Unsigned Telford band Grim Fiction talk about Birmingham gig
Hailing from Shropshire, Grim Fiction have recently self-released their debut single Dream Sequence. The band, formerly known as Hyena, has released their first tracks in almost 18 months and it’s full of swirling guitars and a soaring chorus.
Formed by school friends Jacob Ball (vocals/guitar) and Dom Farley (guitar/vocals), the Telford band is completed by Joshua Taylor (Bass/vocals) and Ben Groves (drums).
Finding moderate success as Hyena, the band found themselves supporting Turbowolf and Dinosaur Pile Up as well as headline shows and festival appearances following the success of debut single Mental Home.
The change to Grim Fiction sees the band moving in a different direction, veering towards a more psychedelic sound complemented by their high-energy rock roots.
The Ticket was lucky enough to get along to the band’s debut headline show at Birmingham’s Sunflower Lounge supported by Nonsuch, Young Braves and The Butters Aliens.
Nonsuch and Young Braves were a great choice of support to highlight the various influences that combine to make up Grim Fiction’s sound. Young Braves produce radio-friendly rock songs, while Nonsuch are a much more absorbing and dynamic psychedelic outfit.
Grim Fiction took to the almost full Sunflower Lounge a band with something to prove. Regardless of how many friends and family a band has managed to coax into watching them perform, the step up to headlining your own show sees you playing to a paying audience in a city that perhaps could get you noticed. But from the second that the first notes erupt from the stage, it’s clear Grim Fiction mean business and this will be a showcase of their talents.
Backed by an impressive rhythm section, drummer Ben Groves proves a powerhouse throughout the performance, with a presence and power much bigger than the stage the band are on. Guitarists and vocalists Jacob Ball and Dom Farley produce riff fuelled tracks that swirl dynamically while proving highly catchy. With the line up completed by bassist Joshua Taylor, the band’s sound in the live environment is punchy and in your face while remaining musically interesting.
Without much talking in between tracks, it was surprising how many songs the band already have in their catalogue and proves that they’re ready to begin playing more shows. Lead single Dream Sequence comes with much more bite in the live environment, with the majority of the audience being familiar with the track.
As the evening draws to a close, the band play their next single Seven Levels, which follows a similar style to that heard in Dream Sequence.
Grim Fiction are certainly a band to watch out for, leading the way for a region that is often overlooked in terms of the national music scene.
Speaking after the show, the band said: “We had a blast playing on Saturday. The Sunflower Lounge is my favourite venue in the whole country and it’s always fun playing in front of your hometown fans. Next for us is the release of our second single Seven Levels’and hopefully more touring. We’re looking to get our next tune out by the end of summer at the latest, so people haven’t got to wait long until they hear from us again.”
When asked about the difficulties the band face being from Shropshire, they say: “The local scene in Shropshire doesn’t really exist in my opinion, there’s no venues and only a handful of bands who take it seriously, and all of them seek other towns to play in anyway. Which is a real shame as there’s a tonne of underground music fans in Shropshire, but it’s just never got off the ground. So yeah, being from Shropshire makes it more difficult to get off the ground as there isn’t anything to latch on to, you have to look elsewhere.”
Daniel Earl
l Find Grim Fiction at the following: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grimfictionband/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrimFictionband?lang=en-gb
Debut single ‘Dream Sequence’ is available now from iTunes, Spotify and all other major download providers
