Interview by Playing Out Loud: By Paul Lane – 1st March 2010
“Eastleigh’s masters of epic alternative rock, Broken Links will be playing their first live shows on foreign sole next month. April sees the band playing five dates in Germany before the release of their second EP at the end of the month.
“We don’t have a reason to be going out to Germany really,” explains Mark Lawrence, the band’s singer and guitar player. “We’ve played a huge amount of gigs in our first year in the local area, and played quite a few around the UK, so as a joke I said to the guys ‘lets tour Europe’ next, but the more we thought about it, the more it made sense. Alternative Rock is possibly a lot bigger in mainland Europe than the UK, so we’re hoping to win ourselves some new fans over there. I think they’re also a lot more willing to give unsigned music a chance too. There are a lot of UK bands that are big in Europe, but are unheard of in the UK.”
The tour starts on 3rd April in Hofheim and then takes in Chemnitz, Braunschweig, Hamburg and finally Essen on the 10th. So what are the band most looking forward to about the tour? “We’re massively looking forward to the road-trip out there,” enthuses Mark. “We’re driving over there with all our gear and stopping off at a few cities on the way. We really don’t know what to expect over there, though we’ve been doing a hell of a lot of online promoting to make sure the venues have people in them on the night!”
April also sees the release of Broken Links’ second EP “The Fine Line Between Choice/Decay”. The band will be launching the EP on 24th April at The Joiners with Science Of Eight Limbs, In Tyler We Trust and Get The Tape completing the line up. “We’re extremely proud of the new EP,” beams Mark. “We feel it’s a massive step up from our 1st EP (“Resisting Movement & The Almost Advisory”). Our sound has changed a lot since we recorded our 1st EP in my bedroom at the end of 2008, which was even before we started gigging!! The 1st EP was literally made cheap and fast to get us gigs so it was really just a demo. It’s been hard for us to hear a minority of people negatively judging us all last year based on the 1st EP alone.”
“There’s a good mix of songs on the 2nd EP, some fast, some slow, some heavy, some soft.” Mark continues. “There are half a dozen instrumentals and we’ve gone a bit wild with the instrumentation. We’ve really captured everything we wanted to do musically into this EP. We’re having to completely change our live show and are already rehearsing these new songs ready for the EP launch.”
So what else is planned for 2010 for Broken Links? “We’ve already got a lot of gigs booked up for the rest of the year, so we’re looking forward to doing them, especially our EP launch night at The Joiners,” states Mark. “Hopefully we can get on the lineup for a few festivals in the summer and have another mini-European tour before the end of the year. Also, we’re already thinking about recording a third EP, we’re working on a few ideas already & I’ve got a few songs locked away. It looks set to be completely different again!”
Interview by Rock Pulse Music Zine: By Rob S – 29th December 2009
“Q: Hi, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for us. To begin with, how’re you all doing? What are you up to at the moment?
A: Hi, Rob…no problem at all…we’re good cheers, we’re rehearsing for our last local Southampton gig for four months this Thursday, it should be a good one, there’s a full lightshow happening for it too! We’re also going into the studio this weekend, so there’s some exciting stuff going on…
Q: So, could you tell us a little about the background of Broken Links… when you were formed, where you’re from, who’s in the band and so on?
A: We all went to the same school in Eastleigh, Hampshire but didn’t really know each other till later. I guess we formed early 2008, Mark Lawrence’s (Vocals/Guitars) previous band was coming to an end and he had been writing a lot of material for a new project. Phil Boulter’s (Drums) brother was friends with Mark and suggested he and his brother started something, Phil was school mates with Lewis Betteridge (Bass) and played in a band together, so we all just started jamming together and started working through songs. We spent the best part of 2008 honing in on our sound and making sure our playing was extremely tight before gigging.
Q: To those of us new to Broken Links, how would you describe your band’s sound and musical direction?
A: I would describe us as an Alternative Rock act with a serious whiff of the darker side of the Eighties. Sexy, sultry stuff!
Q: Earlier this year you released ‘Resisting Movement and the Almost Advisory,’ your debut EP. The four track release has been re-mastered, and is due to be released for a second time next month (January 2010); why did you make the decision to re-release the EP? How did you find the recording process first time around?
A: A few months ago our main focus was to get a 2nd EP out and make it a real stonker, but we realised that it would hardly get noticed or listened to by anybody outside our local area. So we now have a PR company that are promoting us nationally and we decided the best way to get some exposure before releasing the 2nd EP would be to re-release the 1st EP, this would help make people aware of us before the 2nd EP.
The 1st EP was entirely recorded on my home PC and was mastered by an Internet based company and some reviews picked up on the lack of low frequencies and power in the recordings. Seeing we were re-releasing, we decided to re-master the tracks at a studio, which has given the tracks a bit more guts…
Q: I see that your second EP is due to emerge next April in addition to this re-release, how’s the new EP coming along? Are you working on the music for that currently, or planning to use tracks that have been floating around for a while/are included in your live set?
