485C - This is a code red hot new music tip.
“I don’t see the point in being in a band if you’re trying to emulate someone’s sound, we just want to get out there, and put out how we’re feeling that day. Why conform to anything…? Why not have an eclectic sound? I don’t see the artistic value in doing something the same as everybody else. It’s important not to be afraid to promote different sides to yourself artistically.” – Adam.
485C, End Of The Trail Stage @AltEscape, TGE16, East Street Tap Brighton (May 2016)
There is an intense, rock music gang of youthful talent organically hitting public awareness. Hard.
They made jaws drop at London’s new music expo, ArtBeatFest, in April, where they played their first official gig as 485C and were instantly snapped up for an appearance at The Great Escape Festival.
Later that month, the UK's key new music presenter, Steve Lamacq played their forthcoming single release, 'She'll Lie', on his BBC 6Music Radio show, and has played them again since. So new that they are a mystery who have only had an on line presence since May 2016, 485C are ready to be discovered, at close range, in a small venue. Having fallen for them within a song, (and finding ourselves at more of their shows), TheZineUK team HAD to find out more so Dizzy met with them for the following interview;
485C are an enigma, from their name to their sound.
We meet two of them (Adam and Dom), in Camden’s legendary Good Mixer pub, to try and unravel some of the mystery of one of Britain's hottest new musical attractions.
Who Are 485C?
Adam: lead vocals, occasional guitar
Dom: Guitar, main backing vocals
Rory: Guitar, occasional vocals
Sam: Bass, occasional vocals
Lucas: Drums
A: "We all took the decision when we came out of school to do this, we all understand why we’re doing it, I can’t do anything else. I don’t want to do anything else because music is what I believe in. There’s five of us and we’re all open with each other; we all trust each other."
“We’re very new to the music industry, we’re still just kids – but we’re confident there’s no pitfalls that will greet us, the industry has changed beyond control but we can adapt to that. illegal downloads… we’ll just have merchandise. It’s about adapting.”
What’s in a name?
A: "485C is a colour code… it’s the same shade as McDonalds, post-boxes…"
D: "…The Russian Communist Flag..."
A: "...Which is perhaps Freudian, I mean we haven’t got a communist agenda yet, but who knows?!"
D: "We wanted a conceptual idea too, something people have to think about. If people asked about 485C, I would just draw a huge question mark."
Creating 485C
A: “We listen to music a lot, we purge in the arts – Dali, Van Gogh…Everything we can get our hands on. We’ve just visited the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, we just purge and see what comes out.”
"We all have very similar music taste, but our tastes seem to change every week… It helps us evolve. Writing songs is a subconscious thing, I don’t feel I have any control over it really, it’s something I live by… I have no qualifications you know, so it’s really natural and the only thing I know how to do."
D: "We just work really well together, Adam can come in with a song or I can come up with the tiniest riff and then in the studio we just work it out together really quickly."
A: "It’s like giving someone your toy for other people to take and dress up, you know? It always come from one person but everyone mucks in and helps create something, it’s very important to us everyone has that input."
485C live…
A: “We’ve never begged to be on the radio, we’ve never begged for fame – people have always come to us, we don’t want any of that, we’re just all about the art.”
"On stage it’s an almost transformative experience, it’s extremely weird, I just black out. I don’t think you can channel people, or try to be someone else, because it comes across as fake."
D: "In terms of being on stage you detach yourself from your normal self, you become a different person."
A: "It’s also so cool to play places that are free, because I’m the same you know, I wouldn’t want to pay seven quid on the door for a band I don’t know."
D: "We’ve played many gigs where the bar is full, and the stage room is empty, you know? Faced with the choice of paying £7 to go and see the band, most people would think it’s better value to get another pint. Free entry gigs give people the freedom to check us out, and they won’t regret doing so."
pictured; Adam at TheZineUK music social/Sisteray guerilla gig at London's Urban Bar, in January
Brexit, Culture Terrorism and The Future Shape of Sound:
A: “Stuff that’s presented as “alternative” is less alternative than what’s in the mainstream charts…
I would rather listen to Justin Bieber any day than the 1975. At least he's being genuine about what he's trying to do.
You can’t put on a leather jacket and pretend you’re a good artist.”
D: "I sit there and thank god for Fat White Family, because there’s no one else disgusting me at the moment. They don’t have a filter, they throw themselves at people and I love that."
A: "I can’t put into words… They’re such a big influence on us as a band too, the first time I saw them live (Village Underground) they changed me as a person, you see them and you think “Why give a fuck?” It’s become about people caring about their haircut, more than the music, and that pisses all of us off."
D: "The one thing that frustrates me about music is when it’s boring, I mean it can be a bad song, but that would still get a reaction from me, but when there’s just nothing there to feel... Landfill Indie is just chugging along."
A: "...and because the culture around affects us all as people, and I try to channel everyone’s opinions, I feel pretty disgusted with the way the country is right now. I can’t really see it being worse, but at the same time I see grassroots of hope. Naturally that affects our music."
D: "When bad things are going down it’s good to look to music, either listen to a song to make you feel better… or write a song to help fight back you know?"
ArtBeatFest New Music Expo DIY press/industry/scouts convention Amersham Arms London April 2016
What next?
A: "Our feet are not on the ground, the whole thing about being an artist is you are a child. You go to people like Andy (Ross, manager and all round musical maestro) and say “This is what I’ve made” but at the same time it doesn’t mean you have to be a dick. We just understand what we look like, why we do what we do… and in terms of ego I think that only comes when you’re trying to be something that you’re not, trying to fill a void…
At the end of the day if the artistry is not there, you’re not going to survive as an artist. We don’t have an end goal; we just want to do this until we drop. We don’t care about making money, we know we’ve got something to offer in the big bad world."
D: "…and world domination."
A: "I think there is something that’ll happen from the grass roots soon, I think as a country we’ve been too long with polite non-radical political agendas and bland music, we can only do our own part and our own thing with that.
I want to change people’s attitudes about being in a band, you tell people and their reaction is almost like you’ve told them you’re a scaghead… but who cares really – I’d rather that, than £36k of debt. Just do what you want to do.
"There should be more people doing art, creating. It’s incredible how there hasn’t been riots on the streets, but this is where art comes from. When you feel like “why is this happening?” just write a song, paint some art… Just as long as you’re ventilating that passion."
D: "When you are creative, you portray the best person you are, because it’s coming from you and your emotions. I was thinking about the internet, it can be used as a tool, but it makes people comfortable with accepting things, it makes people idle and stagnant. There isn’t that intimacy… And that motivates us to write and play because we want to fight back against that in a way."
"We want to prove that people like us are still there, we just need to expose it a bit more."
A : “Everyone should create art, because fuck knows we need it right now."
Concept; https://facebook.com/485Cband
Diary Dates:
Saturday July 16th at The Horn, St Albans
Monday July 18th at Birthdays, Dalston (Stage time approximately 8pm) London. Free Entry.
The single, 'She'll Lie', is released at the Fierce Panda Records Single Launch on 9th August.
Dizzy, Adam, Dom - Camden, Summer 2016
Interview: Dizzy Spell
Snapshots: Caffy St Luce
Thanks: 485C and Andy Ross
9th (The Victoria, East London.)