Rising Stars - SEASON'S END

(Old interview from 2004 but one that never made GRTR! A great band and catch them at this year's Bloodstock festival)

Season's End are a UK based gothic metal band whose debut album, 'The
Failing Light' met with great reviews including Kerrang! - not
normally known for its love of goth metal. Over to vocalist Becki...

What are you currently up to? (E.g. touring/studio, etc.)

We are currently on a writing break, due to two band members having
degree finals this month! We are taking the opportunity to write
material for our next album. We will be touring the UK to
promote 'The Failing Light' in August, the culmination of which will
be the Bloodstock festival in Derby in September. Details of all our
live dates can be found on our website.

Who was/is are the biggest influences on your career?

All of us come from very different musical backgrounds, so its hard
to name one or two bands or people who've influenced us most. I think
its the diversity of our musical interests that gives Season's End
its unique sound.

Brief history of your work to date and the style of music you play.

We are a UK Gothic Metal band. We have been around for a few years
and released our debut album in November.

What has been the highlight(s) and lowpoint(s) of your career to
date?

A definite highlight was playing Whitby Gothic Festival in November
2002. Its great to play gigs where the atmosphere is positive.
Onstage, you really feed off the crowd, so if you see people out
there having a good time, it makes the music even more intense and
enjoyable.

What would Season's End like to achieve ideally by the end of 2004?

Hopefully wider recognition across the UK metal scene, and branching
out into Europe.

How have the reviews to your debut album, 'The Failing Light' been so
far?

All the reviews so far have been really positive. Kerrang - kkkk -
"The Failing Light is a truly awesome record".

How did you land a spot on the Bloodstock bill and anything special
planned for the gig?

We sent the organiser a copy of the album, and he was impressed
enough to offer us the headline for the 'Femme Fatales' Stage on the
Friday. As for the show, hopefully people will come along and see for
themselves!

What has been the live highlight(s) for the band? How easy/hard is it
to get gigs and promotion for gigs?

It is pretty hard to get bookings for gigs across the UK. Although
locally you make connections, its much harder to tour. The main
struggle is getting people to see a band they haven't previously
heard of. Also, its difficult not to get pigeon-holed. We want to
play to anyone who wants to listen, irrelevant of whether they are
goths or metal-fans. I think there is enough in our music to appeal
to both crowds. Good support slots are pretty hard to come by if you
don't know the right people. I've known some promoters who stick the
same bands on gig after gig, whether or not they fit with the
headlining group. It seems to be who you know, rather than what you
sound like, which is a shame as there are some really good, but
unknown bands out there.

Do you see the interest in rock & metal music growing in the UK at
the moment? What bands do you admire and/or are an influence?

There has been a huge surge in the nu-metal scene in the last few
years. Although we are a lot less mainstream than that stuff, its
really encouraging to see that there is an interest in the sort of
music we are playing. I rememeber about 5 years ago there was nothing
on tv or radio with a guitar and drum-kit other than light, middle-of-
the-road indie bands. There is still a pretty big gap between the
stuff thats in the charts and the music we play though. Most of those
bands have been heavily influenced by the American rap scene, which
is nothing like our music.

What CD's do you currently have available and where can they be
purchased from?

Our debut album'The Failing Light', is available online via our
website www.seasons-end.com, and in selected record stores, along
with t-shirts and other merchandise.

Message to your fans...

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far. We look forward to
seeing you all at our gigs in August.