Are you longing for chaos? Would you like to be served unfiltered grittiness on a silver platter? Are you tired of the formulaic nature of modern music? Well, we’ve got something to show you then… Meet dredge, furious and unapologetic hardcore duo from Birmingham, UK. Their music is hard to define, but also hard to miss. Loud, bold, and dirty, the British pair embraces angry, dystopian vocals, explosive, loose drum grooves and a quirky six-string bass, here used to cover a whole lot of frequencies. Spoiler: it’s all distorted, just like god would want it to be.
‘doomed from the start’ is the perfect example of what we just said. Marking dredge’s debut EP, the record is packed with four soul-crushing pieces, a dark and deep guitar-coded triumph that feels rebellious and raw, yet also meaningful and truly original. dredge might only be two dudes from Birmingham, but they appear to have cracked some sort of code, and are now bringing fresh air into an overdone and tired rock landscape.
Intrigued by the group, we caught up with them to learn more about their artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hey guys, thanks for chatting with us! The keen reader will have already got an introduction to dredge, but I’d like to learn more about where you come from, at least artistically. Who are the two humans behind the project? How did you meet?
JR: Thanks for having us! We met in high school when we were just bundles of teen angst and hair gel. We bonded over the fact that we had the same name and similar tastes in combat boots. 15 years and several bands later, we learned to iron out the kinks in our musical endeavours (in our case, the bassist), and dredge was born.
JP: hell yeah, as Joe said, thanks for having us! We literally were just two little balls of angst who had the same interest in loud music. I was a skatepark rat, Joe was a punk rocker… You can see how we instantly connected.
Your latest EP, ‘doomed from the start’, confirms a rule that I have been reflecting on for quite some time, which is that self-imposed limits highly stimulate creativity. In your case, being a duo and writing music with drums and bass (albeit a six-string) gives you a particular edge, as you are trying to solve a compositional problem with just a few elements. The result is a record that’s incredibly original and peculiar, even lo-fi at times.
Can you take us through your writing process? Are you approaching your instruments in any particular way?
JP: As the main riff merchant, for me it’s not only about what is going to fill the space and make us sound like 7 people instead of two, it’s really figuring out what makes people move. I use the Bass VI because it has this special talent of making low frequencies really shake the foundations of the room, but with that comes honing the craft of writing riffs that complement that. Not every riff is born equal; you have to be picky.
JR: I think the biggest adjustment I’ve had to make on drums stems from the massive output of the Bass VI. I’m constantly filling the space that would usually be occupied by a third or fourth member. While my process doesn’t change too much in writing, I do need to think more about what is going to cut through all the noise and distortion. For instance, by being extra selective with cymbal choices, just to ensure the drums don’t get lost in all the fuzz.
Are there any specific influences behind the record? Beyond that, what are you listening to at the moment?
JR: Growing up, I was big into punk, whilst JP was big into metal/sludge. These two major influences embody the majority of our music. We were also big into 68′ whilst recording this EP and wanted to replicate the way those guys write songs that are intended to be heard live, which is a big reason why this EP has a lot of the raw, unfiltered sound kept intact.
JP: As Joe said, there are two sides to us. The Punk and the Sludge. I personally consider myself an expert in anything stoner/sludge/doom, so big influences for my riff writing come from Melvins, Electric Wizard, Weedeater, and more. That said, I’m also a big classic rock fan, so bands like Kiss and Motley Crue are massive influences on me, as well as some dub reggae, African psych rock and ’90s PlayStation golf game soundtracks.
Are we? Doomed from the start? 🙂 Jokes aside, is there a general message behind the record?
JR: Whilst the song that features the titular lyrics definitely carries its own meaning, I love this phrase as a tagline for what we do musically. It’s a reminder that nothing lasts forever, so we may as well enjoy it while we can. It’s a huge ethos we like to instil through our music, and in our live performance, it’s all about being in the moment, so this being our debut puts that across from the outset.
JP: For me, the whole EP is a commentary on real life. This is the world we live in. It’s hard, gross, ugly and everything in between. But we’re all humans, everyone has met a captain oblivious, everyone has met a temptress, everyone has thought about sacking it all off, going to the pub and blasting heavy metal to drink beer and hail satan. This world is tough, so technically, yes, we are all doomed from the start!
I have dug through your Instagram profile, and one of your latest posts celebrates the EP release, highlighting how everything started from two friends wanting to “play unforgiving and loud as hell emotive music that made people feel something”.
Listeners seem to be resonating a lot with that idea, and I resonate with it too, as it’s obvious that your material comes from a place of deep authenticity. You are not ‘playing the industry game’, so to speak, but mainly expressing yourself, making art that has purpose and intensity. Do you agree with this sentiment?
JP: dredge started out as a way for us to play the music we thought was missing. We want it to be intense, unhinged and not like anything else. I personally think art should always be about expression, which really comes across in our live show. It’s a cathartic experience and a chance for letting go of all the stress, emotion and intense energy you have pent up inside. Not just for us, I think that spreads to the audience too; people really connect with that.
JR: 100%. What is art if not an expression of one’s self? We just play what we love and don’t expect much in return, though it’s great to know others resonate with it in the same way.
Doubling down on the same theme, do you feel as though chaotic and evocative music is particularly needed in this day and age? The world is falling apart all around us, so why not escape into the depths of grittiness and distortions? It’s a cathartic release of sorts. I am sure you feel the same when performing it, am I right? How do you feel after stepping off stage? Is that meaningful to you?
JR: Absolutely. We all have something to be pissed off about, and often our best lyrics and subject matters have stemmed from that, so it’s as much of a cathartic release for us as we hope it is for those listening.
JP: If I don’t feel sick, covered in sweat, shaking and with an injury of some sort walking off stage, it wasn’t a true dredge show. My goal is to leave a pint of blood on stage every time I’m up there. There’s so much to be angry about in the world. Come to our show and be angry about it with us.
How’s the music scene in Birmingham? Have you found a like-minded community of music lovers?
JR: We love the scene in Birmingham, and we’re so grateful for the support we’ve had from people lifting up smaller bands like ours and featuring us in their venues and platforms. The number of people there providing these opportunities for smaller bands is astonishing, and we don’t see that in many other places.
JP: Birmingham is such a special place, especially when it comes to heavy music, people take it real serious round here. But the beautiful thing about this band is that we seem to find a like-minded community wherever we go. I think our music is special like that, it’s loud as hell and noisier than a jet engine, which makes it so easy to connect with, no matter what scene we’re playing to. But Birmingham does have the best curries and people on the planet.
What’s next for dredge? I have noticed you are playing shows all around the UK in the next few months…
JR: We’ve got a couple of shows lined up in Mansfield (19th June) and Bristol (24th July), which should be a lot of fun. We’re also working on recording our next batch of songs, so hopefully we’ll have a few more out before the end of the year!
JP: What he said, but also more mischief, more loud noise, more riffs, more beers and a whole lot more chaos.