There are few bands who have as many heavy music fans dancing as they do moshing. There’s Enter Shikari, The Prodigy and Crossfaith, of course, but if you’re after new party blood, check out The Qemists. With metallic riffs and bowel-rattling drum’n’bass, this eclectic crew make “politically and socially minded party music”, according to guitarist and founding member Liam Black.
There are as many people moshing in circle pits as there are people raving
Beginning as a three-piece rock band in the 90s, their deviation into technology spawned their heavy electronic sound before many bands of their ilk had even considered forming. Since then, they’ve made a return to heavy rock, but with that core of cutting- edge electronica marking them out as a distinctive proposition.
Coming into the band last year, it was interesting looking out from the stage to see as many people moshing in circle pits as we had people that were raving and going insane,” Olly Simmons, one of two recently recruited new frontmen, recalls. “For a long time the band was three producers, and now it’s evolved into a five-piece, proper band with a lot of collaborations.”
With Olly bellowing alongside co-vocalist Bruno Balanta, the new boys have given the upcoming Warrior Sound album a fuller, more beefed-up sound, but there’s still time for help from old friends like Crossfaith and Hacktivist. And while they’ve never been shy of a big-name collaboration, working with everyone from the ever- eccentric Mike Patton to grime mainstay Wiley over the years, they still have their sights set on collaborating with one particular madman and touring buddy.
“At the beginning of last year we were on tour with Korn, and they’re very forward-thinking guys,” Liam tells us. “To do something with Jonathan Davis would be wicked. In fact [working with] the whole band would be a lot of fun.”
Despite a tour across Europe with Enter Shikari and their own headline stint in Japan in the near future, it’s this year’s guaranteed- to-be-messy Hammerfest weekender that The Qemists are most excited about.
“To say we’re not looking forward to that would be so far from the truth it’s unbelievable!” laughs Liam. What better way to beat the icy temperatures of North Wales than to dance and mosh yourself into oblivion? The new electro- metal party starts here.
Warrior Sound will be out on March 4 via Amazing Record Co.
