Shredd- Freak Out (Single Review + Interview)

Words - Craig Carrington-Porter

Aye, thats fucking right we’re back! Not that we went anywhere. Like a lump that the doctor cant remove, I’ve been stuck in my bed and it’s been bliss but summer has come and gone. Jamie (the other bloke who I work with) has been promoting and publishing music. I think the most achievable thing I have organised this summer is eating cheese toasties in the bath.

And it happened.

It went well.

Anyway, Shredd dropped a wee email in our inbox and the rubble, clutter and filth fell from my bed and I made my way back to my computer.If you haven’t heard of Shredd then your efforts of hibernation have paid of better than mine. The trio have played up and down the country, calling Glasgow their main stomping ground. Last year saw them release two EPs under the label, Fuzzkill records. The first being, ‘Every time We Met I Want To Die’ and their Sophomore EP ‘Eat Your Enemy.’ I can heavily recommend ‘The Switch’ from their first EP which was my first listen to the band.Earlier in the year, in April, Shredd released ‘Rot.’ A rioted song with curled fuzz and strained guitar bends that squirt you past the intro once you’ve been curiously teased.

At the end of last week, on Sunday to be specific, ‘Freak Out’ made its arrival. Upon listening the compressed intro seems misleading and daunting. Ramming the volume up, a thunderous wave of energy and aggression funnels down my ears and there it is, that’s the sound of Shredd. The single bombs along at a warm, healthy pace curtailing to the point where for a moment you can catch a breath, digest the fat slice of pie that you just got served and then be thrown back in the mix. You’ll make it to the other end of the song but you’ll have changed. You’ll have become an even bigger fan of Shredd. The structure is a wondrous example of a track with no globules of repetition. Its loud but its warm, it doesn’t shriek your ears or irritate them as if they have just been pelted with shite. It’s a delight!- I purely put that in because ‘delight’ rhymes with ‘shite.’

To finish things off we got in touch with Shredd to talk about the release of their new track. Ahead of their king tuts show which is happening this very evening.

Are you guys excited to play tut’s tonight?

“Yeah we can’t wait, we booked this show ages ago so it’s been a long time coming and it feels like a bit of a moment for us as a band! We’ve played most venues in Glasgow so to get to headline one of the most legendary ones is really exciting!”

Does the band have any pre-show warm ups, or do you have any good luck traditions before going on?

“Not particularly, we like to have food together and a few pints when we play but nothing interesting! Although Calum (drummer) always plays in his socks…”

How did you guys meet? How did you come up with the band name?

“We’re all from Cumbernauld, just outside Glasgow, so we knew of each other through playing in bands. Mark and Harv had played in a band together when they were younger as well, but basically we all ended up working in the same place at the same time and thought it would be cool just go into the studio and play about! We never really intended on it becoming a thing but pretty quickly it was evident to us that we needed to take it forward! The name originally started as a joke I think, then it just stuck!”

‘Rot’ and ‘Freak Out’ were recorded in Edinburgh at Chamber Studios, was this new territory for the band?(If so) what was the experience like recording here?

“Both those singles were recorded at the same time at Chamber and it was our first time there yeah, we had heard great things about Graeme Young and Chamber so were excited to go but to be honest I think it exceeded all of our expectations! Working with Graeme was amazing, he is fantastic and really helped us with the process a lot. We’re obviously biased but we love the sound he got for us, it feels like these recordings sound like what we really want to sound like which is class!”

Obviously ‘Freak Out’ has quite a self explanatory title but what does the song mean to you guys?

“Lyrically the song is about just over thinking stuff a bit too much and the problems that can cause for you and everyone else involved!”

The artwork is really cool for ‘Freak Out.’ Who did you approach and did you approach them with this idea?

“The artwork for our last two singles has been done by @wolfalanis (on Instagram) and she is class! She’s worked with a number of Glasgow bands and promoters so we’d seen her stuff around and knew we liked it, it was an obvious choice and what she’s produced on both singles has been amazing!”

What Genre would you describe the band as? What bands do you draw your influences from? Shredd sounds really similar to Oh Sees-just putting that out there.

“It’s tough to describe it in one genre I think, we generally just say garage rock! We all like different stuff so there are heavier elements and some more poppy elements but garage rock is probably the best umbrella! We do love The Oh Sees for sure, but there are plenty other bands we draw influence from as well!”

What is the biggest challenge that the band has had to overcome? If any?

“We’re pretty lucky, we haven’t had all that much drama to deal with! I think the toughest thing for us – and probably for a lot of bands – is trying to balance work and making music. We all work full time jobs as well as trying to do this, so it can be pretty full on and doesn’t leave us a lot of time to do other stuff! We’ve managed to make it work so far but it’s definitely a struggle sometimes.”

Shredd is probably one of the busiest, motivated bands I hear about in Glasgow. You’s have played Xpo North, Stag & Dagger, you have Tut’s on the 15th and Tenement Trail in October. Whats next on the horizon? Do you guys keep a hit list of gigs that you score out once you have played?

“Haha, to be fair this year has actually been our quietest since we’ve been a band, we’ve learned a wee bit from playing loads and loads of shows all the time as it can be tough! We appreciate every gig offer we get, we’d love to do them all and we try our best to but obviously it depends on loads of factors. We’ve been lucky enough to work with loads of great promoters all over the UK who continue to give us shows, as long as they keep asking we’ll keep playing.”

Are you not fucking exhausted from the gigging, writing and recording? How does the band keep a level head? What do you do to recharge the batteries?

“As we said a bit earlier, I’d say work and stuff is the most tiring element. Although doing the gigs/recording etc is tiring but because we love it it doesn’t feel so bad, working is a whole different ball game! I think the three of us have a great understanding of each other, we know when one of the others isn’t happy or enjoying themselves and we know when maybe a gig offer isn’t the best thing for us at that time. We communicate openly with each other and support each other a lot, so if someone is feeling gubbed and can’t do a show or something, that’s fine and we all understand it - I think that’s really important and part of the benefit of us all being best mates!”

Something I ask all bands, writers and creative folk I meet is- do you believe in writers block? If so how do you combat it? (what is the bands writing process?)

“It definitely exists, we’ve all been there in the studio when you’ve got a tune that you’re working on and you get stuck and just can’t get any further with it – it’s so frustrating. We’re lucky because when we write we write together, so if someone’s having an off day someone else can usually pick it up! What I would say though is that if you are struggling to write just put it down, go away for a bit and do something else then come back to it in a couple of days – if you get wrapped up in writing when you’re struggling you’ll just end up producing something you’re unhappy with!”

If you miss the opportunity to see them tonight at King Tut’s you can also witness them at Tenement Trail in October which I can guarantee will sell out fast. ‘Freak Out’ is available on all streaming platforms. Give it a listen and keep an eye open for the bands movements on social media, and for their gigs.

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