Essex might not be the obvious geographical location to influence the drawn-out and relaxed contemporary emo sound of Bodyheat. On ‘Day One’, the latest release by the alternative four-piece, Bodyheat share some elements with their stateside contemporaries, Turnover and Pity Sex, but as the band’s Joe Hart (also the label manager at Close To Home Records) explains, their existence is firmly rooted in their home county.
“We all met each other through being in different bands and playing a few shows together around here,” he says of Essex. “Myself and Joey were in a band previously, and so were Barrett and Liston. Liston also eventually joined our old band before we knocked that on the head altogether a few years ago.”
As their previous bands began to fade and their other responsibilities (Joey is Bring Me The Horizon’s guitar technician, for instance) began to allow an increased focus on their own music, Bodyheat emerged. “When we decided to start something up again it seemed obvious to get those two involved.”
Yet musically Essex wasn’t living up to their sound. Tinged by their cross-Atlantic counterparts, it was the London and Kingston scenes that really made their mark on Bodyheat’s sound. “At the moment in Essex, if it’s not house music or heavy metal, it doesn’t really have a home or an interested audience,” Joe concedes. “The whole underground alternative / emo thing hasn’t really existed here for quite a while, outside of seeing a few people wearing Basement hoodies every now and then.”
“Luckily for us, Kingston and London are both only down the road so we’ve still managed to experience areas that have really amazing underground DIY shows happening quite easily. The Kingston scene is something I’ve been lucky enough to experience for quite a few years both playing shows there and being in the audience, and although Bodyheat hasn’t played there yet I have no doubt our band would feel more at home there than it does in Essex at the moment.”
But Joe is keen to give credit to the scene of his youth; a clear kick-starter for his musical endeavours and ultimately for Bodyheat. “There are a few old venues that I miss dearly, such as The Minerva in Southend and The Cambridge Arms in Colchester. Both were pub venues that were homes to small hardcore / alternative shows for a good few years,” he reminisces. “About 8 – 10 years ago anyone from The Wonder Years to Poison The Well would stop off at either of these two pubs on their UK tours and it was great.”
Since then, things have changed. The increasing rent prices in the area have taken their toll on local venues, and smaller shows are no longer viable. Joe also notes the booming Kent scene down the road. “Everyone would much rather just stop off at the Tunbridge Wells Forum,” he adds.
“Musically, when I started to get involved with any scene around here at age 15 / 16 it was all about hardcore and metalcore. That is what was popular around here and those were the bands that were being formed. That kind of died out after a while and then after that there wasn’t really much left here with regards to a dedicated scene. The general sound of the local scene never really had a chance to evolve past that because all the venues that were housing those shows closed down or became restaurants.”
“People in places like London, Kingston, Leeds and all these areas in the UK with strong underground live music scenes are super lucky to have a selection of decent, affordable venues and promoters willing to put up the money to attract bands to stop off in their city. We had it for a little while and it was awesome, but until it all stops you really don’t realise what you had.”
Touting Courts as another exciting act to be emerging from Essex despite the struggles, Bodyheat are ready to put the county back on the emo map (if a physical one of these doesn’t exist yet, it should). ‘Day One’ both encapsulates the local apathy in its sometimes solemn sound, yet breaks local boundaries by offering something different. It may be relaxed, but it most certainly doesn’t lack intent.
Stream ‘Day One’ by Bodyheat exclusively below.
‘Day One’ will be available through Close To Home Records from the 24th June 2016, and can be pre-ordered via BandCamp. For more on Bodyheat, head to Facebook and Twitter.