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Based out of Bergen, Norway, WinterBeach plays a brand of Dark synthpop self-described as a “Cold, dark and synthetic soundscape reminiscent of Muse, Kent and Depeche Mode.” We caught up with Angel (synths), Baz (drums), and Tiam (vocals) to get the background on the band. Connect with the trio, below.
What are the origins of the band, how long have you been playing together?
Tiam: “WinterBeach was formed in 2014 and arose from the ashes of an indie rock band called Quiet Men. Baz and I have previously played in another band, Flare, since the year 2000”
How did you feel performing your first gig? And how was it?!
Tiam: “When I played my first gig I was 17 years old. We had a Death Metal band called Sausage. I remember we had to take a sip of a bottle of Vikingfjord before we dared to go on stage! When it finally was our turn to go on stage, we were still so shy that we stood with our backs to the audience and played! Still, we loved it, in hindsight! The concert was unluckily filmed, and even though the concert was really bad, we used to watch the recording several times a week, several years ahead”
Angel: “My first real concert was an ordeal. We had asked for 11 DI boxes, but this had been read incorrectly. The organizer thought instead that we meant 1 DI box. We ended up mixing our own sound from the stage while playing live. In addition, the power went out in our 2nd song. Definitely no success story”
Baz: “Our first gig as WinterBeach was a private show for some friends of ours a few years ago. It was fun and the feedback was great”
What should people expect when they check WinterBeach out? How would you describe yourself?
Tiam: “They can expect a bunch of heavy but still light, cold but at the same time warm songs. Halfway catchy, halfway intricate”
Baz: “In my opinion, we make good powerful melodic pop songs, which could sound like as Muse without guitars?”
The new music scene is bursting at the seams with fresh talent, in what ways do you feel that a band has to stand out from the others trying to build a name?
Tiam: “Be yourself, be original, be steadfast”
Baz: “Yes, it is clearly an advantage to stand out in the competition with other bands. I feel we have managed to create a distinctive character in our music”
What are you working on at the minute that people can check out?
Tiam: “Right now we are planning a music video for “Sky & Stars” that will be released before the summer”
Baz: “We have just released the album Playing Dead, which is available on Spotify and all other major streaming platforms. Otherwise, we have many new song sketches that we are currently working on”
What band out there at the minute do you feel that you would be best suited to open for?
Tiam: “I believe Aha, Pet Shop Boys, or Depeche Mode would have an audience that potentially could fall in love with our music”
Baz: “However, I would not say no to Muse, Alan Walker, or Kygo😊”
Angel: “I agree with both Baz and Tiam, but I believe we have such a varied style and uniqueness that we could probably have opened up for just about any band in the pop and rock genre”
Who do you feel is the next band to break out?
Tiam: “Personally I hope Ole Gunnar Gundersen and his solo-project Subshine gets a big breakthrough! He is extremely talented and really deserves it!”
Baz: “And hopefully WinterBeach can make a grandiose breakthrough!”
What are your first musical memories? And what was the light bulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
Tiam: “I was fascinated by my parents The Beatles collection quite early, and listen to their albums as often as I could from when I was 4 years old”
Baz: “I have always been fascinated by pop and rock since the ’80s. I was very interested in drums and rhythms, but it was only when I got to try a friend’s drum kit that I became completely hooked on drums. Started just after playing drums in a newly started local band”
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
Tiam: “The last gig I attended was when I saw some friends of mine Magick Touch playing a heavy set at Verftet in Bergen”
Baz: “Yupp, same here! We used to play with the Magick Touch bass player, Chris Star (Christer Ottesen), in our previous band Flare. We still support each other 😊”
Angel: “The last concert I attended was Satyricon at Sentrum Scene in Oslo”
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
Tiam: “I can listen to all kinds of music, as long as it attracts me and inspires me. So it’s quite likely that there is a high shock factor in my record collection. For many, it may be surprising that I have a lot of Death Metal and Black Metal albums!?”
Angel: “Just like Tiam I love music in many different shapes. Have a lot of classical music. I have Vivaldi, Handel, Haydn, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Barber, and much much more. But I also have Symphonic Metal and Black Metal in addition to regular rock and electronica, EDM, etc.”
Baz: “Maybe the childrens album Knutsen & Ludvigsen: Kanskje kommer kongen”
Although 2020 was a year to forget for many reasons, there was some incredible music released; what would be your album of last year?
Baz: “Dagny: Strangers/Lovers”
Tiam: “You mean except Playing Dead by WinterBeach..? I would really recommend the album “Shelter” by my friends in The Familiar! A great set of EDM-ish slow-growing songs”
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
Tiam: “We are almost radioactive on social media, so please connect with us 😊”
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2YEjfFuEo1RRSWCxjSv6qm?si=kQoxj-qSQzeIbrn513sLOQ&dl_branch=1
