Interviews: Icarus Lives

This is a new interview with the Melodic Metal band Icarus Lives from Australia. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

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

I love this question, every time someone asks it takes me right back to when we were just babies in the music industry. We were actually struggling to find a name for the longest time, throwing ideas back and forth and eventually not taking the assignment too seriously, suggesting names like "Kill Me I'm Sober" or "Sleepwalking Pizza". Taviri (Former Guitarist 2014-2018) then suggested Icarus Lives and we all really liked how it sounded. Then looking into its meaning more, I, personally, really love Greek mythology, so remembering the stories of Icarus, I was very excited about the name.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Ever since I was a child, my dad played a lot of blues and rock in the house, and my mum is hugely into the house and heavy EDM, so as a kid I would find myself vibing to Fatboy Slim and Ministry of Sound one minute and then vibing to Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy playing with The Rolling stones, the next. I was introduced to many artists that have moulded my ideology of who I could be, but nothing was as life-changing as when I discovered Paramore - throwing me into the pop-punk universe. Then Bullet For My Valentine while playing Guitar Hero World Tour III. I then saw both of those bands live shortly after discovering them, and the bands in association to the tours in their respective genres, and that's where I found myself falling into Metal, and I so badly wanted to contribute to a genre that had given me so much inspiration within myself.

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

We all knew OF each other before we formed. Icarus Lives is actually the result of a Music course we all did after we graduated high school. We were all in different classes for a year before we were placed in the same one. The idea of this place was to form bands and perform and learn about the industry, and from there you could branch out into whatever aspect that you wanted. However our projects had disbanded going into our final year, so new bands had to be formed. Sara (former vocalist 2014- 2021) and Cameron knew each other previously from their band "Blunted" and I knew of them because I had watched them play a few times and really enjoyed it. Taviri and I were in a band together called "ImaJad" who were not too different in style to Blunted. Taviri and Chris Heindl (former bass player 2014-2015) had previously been in a project together too. So in a way, yes, we all sort of knew each other but didn't get together to play until 2014. Obviously, the band has evolved from there, I have known Aria since I was 12 years old, the universe has been throwing us back at each other over the years, so it seems very natural that we have ended up playing together in Icarus Lives. Chris auditioned and immediately warmed up with some Cradle Of Filth (if I remember correctly) and I remember deciding then that he would be joining us! Cohen also auditioned, I remember him telling me a while back about how he didn't think he was good enough to join, so he practised every day for a few weeks/months and saw we were still looking, and look at him now!

4. Each band member's favourite band?

This is always a tough question, I personally have great difficulty answering this. Cohens favourite band is Sonata Arctica Chris' favourite band is Behemoth Cameron's favourite bands are Iron Maiden and Helloween. Aria's favourite band is The Arctic Monkeys Naomi's favourite band is continuously changing, but more recently is Insomnium.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

I collaborate more recently with Aria lyrically, and Aria makes what I have to offer sound so much better than I had imagined. I usually find a lot of inspiration for these writing sessions after intense emotional situations.

6. Where was your last gig?

We recently played our last show on the 28th of January at The Rosemount Hotel in Perth, WA

7. Where would you like to act?

I would personally love the opportunity to tour Europe, there is so much richness in the music there, but also, I'm looking forward to eventually going back to Japan, I really enjoyed our last tour there!

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

It would be seriously cool to tour with each of our favourite bands, I feel like that's the real dream, to play music alongside those who inspired you to pick up an instrument in the first place.

9. Whom not?

I don't think there is anyone we would be prejudiced about playing alongside. I feel like that's such a backwards way of looking at it too, especially a band of our size, to think we are too good to play with X band who has paid their dues and worked their ass off to get to where they are.

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

I used to, quite badly, and still do on occasion. I remember talking to Simon from The Agonist when we toured with them about it, before we went on for the first night in Tokyo. I said to him something along the lines of "Dude, how do you get up in front of all those people every night and not shit your pants?" it was our first real deal tour away from home. He told me that he himself still gets nervous, but it's exciting and you should focus on that instead! So I would say to any beginner out there, focus of how excited you are about getting on that stage and tearing it up, focus on that feeling, it's a mind game. Fear, nervousness, excitement and adrenaline feel so similar, so you can trick yourself into feeling more adrenaline than fear, which is important. Feel the fear, do it anyway!

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

I would have to say my childhood heroes in music go from watching Freddie Mercury destroy everyone during live aid, watching Hayley Williams just jump and run around on stage, watching Linkin Park play their hearts out and seeing all the levels of vulnerability and strength music provides not only for the artist, but for the listener too, and seeing that connection form between artist and fan. Not one single band alone inspired me to play, but all of them creating their own unique blend, made me hungry to be a part of that environment. When being on the rail at shows wasn't enough anymore, I wanted to be on stage, I picked up a guitar in high school, and then drums in 2013.

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

I actually don't think I've ever been asked for anything weird, in the sense that it all seems relatively normal, signing drumsticks (which is difficult hahaha), taking photos and signing CDs. I haven't really had anyone ask me for anything weird. I've had people comment on how good at drumming I am - for a girl, which I thought was strange, because music isn't defined by gender, hahaha!

13. What do you think of your fans?

I think they're extremely patient, as they have been waiting for music for some time, so I would like to thank them for keeping up to date with us and being extremely supportive of us while we pushed through some major writing blocks and some mild identity crises of who Icarus Lives is and what music we play moving forward as a band.

14. What do you think of our site?

I think the site is really cool, I love how many genres you guys cover within the metal. I'll be looking more into the "Dark Symphonic Metal" category later!

15. Something to add? 

The new EP "Scorched Reprise" comes out April 22 2022, so keep an eye out on that! Follow us on our socials to keep up to date with all of it! We start recording again this year, so we have more coming very soon!