Lava Lounge Radio Australia

Where do you live? 

We are originally from the Isle of Wight but are now based in Brighton. The Isle of Wight is a tiny island off the south coast of the uk and we felt we had exhausted a lot of the opportunities there, so went to Brighton for uni and the music scene, which is incredible.

How did you all meet?

The original line up met in high school when we were 14. We formed the band in our music class and performed for 3 years together. Our bassist, Michael,  stepped down not long ago and we met our lead guitarist Gabriel Randall. We didn’t have a bassist but wanted to stay a 3 piece which was a challenge. We worked this out by splitting my guitar signal to create a synthetic bass. It took a lot of practice but it fits our sound and we haven’t looked back since. 

What do you like most about playing music?

When people sing our lyrics back and make the effort to come and see us and support us that’s amazing. Also when someone says they started learning their instrument because of us. There’s no better compliment than that for a musician. 

What inspired you to start playing and making music?

Music was an obsession for all of us. Growing up with parents who loved classic rock and alternative music, 70s, 80s and 90s, was a big inspiration. We all wanted to perform from a young age but never imagined we would do the things we’ve done. Although we’re still relatively small as a band, every time we get up on stage it’s the best feeling in the world. No matter how big or small the audience, their enjoyment keeps you going 

Describe your creative process when you write new music

We sit down in our home studio with a guitar and a couple of beers. Eventually a riff or idea will come up and we work on it. I think we’re all perfectionists so it’s difficult to get a full song finished quickly. We tend to split songwriting into many different days and work on a few projects at once. 

How would you describe your musical style and the evolution of your sound over the years?

We started as an indie band and stayed like that for a year. We progressively, naturally got heavier and dabbled in different genres like funk too. We ended up sticking to a genre we all collectively love, modern rock. The evolution was slow but we can finally label ourselves as a specific genre now. 

Are there specific themes or messages you aim to convey through your music?

We usually talk about darker subjects but leave the lyrics open to interpretation for the listener. If you look at lyrics for individual songs the meanings are quite twisted. Julie Anne is about a stalker obsessed with someone he can’t have. Red river is about war and destruction in any sense, emotional or physical. Our lyrics are more of a social commentary with a little bit of personal experience thrown in. They tend to represent a feeling or type of mental space rather than anything literal. 

Can you share the story behind your latest album/project?

Red River originally started as a song with no real meaning but the chorus collectively made us think of destruction and war. It became more about a mental battle than a physical one and, to me, represents the struggles mental health and personal battles bring every day. We have always thought it’s more beneficial to let listeners create their own meaning though and make it personal to them. 

Who's your ideal musician to collaborate with and why?

Mike Kerr from royal blood as he has been a huge inspiration for our sound and riff writing.  The Amazons, Dead Poets Society, Muse and Guns N Roses also influenced us heavily. It would be a dream to collaborate with any of them. 

Are there any musicians who inspire you?

We are fans of lots of different genres. Louis (drummer) grew up with funk, jazz, house and hip hop and Gabe and I grew up on 80s and 90s alternative rock and metal. We all love Ozzy Osbourne. Black sabbath, Soundgarden, Alice in chains and Pearl Jam. I honestly think we were born in the wrong era!  The amazons are a good, more modern, band to look at for success in our genre. They’re in a great position and we aspire to be like them as we are huge fans. 

Where do you live?

We are a Nottingham-based 80s Rock Band

How did you all meet?

Charlie, our lead guitarist, and Will, our lead singer, met at University studying music performance together and formed the band with the original members from the same course

Our bassist ,Ollie, has known Will since their school days, playing together from an early age.When the lineup changed, Will gave Ollie a call and he immediately got onboard. Our Drummer, Seb, was found through mutuals on facebook and quickly became one of us.

What do you like most about playing music?

Playing music live to an audience is where we all feel most at home. Being given the chance to party on stage and with the crowd proves that there is still an awesome rock and roll community across the UK that crave revival and that is what we are here to do. Bring 80s Rock back to the top! 

What inspired you to start playing and making music?

We all grew up listening to bands like Def Leppard, Whitesnake Iron Maiden and Van Halen, imagining ourselves on those stages playing to massive crowds and living our best lives.

 Without 70s and 80s rock, I don’t think we would be standing where we are today. We treat every live show like we're headlining main stage Wembley because one day we hope to follow in the footsteps of the legends who inspire us.

Describe your creative process when writing new music.

So far Ollie and Seb haven’t had the chance to get on writing new songs being so new to the band, so it’s been Will and Charlie. Our songwriting process is very simple and relaxed, we generally start off with a guitar riff written usually by Charlie but sometimes Will, sometimes one of us will come in with 75-80% of the song worked out and sometimes it'll be just a riff and the rest of the process becomes collaborative. Often though its a combination of pre-imagined ideas that work well together, Will and Charlie just have a really good working relationship when it comes to writing. For every song, idea or riff we follow this golden rule, ‘if it sounds good, it is good’.

How would you describe your musical style and the evolution of your sound over the years?

To our very core, Death Warmed Up are an 80s Hair Metal and old school hard rock band. We draw on influences such as Ratt, Mr Big and of course Def Leppard. 

Our sound has  evolved massively over the years. From a 4 piece now to a 3 piece, we have focused on creating a larger, more powerful stadium-rock sound that fills every venue we step into. Charlie’s soaring guitar riffs, Will’s powerful vocals, Ollie’s thunderous bass lines, and Seb’s relentless drumming create an energy that defines our sound today.

Are there any messages you aim to convey through your music?

Our main message is that classic 80s Rock is never going to die and is here to stay no matter how the music scene shifts. 

There will always be people who love the spirit of rock and roll and as musicians we have a responsibility to keep the flame going, keeping its place at the top.

Can you share the story behind your latest album/project?

Our latest project is our new album WILDCARD and the singles attached to it. The album was very much a labour of love and we spent lots of time working on making it reflect our unique style as a band. There isn’t really much of a backstory, we just wanted to make the most kickass, authentic rock n roll album we could and I think we did pretty much that. 

Don't believe us? Go check it out for yourselves, it's available on all streaming platforms, just search Death Warmed Up WILDCARD.

Who’s your ideal musician to collaborate with and why?

I think as a band we can all say someone like Iron Maiden or Def Leppard would be a dream. Iron Maiden being pioneers of New Wave British heavy metal as well as Bruce Dickinson hailing from Nottingham. As a band we all have a shared love of all things Maiden. As for Def Leppard, their influence has shaped our band’s sound from the base to where we are now. Hysteria for us is arguably one of the best and most monumental albums of all time, everything about it is perfect.

Are there any musicians who inspire you?

So many inspiring musicians have fuelled us to get to where we are today. We have to give a massive shout out to Asomvel who kept going after the gutting passing of Jay-Jay Winter. Many bands would have called it quits, but getting back up and carrying on is what it’s all about. To us they bring the rawest and filthiest form of rock, and we’d be honoured to be mentioned in the same conversation as them.