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| No Ceremony/// – New Band Up North #32 | No Ceremony/// – New Band Up North #32 |
| (3 months later) | |
| I first heard about No Ceremony/// (no, the slashes are not a typo. More on this later) last year and became addicted to their epic electronic pop for its seamless combination of bass-driven beats and heartbreaking piano and vocals. What was interesting though, was no one seemed to know who the band were. | I first heard about No Ceremony/// (no, the slashes are not a typo. More on this later) last year and became addicted to their epic electronic pop for its seamless combination of bass-driven beats and heartbreaking piano and vocals. What was interesting though, was no one seemed to know who the band were. |
| As speculation grew, their first live date alongside Alt-J and Money was fast approaching. Would they wear masks, or would everyone finally find out who they were? | As speculation grew, their first live date alongside Alt-J and Money was fast approaching. Would they wear masks, or would everyone finally find out who they were? |
| For those hoping they were going to come on stage wearing Daft Punk or Slipknot-inspired attire, I am sorry to disappoint you, they didn't. But that hasn't affected their journey so far. They appeared on Amazing Radio's tips for 2012 and since then they've been getting more attention with airplay from Radio 1 and Xfm. Plus they went over to the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas in March. | For those hoping they were going to come on stage wearing Daft Punk or Slipknot-inspired attire, I am sorry to disappoint you, they didn't. But that hasn't affected their journey so far. They appeared on Amazing Radio's tips for 2012 and since then they've been getting more attention with airplay from Radio 1 and Xfm. Plus they went over to the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas in March. |
| With a lot coming up for the Manchester trio I went to meet them for a chat. I found James, Kelly and Victoria happily sipping cranberry juice in the bar and after grabbing myself a lemonade and admiring Victoria's lovely red bowler hat, I started by asking why they'd kept their identities a secret. | With a lot coming up for the Manchester trio I went to meet them for a chat. I found James, Kelly and Victoria happily sipping cranberry juice in the bar and after grabbing myself a lemonade and admiring Victoria's lovely red bowler hat, I started by asking why they'd kept their identities a secret. |
| "It wasn't any kind of attempt to be mysterious," explains Kelly. "When we started playing live we didn't think about doing it in masks. We don't feel the people we are is as important as the music we're making." | "It wasn't any kind of attempt to be mysterious," explains Kelly. "When we started playing live we didn't think about doing it in masks. We don't feel the people we are is as important as the music we're making." |
| Before getting together to make music as No Ceremony/// they were involved in projects that weren't getting off the ground. So after meeting through friends, going to the same gigs and finding out they liked the same music they decided to form the trio. James, who sings, plays keys and synth, says they were all ready to "invest" time and energy into something that had a more "precise path" than what they'd each been doing before. | Before getting together to make music as No Ceremony/// they were involved in projects that weren't getting off the ground. So after meeting through friends, going to the same gigs and finding out they liked the same music they decided to form the trio. James, who sings, plays keys and synth, says they were all ready to "invest" time and energy into something that had a more "precise path" than what they'd each been doing before. |
| Although they use the word "precise" they don't restrict themselves to making one sound or one type of music. James admires people like Burial because "he's experimenting with what a genre can be. He's loosely making dance music but he only touches on that genre. It's experimental within the production too." | Although they use the word "precise" they don't restrict themselves to making one sound or one type of music. James admires people like Burial because "he's experimenting with what a genre can be. He's loosely making dance music but he only touches on that genre. It's experimental within the production too." |
| As well as dance and electro, Victoria, who plays bass and sings, explains they're influenced by anything from "folk music to Queens Of The Stone Age". There's certainly a heavier feel to their music in tracks like Heartbreaker, with a menacing guitar riff cutting through haunting electronic vocals. | As well as dance and electro, Victoria, who plays bass and sings, explains they're influenced by anything from "folk music to Queens Of The Stone Age". There's certainly a heavier feel to their music in tracks like Heartbreaker, with a menacing guitar riff cutting through haunting electronic vocals. |
| Their latest track Feelsolow is my favourite. I'm a sucker for electronic pop that makes me feel a little sad too. When I tell them this they say getting their fans to have this reaction is very important to them. | Their latest track Feelsolow is my favourite. I'm a sucker for electronic pop that makes me feel a little sad too. When I tell them this they say getting their fans to have this reaction is very important to them. |
| "The atmosphere and the emotional responses you can trigger in people are really important to what we do," says James. "So choosing certain sounds can be as important as a nice vocal or cool guitar line." | "The atmosphere and the emotional responses you can trigger in people are really important to what we do," says James. "So choosing certain sounds can be as important as a nice vocal or cool guitar line." |
| James says the lyrics were the last thing to be written on the track and they actually "set out to make a good dance track which would get people moving at live gigs". | James says the lyrics were the last thing to be written on the track and they actually "set out to make a good dance track which would get people moving at live gigs". |
| The band are extremely focused, and care about the visual side of things too as they make all their own artwork and videos. Kelly says they're "constantly trying to make it the best show it can be and always want to work on the visual elements to what we're doing too". | The band are extremely focused, and care about the visual side of things too as they make all their own artwork and videos. Kelly says they're "constantly trying to make it the best show it can be and always want to work on the visual elements to what we're doing too". |
| Another fairly important visual characteristic to this band is the three forward slashes that follow their name. I show Kelly, James and Victoria that I've made the effort to put the three forward slashes in my questions but want to know what they stand for. An expected response of "we let people decide what to attribute them too" is all I get apart, though Kelly says the number three is very significant to the band and that they wanted something very typographically interesting in the name. | Another fairly important visual characteristic to this band is the three forward slashes that follow their name. I show Kelly, James and Victoria that I've made the effort to put the three forward slashes in my questions but want to know what they stand for. An expected response of "we let people decide what to attribute them too" is all I get apart, though Kelly says the number three is very significant to the band and that they wanted something very typographically interesting in the name. |
| Victoria chips in saying it's also a good way to find them online so they're thinking about SEO (search engine optimisation) at the same time as making their amazing music. Good work. I ask whether it's actually a nod to X-Men's Wolverine? With which laughter follows and Kelly admits, "that is the true explanation. Of course." | Victoria chips in saying it's also a good way to find them online so they're thinking about SEO (search engine optimisation) at the same time as making their amazing music. Good work. I ask whether it's actually a nod to X-Men's Wolverine? With which laughter follows and Kelly admits, "that is the true explanation. Of course." |
| So as this is a blog all about music from up North I have to ask whether making music in Manchester has an effect on them. Victoria says it's a "very inspiring" place to be and she feels "nostalgic" about making music in Stockport because it's where she grew up so after moving around here, there and everywhere, it feels good to come back. | So as this is a blog all about music from up North I have to ask whether making music in Manchester has an effect on them. Victoria says it's a "very inspiring" place to be and she feels "nostalgic" about making music in Stockport because it's where she grew up so after moving around here, there and everywhere, it feels good to come back. |
| Their debut album is set to be released on 2 September and they're keen to make a strong statement of who they are as a band and hope it'll be a "strong foundation to go forward from." | Their debut album is set to be released on 2 September and they're keen to make a strong statement of who they are as a band and hope it'll be a "strong foundation to go forward from." |
| If you fancy catching No Ceremony live, with no masks in sight, then you can see them at Leeds and Reading Festival, Bestival, a couple of dates in the UK this July and then they're off to Latvia and Copenhagen. | If you fancy catching No Ceremony live, with no masks in sight, then you can see them at Leeds and Reading Festival, Bestival, a couple of dates in the UK this July and then they're off to Latvia and Copenhagen. |
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