Ben – Vocals and Guitar
Cal – Bass and backing vocals
Martin – Lead guitar and backing vocals
Dapps – Drums
Zenith formed just over a year ago and after a quiet first 8 months in Nottingham have now become one of the cities best young metal bands. With a blistering and impressive march to the Junktion 7 Battle of the Bands final and then winning the competition, they are getting loads of attention for their energetic stage shows and catchy songs. Debut album ‘Can you Hear Us’ is due out soon so we thought we’d talk to them about the Zenith armies Nottingham take over and warn you all that Zenith are coming…and we can certainly fucking hear them!
Old school video
Gaz – Okay guys can you tell Saggy Pants readers about your history, how Zenith started and what you’ve been up to so far?
Ben – Well, it started with Dapps, he started the band and we played a school gig, doing Metallica covers and stuff!
Martin – Enter Sandman!
Ben – Yeah, there was about 4 bassist and 8 guitarist back then!
Cal – Before my time!
Ben – Yeah before Cal’s time, then we cut down and changed members til there were 4 of us but we were still just playing cover til the bassist left and Cal joined and then it properly took off.
Martin – We started writing tunes then about a year and a half ago.
Dapps – We got a more metal style then too, our early stuff was more pop-rock!?!
Ben – So we have been going a year and a half with this line up, it was a blessing we found baby Cal!
Dapps – In a bus stop, wrapped in a sheet.
Gaz – Okay so you just won Battle of the Bands this year at Junktion 7, tell us how that was, what were your expectations before hand and what sort of response have you had since?
Dapps – I think before hand we were quite nervous but going through in each heat gave us more and more confidence.
Martin – It was only our third gig in Nottingham so we weren’t sure about how many people would like it and come each week….
Ben – But the Zenith Army did us proud!
Martin – All our fans and friends who had seen us play down the old man’s club in Long Eaton came and they were great. Big up to them all!
Ben – We practiced at the old man’s club but people used to just come down and even though it wasn’t a jam, it was like a gig every time we played there!
Cal – So we never wrote anything!
Martin – Just played covers to our mates and people in there!
Gaz – How did winning change and improve the band?
Dapps – Well Martin came out his skin!
Cal – It’s given us all so much confidence in our music and ourselves. We have belief in ourselves now and everyone in the Nottingham circuit, magazines (like you), venues and bands know about us now!
Ben – Not being big-headed but we knew we were a good band and this competition proved it, to ourselves as well as others, now we want to push that forward.
Dapps – That was the best thing really, playing in Nottingham and being noticed as before we would play to our mates and get a good response but playing to new people and getting it was great! Especially cause in Nottingham there are good bands playing every night and a lot of good music around so to win a competition here was amazing for us.
Ben – Yeah, that gave us belief and reassured us that we were right thinking we were good!
Gaz – So now you’ve won it, what do you plan to do with the wining money and what are the plans for the near future?
Ben – It is already spent!!
Martin – It is going towards the new E.P, the ‘Can you Hear Us’ demo.
Dapps – We are finishing it this week so by the time you read this it should be on myspace and out! The recording time we won as part of the prize is going towards recording another song to add to the E.P at a later date. It will be more or less a mini album then.
Ben – So about 7 tracks?!
Cal – Maybe 8
(Julio from Illuminatus suddenly appears and starts having a chat about gigs and the fact Ben had his car broken into today!! Before disappearing into Junktion 7)
Gaz – So…erm bye Julio….and on with this interview….so guys what gigs have you got coming up…any plans to leave Notts?
Zenith Unite – Birmingham!!!
Cal – Off to see some Brummies!
Martin – We’ve got quite a lot of gigs now.
Dapps – Bloodbath at Rock City, Junktion 7 for Saggy Pants, a couple in Ilkeston, First Floor in Derby…loads just check out our myspace….www.myspace.com/livezenith.
Cal – We are used to just doing one gig a month but since Battle of the Bands they are coming thick and fast, it is almost like we are on tour!
Ben – It is since Battle of the Bands though…last year we probably played 5 or 6 gigs all year since we realised after Battle of the Bands that we could and should be doing more, we are doing 5 or 6 a month at least! Now we need to get writing because we have had the same set a while now even though we are playing to new people in Nottingham and elsewhere, our old fans from Long Eaton and stuff have heard these songs a lot and we have too!!
Dapps – Once we have the E.P demo out and done these next lot of gigs we will have to start writing new material.
Gaz – Well you’ve had some great reviews of late and are getting a big following in Nottingham and the surrounding area so for people who haven’t heard or seen you yet, how would you describe your sound and why should they come to see Zenith?
Cal – Well we got called a mix of The Streets with Pantera!!
(everyone laughs)
Ben – That Street’s comparison is just cause I’ve got a skinhead!
Dapps – We are energetic, our gigs always have great energy and feeling in the room.
Cal – Both live and on record it is really emotional, energetic rock, that you could just kill people too!
Martin – It is Metal but you can sing along to it too as we have good melodies and catchy hooks and harmonies.
Dapps – Some people have said we aren’t that original and we have a Disturbed sound or something but we are still finding our feet, we are still a new band so I think you will see us come out our skin more and more over the coming months. We already change our sound a lot, we have heavy metal songs but then songs like ‘Bleed For You’ there is drop outs in to clean, melodic parts and some tribal drumming and stuff.
Ben – We have lots of different directions we can go still.
Cal – Thats another good thing about being noticed at Battle of the Bands now, we haven’t even really found our sound yet so we can only get better!
Dapps – Just come check it out yourselves!
Gaz – Okay, finally any shout outs or thanks you want to say?
Martin – The Zenith Army!
Dapps – The Zenith Army!
Cal – The Zenith Army!
Ben – (nods) You know who you are!
Dapps – Everyone at Junktion 7 and who has supported us lately…Illuminatus, Zero and Tolerance.
Ben – Zero has been a great help…also the guys who have done our recordings.
Cal – Silver Prize Club for the good times and under age drinking!!!!!
Martin – Our parents for all there support and giving us lifts to so many gigs!
