Fenrir are an alt rock band from the Suffolk area of the UK. Formed at the end of 2011, the band spent over 6 months writing and recording their debut EP ‘Live Like Royalty’ before venturing out and gigging across the UK.
Fenrir are Ben Slater – Vox, Mike Cockayne – Guitar/vox, Krishan Alwis – Guitar, Rich Wallis – Bass and Ben Brennan – Drums and they will be heading out on a UK tour in March with Management stable mates Searching Alaska. We spoke to singer Ben Slater to find out all about Fenrir.
Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Ben Slater, and I’m the vocalist in Fenrir.
Where did the bands name come from?
It came about after our guitarist Mike and bassist Rich both got tattoos of wolves, so we wanted to name the band after some kind of wolf.
“Fenrir was in norse mythology, the son of Loki, and he killed Thor, so he seemed suitably badass!”
How did you get started?
Three of our members were previously in a band together and branched out into a new project so started looking for a vocalist and another guitarist. My sister actually put my name forward after she declined their offer so I have her to thank! After I got the part I mentioned my mate Krishan would suit the bands style as the second guitarist and I happened to be talking to him online when it was mentioned, so he auditioned and got the part!
What have you got going on at the moment?
We’re currently promoting our debut tour in March which we cannot wait for! Sorting the final touch’s on our debut EP and preparing for our first video shoot, so its all go here!
Favourite music and why? I think we all have an affinity towards the hardcore, rock sounds that the UK’s kicking out these days. There are so many good records out there its difficult to say a specific one, i know we’ve all really enjoyed listening to what the boys in Mallory Knox have released recently!
Favourite book and why?
Hmm, probably The Hobbit for me. Mainly because it was one of the first books I remember reading when I was younger, I still have my original copy with all my 10 year old doodles in!
Favourite film and why?
Definitely ‘In Bruges’. We all watched it before we went recording, and along with a couple of drinks it was brilliant! We now quote pretty much the entire film whenever we can!
Best experience in the business?
So far I’d say hearing what people think of our records. When someone tells me they relate to a certain lyric or they just loved a track, its an awesome sense of pride! That and playing shows! We really love getting into the crowd and ensuring they have an awesome time!
Why should Soundscape readers care?
Because our heart and soul goes into everything we do! We all live for this and cant imagine anything else than being in a full time band and living on the road. So having the support from your amazing readers would mean the world to us and get us one step closer to our dream!
Tell our readers an interesting fact about your band?
We are huge nerds. between us I think we cover every aspect, from comic books, to final fantasy and so on. its a guilty pleasure!
What’s the best and worst things about touring?
We’re only a couple of weeks away from our first tour so we dont know yet! But I’d say the best thing is going to be the experience, meeting new people and playing to new faces. The worst thing I foresee is missing home and sleeping in the van! We arent really morning people!
Most embarrassing thing to happen to you while in the band?
As a general thing, my speeches inbetween songs at shows are rather embarrassing, more so for the other guys than me. I get so caught up in the songs that when they end I have to think on my feet. And so far it has had some mixed results, from talking about cheese, to insulting the rest of the band!
What’s your writing and recording process?
We mix things up alot when we write. Some of the tracks were written as a group, with us all in the same room and throwing ideas around, and some of them we had the basic idea and went away and wrote our parts seperately and put it together. Personally I prefer writing as a group that way everyone gets a say and you can hear ideas you wouldn’t have thought of.
We recorded all our tracks with Oz at Hidden Track Studios and given how well the first few turned out, we have complete trust in anything he suggests! But we do like to mix things up and love experimenting with different recording techniques.
What inspires you?
I’d say seeing bands we grew up with progress through the industry and become more than just local bands we used to hang out with. They really inspire us by showing us whats achievable and this pushes us to try become a band that future up and coming musicians can look up to!
Who are your role models/idols?
I’d say the people I’ve grown up with. I tend not to idolise ‘celebrities’ as you don’t really know the real person your idolising. I have a really close knit group of friends and I’d like to say I am who I am today because of them.
That and Morgan Freeman!
Hardest thing about the current business?
Trying to even crack the surface in this industry takes some doing! Theres so much talent out there that competition is crazy! I think now more so than ever with the internet, its so easy to be heard, but so difficult to be taken seriously. We want to be taken seriously, musically at least!
Favourite Batman actor?
Has to without a doubt be Adam West.
You can download a free track called ‘It’s Not Quite The End Of The World’ from http://fenriruk.bandcamp.com/album/live-like-royalty and watch an acoustic video of that very same track below. Thanks to Charlotte and Ben for sorting this out for us.
www.facebook.com/fenriruk
www.twitter.com/fenriruk
