New Music First! Dead Confederate
Hailing from Athens, Georgia. Dead Confederate play an unruly, ferocious blend of heavy psychedelic tinged rock. Their debut album ‘Wrecking Ball’ is as raucous as the title suggests, with songs that sucker punch the listener with dark melodies and lead singer Hardy Morris’ distinctive Southern drawl.
While their fondness for distorted guitars may have many wanting to class them as a return to the grunge sound that popularised the early nineties, their sound has far more depth than that tag suggests.
Their latest single ‘Start Me Laughing’ – released on 31st May – is the second taken from their debut. A blistering cacophony of guitars, drums and keys, it captures the band at their most frantic. It’s a three and a half minute lament to a love gone wrong with Morris wailing “Waste my time again annoyed, annoyed, annoyed” as the band deliver a shredding wave behind him.
The band are currently on tour across Europe before returning to the UK for Dot to Dot Festival later this month. We caught up with some of the band before their show at Brightons Great Escape festival earlier this month.
For those who’ve yet to encounter Dead Confederate, what would you tell them to expect?
Brantley (Bass): Volume! Our sound guy keeps saying “blow it out loud!” But it’s just Rock and Roll; a little dark, a little psychedelic.
A lot of people are tagging you as a grunge band. Would you say this is a fair comparison?
Brantley: I guess ‘Wrecking Ball’ was, that’s got a good bit in there. But if you listen to some of the songs it doesn’t have any elements of it. The new album doesn’t have any at all. I think it’s often an unfair comparison we get with Grunge and Nirvana, I think it maybe has more to do with how Hardy (Vocals/Guitar) looks onstage rather than how we sound.
Who made you want to form a band originally?
Brantley: Well, growing up like Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Radiohead. But it’s different for everyone in the band. We all have different taste.
Do you feel there’s any other bands around at the moment who doing the same thing as you?
Brantley: Well The Whigs are good friends of ours and there from Athens too, that’s one band we run with. Musically I think we have more in common with older bands like Dinosaur JR. It’s kinda weird; we’re friends with a lot of bands who sound nothing like us.
Mentioning Dinosaur Jr, you were chosen by the band to tour with them. How was it opening for such a influential band?
Brantley: Yeah it was awesome, every night we’d finish our set and go watch them play. They’re still as good now as when they started, they have a lot of energy.
How do you guys find the UK crowds compared to the States?
Walker (Guitar): I think you guys are a bit more reserved here. You don’t get so obliterated drunk and act like fools. But it can be fun either way, people really focus here.
Have you guys been playing any new tracks on your recent dates?
Hardy: Yeah, we’ve been playing a load of new tracks in the States and it’s been good.
Brantley: Surprisingly good reactions actually. You can tell there’s more positive reactions than it was with new tracks from ‘Wrecking Ball’. I kinda get the feeling people are gonna like the album even more, not to diss the first album! I don’t think we’ve failed in our second album attempt.
Dead Confederate are currently on tour across Europe, for more info head to their MySpace.
