Last Friday, two HippyHaze representatives moseyed along to The Sugarmill to see one of our headliners perform and we were absolutely blown away! Sworn To Oath will be headlining HippyHaze on the first night of the festival (the Saturday) and we can't think of a better way to start our Easter weekend. These lovely guys are sure to make your heads explode with their talent, so make sure you bring a mop to clean up the mess. Only joking, but they are super-duper cool. We managed to grab a couple of minutes with their guitarist, Dave Leese, and this is what he said...
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Thanks for your time! So could you please break down for us exactly who is Sworn To Oath?
Well we have Tom Shaw, 23, on bass guitar & lead vocals, me, 26, on guitar & vocals and then Al Junior, 23, on drums & vocals.
Nice. And what do you do for a living?
Well, the band is our main focus and takes up most of our time, but we all have different part time jobs that we do when we're not on tour.
That's what we like to hear, a band committed to their music! So when did you guys get started?
Sworn to Oath has been going for just over three years but we've all known each other for a while and played in different bands together over the years so that's how we met. When we realised we all shared the same desire and work ethic as one another we got together to start a new project from scratch. There was a definite chemistry when the three of us jammed together for the first time, so we decided to make a go of it and take it seriously. We've never looked back!
Awh so sweet! Music is such an emotional thing... Who writes the lyrics and what inspires them?
Well, the band is our main focus and takes up most of our time, but we all have different part time jobs that we do when we're not on tour.
That's what we like to hear, a band committed to their music! So when did you guys get started?
Sworn to Oath has been going for just over three years but we've all known each other for a while and played in different bands together over the years so that's how we met. When we realised we all shared the same desire and work ethic as one another we got together to start a new project from scratch. There was a definite chemistry when the three of us jammed together for the first time, so we decided to make a go of it and take it seriously. We've never looked back!
Awh so sweet! Music is such an emotional thing... Who writes the lyrics and what inspires them?
We all write together, but lyrics-wise most of the themes in our songs could be inspired by any number of experiences or emotions: the loss of a loved one; past relationships; wanting to make a better life for yourself; not letting the different bulls**t that life constantly throws at you grind you down and more.
You probably get asked this all the time, but who are your biggest influences?
We're all into so many different bands that we take influence from on a daily basis. If I had to name our 'main' influences they'd have to be Pantera, Black Sabbath, AC/DC. Then we also love some newer bands like Cancer Bats, Everytime I Die, As I Lay Dying and Architects.
You probably get asked this all the time, but who are your biggest influences?
We're all into so many different bands that we take influence from on a daily basis. If I had to name our 'main' influences they'd have to be Pantera, Black Sabbath, AC/DC. Then we also love some newer bands like Cancer Bats, Everytime I Die, As I Lay Dying and Architects.
Nice mix! I'm a huge AC/DC fan. Anyway, enough about me, more about your best band moment so far...
It would be tough to pick out one gig as our best so far, we've got some favourite places to play such as the Vault in Rugby, The Gasworks in Bradford, the Duchess in York, and obviously the Sugarmill in Stoke. They are all places where we have big, awesome audiences and crazy crowds of people that turn up to support us. Actually, our biggest 'rock-star' moment may have been when we supported Periphery at Academy 2 in Birmingham. We walked out on stage to a packed-out room and it was definitly the biggest crowd we've ever played to. Seeing that many people react to our songs all at once is the kind of thing you dream about as a kid and the reason why we get on stage time after time!
Sounds pretty awesome. On the flip side, what's the worst thing that can happen to a band like Sworn To Oat?
Sounds pretty awesome. On the flip side, what's the worst thing that can happen to a band like Sworn To Oat?
I'd say our worst moments have been when things go wrong with gear on stage. Its just the three of us up there and we all sing and play so when something breaks or doesnt work its tough to cover it up. We always find a way to get through it, but the reality is, when you play as often as we do and you're constantly using your gear it suffers from wear and tare. You can always guarantee that it will break on stage in front of an audience rather than in the rehearsal room!
That's rotten luck! What are you most looking forward to about HippyHaze?
That's rotten luck! What are you most looking forward to about HippyHaze?
I'm personally excited to see a field full of crazy people who are well up for having a great weekend watching some truely awesome and talented bands.
I love how you guys thrive off your audiences and the atmosphere so much! So what's next for Sworth to Oath?
Well, HippyHaze is during a run of shows that we're playing around the country at the minute to promote our new single 'Stand Alone', so our next stop will be Manchester at Satans Hollow on April 8th. All other dates for our up coming shows can be found over at our Facebook page.
Nice little plug you got in there Dave, can never beat a bit of shameless self PR :) Thanks for your time, we can't wait to see you rocking HippyHaze!
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Sworn To Oath are one of the hardest working bands to come out of Stoke, and they've racked up hundreds of gigs since they first formed. We like to think of them as a well-oiled machine which will make for a fantastic performance at HippyHaze. Specializing in metal music, they're sure to blow you away so make sure you don't miss them!
TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO MUSIC MANIA OR THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. A COUPLE OF THE BANDS ARE STILL FLOGGING TICKETS, BUT THEY'RE RAPIDLY RUNNING OUT NOW SO GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN! £14 FOR A DAY PASS INCLUDING ONE NIGHT CAMPING AND JUST £33 FOR A THREE-NIGHT CAMPING TICKET. See you there :)
Love and milkshakes
The Hippy Hippy Shake Company
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