Rillington Place
How did you guys meet? What brought you together?
The band started when Mik (guitar), Josh(guitar) and Sam (bass & backing vocals) were jamming at Mik’s house. Josh and Sam are brothers, and Mik is their dad. Initially, all 3 of them were playing guitar, until Sam quickly decided to buy a bass instead. We were playing all sorts, from AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Blink-182, Rammstein, Sex Pistols, and Metallica etc. We decided to look for a drummer and eventually found one. We were rehearsing cover songs for a good while with no singer. Then the drummer quit, so we found another and again we rehearsed for a while with no singer. Then our soon-to-be frontman, Ant (vocals), agreed to come along and have a go at singing. Ant and Josh had been friends for a very long time; both of them trained and fought out of the same MMA gym. We went through a big repertoire of songs, and it became clear that we wanted to ditch the classic rock and punk and focus on heavier stuff. And we wanted to write our own material. As it stands now, we recently parted ways with our long-term drummer, and our new drummer, Tristan (drums), has been with us since about February this year.
Is there a story behind the band name?
We like the band Whitechapel, who take their name from the area where Jack the Ripper committed his crimes. So, with that in mind, we decided to look for a street name where other notorious crimes had been committed, and we settled on Rillington Place.
What’s the end goal for the band?
The end goal is probably similar to most. We want to play big shows, travel, do festivals, and go abroad. We want to release good music and make memories. None of us are kids dreaming of stardom. We are all grounded and realise that this is something that enhances our lives, rather than a way to make a living. So, we just want to enjoy it all, get tighter, write songs that we’re proud of, and just make the most of everything.
What was the influence on your most recent track, ‘Lament’?
Lament was actually the 2nd song we wrote. Our writing process is the same 99% of the time. Josh (guitar) writes riffs at home, records them and sends them to the rest of the band. We all then discuss the arrangements and themes, then decide who wants to write lyrics. Lament seemed very easy to write, and the song was fully formed with all of Josh’s parts written before the rest of the band did their parts. Mik (guitar) went away and worked on harmonies and extra leads, Sam (bass & backing vocals) wrote his basslines, and then we turned to lyrics. The lyrics are a commentary on Josh’s 10-yearlong mental health struggles, which culminated in him being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Obviously, the song was personal so he wrote the lyrics for this one, with Ant fleshing things out and writing what Sam would sing as backing vocals. At one time or another, all the band members have struggled with mental health issues, from PTSD to depression. So, by the time we brought this song to rehearsal we were all invested in it and happy with how it turned out. It’s always one of our favourites to play live.
What artists are you enjoying recently?
We all have different tastes at this moment in time. Ant (vocals) is into Deftones, Slipknot, Turnstile & Tame Impala. Josh (guitar) is into Crowbar, Swallow the Sun, Albert King and Otis Rush. Mik (guitar) us into Conjurer and Behemoth. Sam (bass and backing vocals) is into Killswitch Engage, Deftones, Creed and The Smiths. Tristan (drums) is into SOAD, Deftones, Nirvana and Slipknot.
Do you have any big gig plans in the near future?
Our plans are to keep plugging away and jumping on any gigs we can. It’s hard as a DIY band, so we’re always looking for more opportunities. We do gigs regularly, though, and we’re happy for it. But we always want more. New venues, new cities and new promotions are always the goal. We’re also a part of the Dewsbury Music Foundation – a group of like-minded bands from in and around the area whose aim is to put on shows at local venues, bringing in other acts from further afield, and boost the local scene. It’s been a success so far, and we’ll be continuing with this. We also begin recording our 2nd EP in October. Anyone who wants to book us for a show, please feel free. We are easy to work with, don’t mind where we are on the bill, and always give 100%.
We’re headlining on Wednesday, 17th September at Amped Huddersfield. Then the night after, we’re headlining at The Yorkshireman, Sheffield. We’ll be playing The Primrose in Leeds on the 11th of October. We’re headlining at The Squash Club, Dewsbury, on November 15th. And we’ll be playing next year at The Terrace Dewsbury on January 31st for the 4th annual Old Turkey Fest. That last gig is run by DMF and is a great one to attend, as it showcases the local scene.
Find out more about Rillington Place via their instagram page – https://www.instagram.com/rillington_place/
