Brooders
Three-piece, psychgrunge group, Brooders are making a stir with menacing tones, layering up heavy riffs and dense melodies into their distinct and formidably luring barrage of psych.
As active on the gig circuit as on the air, their infectious, psychedelic edge has gained the group recognition from BBC Introducing Yorkshire/Sheffield, Amazing Radio and YO Radio, whilst maintaining a hectic schedule out on the road.
Course Studied: BA (Hons) Music (Popular)
Year of Graduation: 2017
Brooders were one of five exciting and upcoming alumni groups who were selected to play at the Alternative Great Escape Festival in May 2019. The interview below happened prior to the festival.
The Great Escape is renowned as one of the UK’s top festivals for new music, showcasing hundreds of emerging artists.
We caught up with Brooders, Adam Bairstow (guitar/vocals), Adam Speare (bass) and Liam Naylor (drums) to chat humble-school day beginnings and festival season.
How did the group form?
All of us studied at Leeds Conservatoire; the main place that drew us together, but, myself (Liam) and Adam B (the tall gangly one) met at sixth form, we’ve been playing together since we were 16. We started the band in the first year of university under the alias ‘Hunny’ as a two-piece but felt the need to branch out and bring our good friend Adam S into the band to provide some rumbly undertones. Since then we’ve played together as a three piece and have been going for a little over 3 years now - we’ve got some killer new tunes on the way.
Tell us a bit about what you’ve been up to recently?
We’ve recently taken a small break from our live shows and we’re currently knuckling down in the studio, crafting, perfecting and tracking new material; some of our best yet, there’s more noise, riffs and sludge to wade through, so keep your ears protected and pay attention, we won’t disappoint.
What are you most excited about for playing at The Alternative Great Escape?
We’re excited for the festival atmosphere, the avid music lovers and ‘musos’ from afar, and of course the exposure to more pairs of ears and eyes. This will be the first gig we’ve ever hired a minibus for so we don’t plan on going lightly-go hard or go home (or regret it later, we haven’t decided yet).
How would you describe your sound–what can we expect from your set?
We’re a good mash of various different backgrounds, but we hold our own unique spot in the overall landscape of grunge/psych rock/heavy rock with elements of noise and a myriad of texture. Equally as experimental as our sound is our live set, exhibiting drawn out sections, sonic-chaos, and a bundle of stage presence all fusing together to create one hell of a live show; certainly one to remember.
Where can we see you playing over the summer?
So besides hitting Brighton for the Great Escape we’re off up to Wakefield in early June making waves at Long Division fest which we’re super excited about, then later on that month we’re doing a headline show at Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds and then finishing up in Sheffield for Tramlines.
