Friday, 18 December 2020

The Spotlight: 2020 Catch Up Interview With Incursion By Matt Bladen

MoM: How have the band members been handling the lack of touring and even the lack of practicing in 2020?

Incursion: It has been a bit of a strain in all honesty, even with the interdimensional travel we are still stuck across different regions of Wails and Wales, which with the local lockdowns hindered us to regroup and work on new music together for the most part.
Trust us, cross those borders when a dimensional slip happens and it could have torn the space time continuum apart! So once again you're welcome for us Hob Nob munching survivalists not totally destroying this dimension, this time...

Although the time has been mainly used to focus and set a new plan of attack once we are able to once more!

One good side to the lack of touring/band life is that we've been able to spend time with our families, Grunt (Scott) becoming a father during these strange times has raised our spirits!

MoM: Were there any gigs/shows/events that you were particularly gutted to have missed?

Incursion: Definitely Metal 2 The Masses, we had a strong approach planned out this year with our following gaining more and more by the day, it seemed like it could have been the year to go all the way to Bloodstock itself! There was a weekender we had planned and booked too, rooms and everything, heading down to the South of England, but as everyone else in our industry that was missed out on!

MoM: What did you have to do to adapt to the pandemic situation, i.e digital releases, videos, livestreams?

Incursion: We released the video for "The Shrouded" with thanks to "Stone Letter Media". That was a bit of a challenge as we did have an original idea for that track to show the beginning of "Incursion's story" to give a bit of an insight into the world we portray. But alas with a line up change and then the lockdown we made the decision to work it as more lyric video. Which still worked out quite well, it was strange to being directed via WhatsApp messages and filming my parts on my phone, but we got what we wanted from it! We have wanted to do a livestream, but with limited places to accommodate us, it's something that's still in the pipeline, but we'd all want to be fully into it and make it as best as we possibly could before releasing/performing a live set.

MoM: This year has also seen Jonny focussing on revamping The Green Rooms after the terrible floods. How is that going?

Jonny: 2020 eh? Ha! Green Rooms has been a long uphill battle, the floods really were devastating, but after the year prior I became determined not to lose it! What started as a clean up and salvage mission has turned into a full blown campaign, there has been a lot of challenges and difficulties but that venue/rehearsal studio is so desperately needed here in the Rhondda that I couldn't let it go under without a fight.

Well here we are 10 or months later and it's finally taking shape. The goal first and foremost is to be able to open the rehearsal studios back up, with the "goal posts" being changed on what seems to be a weekly basis for live music venues/bars/hospitality in general, I believe it's in our best interest to go as much as we can with the rehearsal side as far as bands and artists go, but with new equipment on site the venue will be far more versatile than it was in it's previous incarnation.
So even if we have to put our stage and p.a outside for a live event next year we are more than prepared to get as radical as we can to ensure live music has a life line here!

MoM: What are the plans for Incursion/Green Rooms going forward in 2021? (Obviously pandemic permitting)

Incursion: Green Rooms will be there to offer our support wherever we can with bands and artists. Any promotional work, rehearsals for bands will always be our main focus, but with the modifications to the venue and new additions we plan to bring a broader audience/customer base too!

Incursion have a new release in the making, once again we are working with Stone Letter Media for our next single's video which we recorded with Made By MJD, as cliche as this sound we can't wait to share it with you Incursionists! This track is very much the tip of the iceberg with our new material, but if you love viciously heavy riffs and hooks so catchy you could hang a radioactive drummer off them, then you are in for a treat with this new release!

Pandemic depending, we are due to make our first festival appearance at Hammerfest being held at the O2 Birmingham on February 14th, the best way to spend valentine's day if you ask me!

With live shows up in the air, we are planning to expand on our story and tales from the alternative apocalypse as creatively as possible!

Until then we hope you stop by the digital Incursion headquarters (www.incursionmetal.co.uk) and stock up on your accidental heroes official apparel!

Stay healthy and in tip top Hob Nob fighting shape Incursionists!

Fox, Griff & Grunt
(Jonny, Josh & Scott)

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