Interviews: Her Despair

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Alternative Rock band Her Despair from the UK. 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?

I went through a few different ideas for names before settling on HER DESPAIR. Originally It was going to be Tears of Heaven, then As She Drowns in Her Despair. That seemed like a bit of a mouthful so it was shortened, and the rest, as they say, is history.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

I was first introduced to music that leaned towards the gothic side of the spectrum with Marilyn Manson’s “Holy Wood” album. I’d always listened to rock whilst growing up; Meat Loaf, Elvis, Led Zeppelin etc, and had begun discovering my own taste in music through early 2000s metal, but hearing the darkness of “Holy Wood” changed things for me. Then I saw pictures of Marilyn Manson himself; I’d never seen anything like his style before, and it blew me away. I probably started wearing black nail varnish the day after that. From then on my heart lay with darker music really, whether it could be classified as “goth” or not. When I started playing guitar a few years after, it was only natural that I would gravitate towards the more morose side of things, and I would constantly be filling up notebooks with lyrics and ideas. Short answer to the question: goth is life.

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

Yes, we all go back many years. We may have drifted in and out of one another’s frequent social circles from time to time before the band, but on the whole we’ve all known each other since our teenage years or earlier. 4. Each band members favourite band? J (vocals) - Sisters of Mercy Dan (guitar) - Murderdolls Vikki (bass) - Rammstein Jord (guitar) - Red Hot Chili Peppers Lee (drums) - Red Toby (keyboards) - Nightwish

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Inspiration could come from anywhere, musically or otherwise. The main bands who are inspirations would include the Sisters of Mercy, HIM, 69 Eyes, Type O Negative and so on. Most of our songs are primarily about theology or sex, so those particular considerations are consistent influences as well.

6. Where was your last gig?

London UK

7. Where would you like to act?

When you say “act,” are we talking performance-wise or trying our hands at actual acting? Let’s go with the London Palladium - a prestigious and beautiful venue, and suitable for both music and theatre performances.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

There are so many amazing bands and artists that we would love the opportunity to perform with, but the ideal at this moment in time would be the Sisters, The Awakening, and us.

9. Whom not?

I can’t imagine we’d be the most appropriate choice of support for the Arctic Monkeys.

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

I think we all still get a touch of stage fright before we step on; I often do. A small dose can be helpful to drive focus on giving the best performance possible. In terms of tips for beginners, I’d say just go for it. Once you get started, the adrenaline takes over and the butterflies tend to disappear.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

A combination of all the bands mentioned so far, plus more. Due to the fact we all have fairly varied music tastes, there can be a considerable amount of different inspirations flowing. That won’t necessarily work every time we’re writing, but it certainly proves to make our music more interesting. There are more pop melodies in our more recent material, so our influences and inspirations are definitely broadening. Some people get so upset over genre definitions. If it sounds good, who cares what genre it allegedly sits under?

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

I can’t necessarily think of any “weird” requests off the top of my head, but it can still sometimes seem surreal when people ask for a photo or a signature on their CD. Don’t get me wrong, we’re always delighted to interact with our fans, and find it deeply flattering when they ask for pictures or signatures. We will always oblige, but we’re still quite new to this game so it can be a surreal feeling. Very touching, but surreal.

13. What do you think of your fans?

We love every one of them.

14. What do you think of our site?

The site is great - full of interesting articles and very well organised, which gets an enormous thumbs up, particularly from myself and Vikki.

15. Something to add?

Thank you for the questions!! We’d like to promote our forthcoming EP, which will be released 22 November this year. “Exorcisms of Eroticism” is the dark and dramatic collection of six new gothic rock anthems from HER DESPAIR. Designed to unravel the mysteries of the theologic and the erotic, each song is set to a storm of symphonic instrumentation; providing the perfect soundtrack for your sorrows. There are two singles available online now, which are also available as instant downloads when pre- ordering the EP from our Bandcamp. “Pandaemonium,” which is our heaviest song so far, and the music video for “The Exorcism” - which delves deeper into a Suspiria-inspired gothic dance crossover. Both have been very well received, and we look forward to unveiling the remainder of the release towards the end of the month.