After a successful opening slot at the Go Pro stage at Slam Dunk South, As Everything Unfolds‘ lead singer Charlie Rolfe and drummer Jamie Gowers take time to share a bit about the band, and some words of wisdom for those who wish to break into the industry.
How would you sum up your music to those who are unfamiliar with your music?
Charlie: Oh, um. Uh, chaotic atmosphere.
Jamie: A cross between Bring Me The Horizon and Paramore.
C: Oh yeah, to be fair.
J: It’s a bit of fun.
What is your favourite song to play live and why?
C: I like playing On the Inside because everyone just goes fucking mental. And as a band member, that’s always one of the most engaging things; when you see people enjoying your music as much as you do.
J: for me, it’s probably Felt Like Home because it’s the perfect balance of easy and enough to play. I don’t have to think too hard. And it’s the biggest singalong song as well. So like, the crowd are always charged and chanting. I don’t know. It’s just a jumpy song. It’s good fun.
How do you approach writing songs?
C: So generally, Jon and Adam will tend to rile out the backbone of what’s happening. And then I will come in on top, add my bit and then Jamie will do his drum ratatatat afterwards. So a fancy bit. Like a little sprinkle of chilli flakes on the top. So yeah.
Who inspires you to make music?
C: A lot of people. But recently, I’ve been finding inspiration outside of music. So, like, with film and weird concepts and ideas, and things like that. So I kind of pulled influence from there. But if you’re talking about bands, l love My Chemical Romance. It’s not a secret, haha. It’s almost become a joke at this point; how much I love them and um, yeah, I know, I know what Jamie’s gonna say.
J: Chad Kroger, yeah.
C: So predictable, haha.
J: Yeah, absolutely! Oh, and I love a bit of Phil Collins. He’s a legend.
Who would you love to collaborate with from the Slam Dunk line-up and why?
C: Oh, that’s a good one. Um, Oh God. I mean, I love The Blackout.
J: Yeah, I was gonna say, surely The Blackout. I’ve always loved them.
C: I’ve always loved them. Like, I was the proper little emo kid growing up. So they were always on my list of bands that I love.
J: Um, I think getting Sean [from The Blackout] to feature on a song would be super cool.
C: Yeah, that’d be cool. It’d be good fun. It’d be good fun.
How did it feel to be nominated for Best Album Of The Year by Metal Hammer magazine for Ultraviolet?
C: That was pretty cool. This album has way more traction than we anticipated. We’ve been nominated for a HMA [Heavy Music Award] for it so, it’s kind of been like, Oh!
J: I feel like it’s been a bit of a slow burner.
C: Yeah, yeah it has.
J: As soon as we released it, the response was really good but compared to our first album, it didn’t feel instantaneous.
C: Yeah.
J: But now, after a year, it’s just gone out and getting all these nominations and stuff. It’s pretty, pretty cool.
What did you do to celebrate when you found out you had a nomination?
C: You know what? We’re so fucking boring. We all just went “Well, that’s nice.” We’re sat there on messenger…
J: We don’t mean to sound ungrateful.
C: We’re not, it’s just one of those things where you don’t know how to react.
Oh my God, sorry. Frank Iero has just walked in, and I’ve just had a heart attack. Sorry. Okay, um, so yeah, it’s um… I’m not gonna be able to talk now, I’m just letting you know.
So yeah, it’s one of those things we’re so funny about it [the recognition]. As a band, we appreciate everything that happens, but we’re quite close and reserved. We don’t go out partying and all that, but we sometimes plan to try and do something.
J: Yeah, we’ve occasionally had a hot tub party with a bottle of champagne.
C: Yeah, it went terribly wrong, haha.
J: if we win the best album, we’ll do the same. Hot tub party and a bottle of volley.
What do you love most about your fans?
C: Aw, they’re all just pretty good. They’re all respectful. I think we’ve been very lucky to get quite a respectful fan base. They’re always up for a good time. I just love it.
J: They’re the kind of fans that if someone goes down in the pit, everyone jumps in and helps them out. They’re all lovely. Everyone’s there to have a good time and that’s what we’re here for too.
What advice would you give those trying to break into the music industry?
C: Expect it to take longer than you think it will.
J: That’s right.
C: And I think people get frustrated when things don’t happen quickly. But you know, we’re on our sophomore album, but we’ve been going since 2015.
J: Yeah, I think smaller and younger artists expect there to be some secret formula to make it work. But you just have to keep going. Don’t give up, and your dreams will come true.
Other than your tour, what’s in store for you in the next six months?
C: We’ve just been writing. We’ve just been writing loads and trying to keep up the pace with it. We like to write and try to do more than we need. So then we’ve got a lot to pick from.
J: Yeah, we’ve got a string of festivals and headline shows in Europe in June and August and then something in November, but we can’t talk about it… yet.
Other than Hatfield and Leeds, what city are you looking most forward to going to?
C: Oh, I don’t know. Outside of the UK? We just love Germany. So, anywhere in Germany, basically.
J: Yeah, Germany is always pretty good. Cologne in particular.
C: Yeah. Cologne is always a good one.
