Interviews: Cold Reading

In this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Alternative Rock band Cold Reading from Switzerland. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

Three of us played in a band called “Face the Front” before we formed Cold Reading. One of their songs was called “Modern Values / Cold Reading” and I think we just borrowed it from there. We desperately needed a band name because we had our first concert booked, and then we liked it well enough to never change it.

2. Why did you want to play this genre? 

All of us were pretty enamoured with the whole Emo Revival that was happening – some of us have been listening to that kind of thing for years, for others, it was the next step after listening to Punk and stuff. There was never really a proper scene for that in Switzerland though, we just did it because that was the music we loved. 

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed? 

As mentioned, Chregi, Arthur and Alain played in Face the Front. They’ve known Mike for years as well, he’s been involved in various projects and sometimes filled in as singer in Face the Front. Noone knew Marc before, we just all met at a show in 2013 and a few months later, Cold Reading was born.

4. Each band member favourite band? 

Arthur: Turnover

Alain: Bombay Bicycle Club

Chregi: Manchester Orchestra

Marc: The Appleseed Cast

Mike: ef

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs? 

A lot of our songs come to being when we retreat to a little studio somewhere in the quiet countryside. I think we all need some space and time away from our daily routine to feel inspired. The specific ideas come from different places, be that other music, literature or even a discussion we had.

6. Where was your last gig? 

Our last show was at Schüür, Lucerne, where we supported Madsen. Both nights we played with them were great, they definitely know how to party.

7. Where would you like to act? 

Anywhere where there are good people involved. We always enjoy playing shows in Germany, but we’ve never made it to France until now, which is a shame. Eastern Europe as well. China, Japan – basically anywhere, there’s so many interesting places and people to discover.

8. Whom would you like to feature with? 

It’s always better to tour with bands you like because you have to watch their set every night. But you never know how the band members are as people. We love the music of and the people in The Deadnotes, Backwards Charm, LIRR and A River Crossing, for example, and we’ll always want to play shows with them. Of course supporting common favourites like Thrice, American Football, Mogwai, Moving Mountains etc. would be awesome as well.

9. Whom not?

It’s no fun to play with bands that are too arrogant, too annoying or whatever. But more importantly, we don’t want to share the stage with bands that have pro-views on any form of discrimination or oppression.

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Alain: I do occasionally suffer from mild stage fright. Usually, I just try and find a space where I can be on my own, take some deep breaths and perhaps do some mental exercises to help calm myself. My advice would be to take your time and always keep in mind that it's not worth stressing out over something that will feel incredibly good afterwards, i.e. being on stage with your best mates playing the songs you love.

11. What bands have inspired you the most? 

In the beginning, it’s been genre favourites like Taking Back Sunday, Into It. Over It. or Thrice. Now our influences are wider; some draw more inspiration from groovy, polished Synth-Pop, others have dived headfirst into the world of Post-Rock. With the new record, the influences ranged from Balance & Composure over Ben Howard to Explosions in the Sky and Foals.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Nothing really comes to mind. We’ve never felt uncomfortable or freaked out by some weird request.

13. What do you think of your fans? 

As you can guess by our answer to the question above, our fans are very tame and well-behaved. They conduct themselves in a proper way, pay their bills on time, recycle their waste and clap their hands for us – what more do you want?

14. What do you think of our site?

Love your preference on smaller bands. It’s commendable how you give bands from different genres a platform, despite the misleading name of the site. Another plus is the internationality: You’re not extremely focussed on bands from the US/UK. The message that comes with that – it doesn’t matter where you’re from, we’re in this together and music connects us – is one we wholeheartedly support.

15. Something add?

Thank you guys for having us and much love to everyone who decided to check us out.