A: The production of the 2nd EP is going well so far. We’ve been recording a lot of it at home again, but we’re heading into a studio for a few days this week to get drums recorded and mix it and we’ll hopefully finish it before the new year. We’re planning it to be a 6-track EP with a mixture of fast & slower songs, I feel this EP may show a wider range of our sound. Two of the songs on it we’ve been playing live the past few months, but the other four tracks are completely new, in fact, one of them was only written last week! This EP is a bit different compared to the last, the 1st was a bit raw, but we’ve crafted our sound over the past years worth of gigging, the 2nd EP is a lot more experimental, though more commercially acceptable…perhaps? It’s definitely more arty, its gapless!
Q: Since your inception in 2008 you’ve shared the stage with an impressive array of bands, and visited a number of venues around the UK… have any of your live shows to date stood out as especially memorable or enjoyable, and could you outline what we might expect from a Broken Links show?
A: Seeing it took us a while to start gigging, we basically said we’d make up for it when we started…and since we started, we haven’t stopped. We’ve done around 40 gigs this year so far, but it’s made us really……we’re playing tighter, we’ve got our guitars and bass sounding massive live, and we’ve now got to the stage where we have light shows at gigs.
I think we have had two stand out nights, one would have been when we first headlined The Joiners, Southampton on 28/08/2009. It’s a venue we’ve been going to for years to watch bands and we were headlining it! It just seemed that everything just came together that night, it was the first time we played for an hour, it was the first time we hired in a light show, the place was packed, the sound was amazing, it was just a great night…
Another stand out night was supporting ‘British Sea Power’ at the Eastleigh Music Festival. Mainly because we’re all from Eastleigh, and nothing happens much there, and we played on the main park! There’s something about playing the local town you’re from….you look out into the crowd and you recognise nearly everyone!
Q: Around the time of your Second EP’s release (April 2010) you’re heading over to Germany for a series of shows… are you looking forward to this, and what are you hoping for from the tour? Are there any further plans to play gigs around the continent in the near future?
A: Yeah definitely, We’re looking forward to the road-trip over and we don’t know what to expect…There’s still a hell of a lot of work to do yet before going over there with promoting the gigs etc. We basically set ourselves milestones all the time. When we started out the milestones were to play Eastleigh Music Festival and headline The Joiners. So the next progression is to play out of town, and other countries.
Music is perhaps appreciated a bit more in Europe, and they’re a lot more willing to give unsigned music a listen. There’s a series of UK bands that are big in Europe but unknown in the UK. But also, Alternative Rock music is big over there and we think our sound may be liked over there. Music is all about getting as many people as you can to listen to it.
We’re just hoping the people that are at the gigs, like what they hear, buy an EP, spread the word, and hopefully it will earn us a few more gigs over there before the end of 2010.
Q: In general, what would you say brought you together as Broken Links (i.e, why did you come together as a band)? Are there artists and bands that have proven particularly influential in your musical development, and if so could you name them?
A: I guess if you play a musical instrument, you have a need to get out there and play. I guess Broken Links came together as Mark had written songs, Phil and Lewy wanted to play, and we all shared the same musical tastes, so it just made sense…
It’s hard to list influences as we listen to everything, though I would say the music that’s had the most impact is Manic Street Preachers (The Holy Bible era), Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, Joy Division etc…the list is endless though.
Q: Where do you plan to take the band over the next year or so… are there certain goals that you strive for?
A: Going to Europe is the big thing for 2010, and the 2nd EP…we’re also hoping to release a 3rd EP before the end of 2010 too. Playing out of town more is a big ‘must’ for us as well in 2010, we don’t feel we’ve done that enough in 2009. Festivals are another thing we’d like to do.
Q: Finally, what do you enjoy most about being in the band? Anything else that you’d like to say/ask/promote?
A: Every now and then you might get a free beer!…but it’s also great to play people something you’ve created, and when people like it and get into it, it’s just amazing…and you communicate your thoughts with people through the lyrics and people can relate to them….there aren’t many other ways you can do that except in a band…
Here’s the plug…from 25/01/2010 you can buy our first EP ‘Resisting Movement and the Almost Advisory’ from iTunes/Amazon Mp3…
Our 2nd EP will be out on 26/04/2010 on most online mp3 stores, and we have an EP launch for the 2nd EP at The Joiners, Southampton on 24/04/2010 and we’ll be selling the EP for £4 at this show…£5 thereafter, we’re hoping to get some great bands on that night, so make sure you’re down there for that one!”
Daily Echo Article – 23rd November 2009
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Interview by Playing Out Loud: By Paul Lane – 6th October 2009
“With too many bands in Southampton all too willing to pigeonhole themselves in the safe confines of indie guitar world and limit themselves to smaller venues in the name of credibility, it is delightfully refreshing to hear the ambition of Eastleigh’s 3 piece alternative rock kings Broken Links. “We’re looking to tour Europe early next year,” states Mark Lawrence, the band’s immensely likeable singer, songwriter and guitar player. “Alternative rock is bigger in Europe. The likes of Placebo and Muse – the type of acts we look up to – are massive in countries like France and Germany. We would love to go over there, play live and build ourselves a fanbase.”
