Meet Deference, your new favourite metal five-piece from Southampton. We spoke to the band to find out about their EP ‘XXXVII’, working on new music in the New Year, and where they see themselves ending up in 2016.
Hey guys! First of all, tell us about the background of the band. How, when and where did you form?
Well, three of us – Matt, Dave and Mike – used to be in a band called In Place Of Hope. and after that band called it a day we immediately started writing and working towards what would eventually become Deference. We recruited Rob for lead vocals after hearing him on his previous work and later on after a couple of bassists leaving we recruited Shaun for bass duties and we are the strongest we’ve ever been. Overall we’ve been making music for around three years but have only really been Deference for a year or so in Southampton.
How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard you yet?
We sound like if Architects, While She Sleeps and Oh Sleeper had a three way baby.
Who or what are your influences as a band?
As mentioned before we are heavily influenced by Architects, While She Sleeps and Oh Sleeper as well as bands such as Northlane and Parkway Drive. We all listen to a wide variety of music, but always look for bands who are doing something a bit more unique and have a distinctive sound as we want to be able to say that for ourselves and really have a distinct sound.
Do you think your EP ‘XXXVII’ represents your sound? What does the title mean to you? If you had to pick one track from the EP as someone’s first taste of Deference, which would you choose?
I think the sound on ‘XXXVII’ represents the start of our sound for us. We were still trying to really hone in on our sound and make the best record possible as many of the songs were over a year old when we recorded them!Not as many people as we thought have asked us about the title of the EP as we’d have liked as we were going to tell different stories of its origin, but it’s actually the date the band started added up to one number. I would say ‘The Weathering’ would be best as someone’s first taste of the band as it shows the sound of the EP and the direction our sound is going!
You’ve played shows with bands like Palm Reader, Falling With Style etc. What would you say has been your favourite touring experience so far?
I think our favourite live experience at any show is when people we’ve never met in other towns and cities are singing along to our songs and really seem to enjoy our music!
Do you have plans to release any more new music at any point?
We are heading into the studio to record our follow up to ‘XXXVII’ in January and we are seriously excited about how these songs sound and cannot wait to get them recorded!
How has 2015 been for you overall?
2015 has been one hell of a year for us and we’ve enjoyed every second! We’ve made a lot of new friends, fans and met some super talented bands along the way. It is always an amazing feeling to see the reaction people have to seeing us live and buying our merch. We are really grateful for all the support we have gotten.
Finally, what are your aims for 2016? What would you like to have achieved by the end of the year?
Our plans are to record our new material and play as many shows as possible in as many places as we possibly can and we would love to play more festivals as we really enjoyed Butserfest this year! We basically want as many people as we can to hear our music and hopefully enjoy it!
LAIS MW