For those reading at home, what is your name and position in the band?
My name is Crilly and I sing, press buttons, climb, jump and run in Ashestoangels.
I have to ask, where does the name for the band come from?
It came from a David Bowie song. But we thought Ashestoangels was a bit fancier than Ashes To Ashes. Easier to look up as well... Remember when 'Brand New' first broke over here? Finding them online was a nightmare... so Ashestoangels as one word, thats us!
You guys released a new single recently called “Dorian”. Where did you draw inspiration from when writing that song?
That is a song about having to make some very hard choices. I don't like to be too specific about what my songs are about, I like people to interpret them for themselves.
What was the concept behind the video for “Dorian”?
Well it was meant to have a lot more storyline, but then our guitar player disappeared... So we had to cut a bunch of the scenes. Which was a shame! But I think it turned out pretty cool anyway.
What was the writing and recording process like for “With Tapes And Needles” (due out August 26th)?
Intensive. We arrived at the studio with what we thought was the full album ready to go, but William pushed us to improve it. We ended up rewriting and recording the entire album in 16 days, which was hard work. Worth it though. So happy with it.
Where does the record name “With Tapes And Needles” come from?
It is a line from the original, much longer version of a track called Lumi.
I definitely hear some influence from AFI in your music. Are they someone that you would say that you take a lot of inspiration from? Who else would you cite as a musical influence?
We all love AFI. They have a new record out soon, all very excited about that! As for other musical influences, we are all into a lot of different stuff, but I suppose we find common ground in Aiden, William Control, FACT and My Passion. I mean there is literally hundreds of bands that we all adore but honestly other peoples music is the furthest thing from my mind when I'm writing. We don't set out to sound like anyone, I just write the songs that are in my head .
The band is from the UK, based in Bristol. What can you tell me about the music scene in the UK in comparison to anywhere else in Europe, or even in the United States (if you have been here?)
We've actually only played the UK. But we hope thats going to change! We want to go everywhere. Seeing the world because you play punk rock? That's the dream.
I ask this question to every artist that I interview because I always get a wide variety of answers. What kind of message would you like fans to walk away with after listening to your music?
That this is a home and a family that will stick with them no matter what.
Last question: what are the future plans for Ashestoangels at the moment?
Well we got back from tour at 6am this morning, and I am booking the next one right now. Plus I've written album 3, so we should go record that soon...
Keep up to date on all of the latest music and news from Ashestoangels on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ashestoangels) and their website (www.ashestoangels.co.uk)!