emotive.
Who would you class as an underrated songwriter?
Hmm, maybe the band Royal Thunder – their songs are fantastically written, full of dynamic and personality. They are a successful band, but I always think more people should listen to them!
What are your plans for the remainder of 2021 should COVID ever disappear?!
We will be releasing the album on 17 September 2021 and have a UK tour booked in support of that from September through to November (all being well!). Up until then we’ll be releasing some singles and music videos and have some gigs/festivals booked for the summer. We’re also setting up a new rock/metal music festival in Cambridge this October, which we hope will become an annual event. As a band, we’re really passionate about growing the rock/metal music scene in our local area. Oh, and behind the scenes, we’ve already started writing for the next album, so will be continuing with that too!
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
We’re very active on social media and are always posting updates and connecting with our fans. We absolutely love chatting with fans and hearing what’s going on in the scene, whether over social media or at gigs. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, all @planetfatale, or our website planetfatale.com, or why not have a drink with us at one of our upcoming shows!