They have the tunes to match the ambition too. Their debut EP – the fabulously titled “Resisting Movement And The Almost Advisory” – is essential listening. The rifferama of “Within Isolation” is a dark and menacing masterpiece whilst being strangely uplifting at the same time, “The Best Laid Schemes Of Mice & Men” is anthemic to say the least and “The Sea Inside” is possibly the creepiest and eeriest track you’ll hear anywhere whilst retaining a mesmerising sense of loveliness. However the band’s rapidly increasing fanbase do not share that view on the last track. “We’re banned from playing it live!!” laughs Mark. “Our fans tell us it’s too ‘girly’!”
The band formed in March 2008 after Mark’s previous band The Rebel Ching had split up. Friends since school, bass player Lewis Betteridge and drummer Phil Boulter completed the trio and the band practiced on and off over a period of months. “We had two albums worth of material before we played our first gig,” states Mark. That first gig was at The Joiners on 27th December last year. “We had 75 people there to see us!” the band beam.
Not only is the band’s ambition refreshing, their approach is too. “We don’t use amps. We use pods and floor pedals for vocal effects. We recorded the entire EP in Mark’s bedroom!” offers Phil. Listening to “Resisting Movement…”, it is difficult to believe. The EP captures the bands angst ridden and downright dirty live sound perfectly.
Counting Muse, My Virtiol and “Holy Bible” era Manic Street Preachers amongst their influences, the band have achieved milestone after milestone in lightning fast time. “We’re setting milestones all the time. First we wanted to play at the Eastleigh Festival, which we did this year,” enthuses Mark. “We then aimed to headline The Joiners and that happened a few weeks ago. We also recently played our first London gig. This has all happened a lot sooner than we could have reasonably expected.”
So what do the band make of the Southampton music scene? “We’ve always had good gigs in front of good crowds in Southampton,” offers Mark. “However Southampton needs a music scene built like it has been in Portsmouth. They have unsigned nights on every week there and they encourage people to come. There are more than enough good bands around. Science Of Eight Limbs, Jazica and Plastic Toys are all bands we’d like to play live with.”
Following their recent support slots with The Boxer Rebellion at The Joiners and a storming set at the most recent Angry Badger Records Showcase Night at Soul Cellar, the band have plenty more live dates coming up. With their startling rate of progress, it would be well worth catching them in the smaller venues while you can.
In the meantime, our European friends are certainly in for a treat!”
Daily Echo Article – 28th August 2009
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The News (Portsmouth) Article – 24th April 2009
Daily Echo Article – 24th April 2009
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http://www.xan.co.uk/2009/04/review-broken-links-ep/
http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/lei
sure/music/news/4318371.LOCAL_BANDS____with_Xan_Phillips_from_showcaseuk_tv/
Monday 13th April 2009 @ Surface Unsigned, The Boston Music Rooms, London
Broken Links are a dark alternative 3-piece from the Southampton area. The music is a dark atmospheric mixture of Joy Division inspired vocals and the fast paced, intense riffs that show off a skill of technicality that is reminiscent of Muse. The music has a great live feel to it and carries the rhythms across channels of musical creativity, especially the use of FXs that create a sound, which is part visionary, part rock genius, all good music.
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Hampshire Chronicle Review of Gig at The Talking Heads, Southampton – 26th February 2009
“EPIC is the sound that Broken Links are aiming for, which is easier to achieve in a stadium than a Hampshire pub. However, as part of the Red Stripe Music Awards Tour, they had a pretty good go at The Talking Heads in Southampton. They were buoyed by a large crowd, which seem to be drawn mainly from Eastleigh. Their trip down the A335 was not a wasted journey either, as their was plenty of good music on offer starting with Colditz, they impress with their catchy brand of powerful rock. Bag and Baggage and The Wrong Arm Of The Law also went down well, before finishing on Within Isolation. The crowd, which contained no shortage of supporters, certainly had fun, and their was even something bordering on a mosh pit at times. In that respect, maybe it was not so far removed from a stadium after all.“
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Red Stripe Music Award Judge Review of Gig at The Talking Heads, Southampton – 26th February 2009
“Next up was the big one. With a tremendous support and incredibly raucous following, local lads Broken Links, showed that they weren’t treating this gig like any other. Heavy guitar riffs and plenty of distortion came roaring from the amplifiers as the mosh pit began to take form. There were plenty of crazies in the pit and other onlookers were feeling the music passionately as Broken Links poured their hearts into their songs.”
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Hampshire Chronicle Article – 26th February 2009
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Daily Echo Article – 23rd February 2009
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