What is your name and role within Area 11?
I’m Kogie and I’m the bassist and joint songwriter in Area 11. I’m also in charge of looking after the band cat, although to be honest I haven’t seen David Meowie in a while.
How did you start?
We all met just as we were finishing uni in Nottingham. We were all in other bands at the time and this one was very much a side project, but after releasing an EP which seemed to generate a bit of a buzz, we decided to stick with it. Two albums later – here we are.
Where are you based?
We’ve lived in all four corners of the UK at one time or another but are now based in London. It’s definitely home for me as I grew up here, and the other guys having recently moved here are settling in nicely!
Please give an example of your music writing process?
Generally one of us will come up with a very basic song structure, usually with a lyrical concept and a fleshed out vocal melody and bring it to the group. At this point we’ll argue vehemently for three weeks in the studio, and lo, a new song is born.
What are you working on right now?
We’re currently working on demos for our third album. We released our second record ‘Modern Synthesis’ last summer which did way better than we could have anticipated, and we’re all very excited to be working on the followup!
What is your gear setup?
Bass-wise I use an Ibanez Talman Prestige which I really gel with, however my amp and pedals are (if you’ll excuse the term) something of clusterfuck. I’m currently looking at new amps, so if you’re reading this Orange, hit ya boy up!
What do you like to do outside of music and does it affect your music?
Outside of making music we’re all big readers, particularly Philosophy, Psychology, Politics etc etc and this has certainly affected the concepts in our music. We’re also interested in TV and Film, two of us working on side projects in that area. And of course we all like to get rowdy from time to time.
How would you describe your music genre?
I never really know how to answer this question. A quick Googling tells me we’re…”Alternative rock, Metalcore, Neo-progressive rock, Pop punk, Electronicore”, but I usually say ‘electronic-rock’. That or ‘Transgenre’.
Do you know any music theory?
I know a little having done graded exams on Saxophone and having read a bit about chord theory. I think it can help when writing songs but it’s certainly not necessary. Beethoven wrote loads of good stuff and he only got a B in his music GCSE.
What are your plans for the future?
Which decade? By the 2050s I fully intend to be immersed into a post-singularity dreamworld pleasure machine type scenario, but until then we just want to keep writing music together, playing bigger and better shows and continue progressing and growing as band!
How did you get into music?
I come from a musical family so it’s always been part of my life. I can’t remember ever not wanting to be in a rock band, but I actually started playing guitar/bass relatively late, around 17. Playing music to people really is the most fun thing I’ve ever experienced, and as long as people keep listening we’ll keep playing,
What are you listening to at the moment?
I go through phases, getting obsessed with a particular band/genre and then moving on to something else all the time. Currently I’m having a bit of Smashing Pumpkins revival, although in terms of new bands I’m really liking the recent releases from King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Or maybe I just like bands with stupid names, who knows?
When are you playing next?
Our next show is at 2000 Trees Festival in the UK which we can’t wait to play, and then after that we’ve got Destruction Derby Festival in Germany which will be our first gig outside of the UK!