Sometime The Wolf: Lead singer Drew Freeman talks about what this new northern U.K. band is all about…
Tzina: As l understand, Sometime The Wolf have been active on the dark /goth scene since 2017. How did the band form and who are the current members?
Drew Freeman: Hi, I’d just like to introduce Sometime The Wolf. We are a five piece band from the north of the UK, based near Preston in the county of Lancashire. The line up is Drew Freeman on vocals, Lee Fury on guitar, Joe Walsh on guitar, Korvin Such on bass guitar and Lewis Peacock on drums. The band came about from Lee asking if I’d be interested in singing in a band that he and Lewis were jamming in, and Joe was also known to the lads too, so we all got together and it came about like that really. Korvin joined us and it seemed to work as I had been in a goth/metal band with Lee and Korvin in the 90s {In Soma Dawn}, so it was great to be back after a long break from music with friends again.
What is the story behind the band’s name? What prompted giving the band this title?
The bands name came from a book by Cormac McCarthy called Blood Meridian and in the book an American Indian boy talks of the lambs saying; Sometime come the mother, sometime the wolf. It just seemed to suit the sound and image we had in our heads for the image of the band.
Sometime The Wolf has a very strong goth rock sound. Who is the main songwriter behind the songs? What inspires you most to write music?
Sometime The Wolf does have a strong goth sound. I’d say it’s not traditional goth, but more of that heavy crossover sound, mixed with that classic sound. I think it comes from Lee, Korvin and I being into the older 80s/90s bands on the scene, and with Joe’s and Lewis’ sounds cutting in it gives that prog metal vibe mixed in. For me as a lyricist, it makes life easier to bounce off the lads and their sounds and riffs, etc. The songs are written as a group and no one takes credit for a song even if the riff or lyrics come from a certain member. It takes a band to perform and write it, so we just say written by STW.
What are your musical influences? Are there any favourite songs Sometime The Wolf would like to cover in particular? What are your views on cover versions in general?
I think influences are bands like Tool, Mastodon, Janes Addiction, Fields of the Nephilim, Dio, Judas Priest and Fear Factory. It’s funny you ask about covers , since we played at a bikers festival recently and to spread the set out we played a couple of covers to suit the event. We played Breaking The Law by Judas Priest and a Black Sabbath number (Smiling). We never do covers normally, but I am not against a good cover if done well. I’ve personally always wanted to do Nine Inch Nails’ Something You Can Never Have… maybe in the future.
After the release of your first E.P. ‘ Never Wake ‘ back in December 2017 , you just released your first full length album ‘ From Here And Earth ‘ in September. What feedback has this album received so far? What makes this album different from your E.P.?
The feedback from the album has been magic. It came out really how we wanted it to be in our heads, and we had a great time recording it with Stephen Carey {Eden House} and Simon Rippin {October Burns Black, Grooving In Green, Nefilim, Fields of the Nephilim… too many}. They really understood us and got what we wanted to achieve. I think what stands out on the album compared to the EP is the ambience in the backing tracks and the power when it kicks in. We tried to capture the live sound on the album which is always difficult to recreate. I think the artwork on the album, by our friend Darren Williams, just is perfect and suits the album perfectly.
As l understand you signed with the record label ‘ Transcend Music ‘ just a few days ago. This must be very exciting for the band. How did this come about?
Yes, its very exciting for the band. We are really happy that Rob Furguson is on board with us and that we are signed to his label at Transcend Music. It came about from Rob and I talking, and it went from there really. Rob is well known on the scene and it seemed a perfect choice for us with his experience to take the band on to the sort of gigs that we’d like to play etc, as well as to the uk scene. There had been talk with a few different people along the way and other record labels, but this just seemed right for us. We’re not a band to fall out with anyone and we have thanked everyone for their help along the way up to now. Exciting times ahead {smiling}
Sometime The Wolf are a very active live band on the dark/ goth scene with a number of gigs across the U.K. Any upcoming shows? Do you aim to play abroad more often?
Yes. We are a very active band on the scene, and we work hard as a unit to get out playing. This year we have gigged a lot and we have a couple of shows left to do; October 31st at Waterloo Bar, Blackpool and November 1st at the Whitby Gothic Weekend at the Met Ballroom. Next year, in 2020, we are playing in Holland on March 6th, Belgium on March 7th, Germany on March 8th, and the week after we will play a goth festival in the north of the UK at Morcambe called Corrosion Fest. In April, we will play Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow. We are hoping to play more European festivals to get STW more known across Europe.
How do you see the dark /goth/alternative scene in the U.K today? Do you believe there is some sort of goth rock revival at the moment? Do you feel the younger generation is turning towards more guitar orientated bands in a more or less electro dominated scene?
I believe the scene in the UK is seeing some great bands coming through, and I would not just say guitar orientated either. There’s a great mix of bands around the UK now and some are well known in Europe too. Auger for one are electro mixed with guitar and are doing really well. I think the scene in the UK compared to the European goth scene is an older audience. It’s hard to get younger folk out in the uk to watch live music. The scene in Europe is much younger. At the likes of Castle Party and Mera Luna you see much younger folk at the events. It’s hard to put your finger on why this is. ?????
What are Sometime The Wolf’s ambitions as a band? More releases or live shows? What is more gratifying to you as musicians?
I think as a band, we want to continue on the path that we have carved for ourselves, continue to enjoy the songwriting, get excited about taking it out live and playing new countries, venues and festivals. The ambitions of the band is to keep the fans happy and ourselves on a happy path. {smiles}
Anything else you would like to share with your fans? What can they expect in the near future?
I think the fans of STW are some of the best folk on the scene. We have been taken in by the most lovely people we could have ever have wished for when this all started. I think people take to us because we are an honest hardworking band and always, when possible, connect and mix with the fans, and try and keep it all normal the way it should be. The connection, on and off stage, is what I like. I think, in the near future, there could be a release of a new song while we write new songs for the second album of which the ideas are flowing nicely for at the moment. In a strange way, I am really looking forward to the new songs and the 2nd album recording, but for now we need to concentrate on pushing From here and Earth to every corner of the globe.
Thanks to all the Wolfpack {fans} and everybody up to now for their help in any way, and thank you Tzina for the interview.
Sometime The Wolf – Official Website
Sometime The Wolf on Bandcamp
SomeTime The Wolf on Twitter
Sometime The Wolf on Facebook
Wolf Pack group on Facebook
