FAMYNE

Doom over Canterbury

~ Interview mit Sänger Tom Vane ~

FAMYNE entstammen dem Herzen von Englands Garten, auch dem musikalischen. Ihr aktuelles Zweitwerk ´II: The Ground Below´ wird bereits als moderner Klassiker gepriesen, da sie mühelos mehrere Grenzen der Doom-Tradition überschreiten. Ein Interview mit den Herrschaften von FAMYNE war uns daher ein großes Anliegen, das Ihr im englischen Originalwortlaut nachlesen könnt:

What music groups did you grow up with, Tom?

So so many, from QUEEN to EURYTHMICS, PANTERA to Joe Satriani, 60s soul to Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, Holst to Tchaikovsky, KORN to SYSTEM OF A DOWN, Peter Green’s FLEETWOOD MAC to KING CRIMSON, Zappa, ELO etc. Having approached the entire band, the answers are way too numerous to sum up!

What about SOFT MACHINE, CARAVAN, GONG or HATFIELD & THE NORTH?

Discovering the Canterbury scene right on our doorstep was a really nice surprise. The whimsicality of prog, with the sincerity of jazz has always seemed a very rare, yet delightful combination. A few of us do own a fair few Canterbury scene albums, among many others.

You’re directly from Canterbury, aren’t you?

As a band we are based in Canterbury, although each of us were born elsewhere, having lived in the county of Kent for the majority of our lives. Our current “Famyne HQ” is just a few doors down from where Steve Hillage used to live.

What music is popular in your area at the moment?

SYD ARTHUR (prog/psych) and DELTA SLEEP (math rock) are two of the biggest success stories from our area of the last decade; both incredible bands, and all lovely people! Shout-outs to local metal bands JUKEBOX MONKEY and STRUCK/DOWN. Both great live bands that always draw a crowd, not to mention good guys and mates!

How big is the influence of bands like ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN?

Probably quite important, although never consciously enacted; anyone who sits down and says ‘let’s try and write a song like Soundgarden’ or any other band for that matter isn’t making true music from the heart, in our opinion.

Does the sound from ANATHEMA and KATATONIA now predominate for you or do you see yourself more in the classic Doom, in the sense of SOLITUDE AETURNUS, or even in the tradition of WARNING?

ANATHEMA and KATATONIA both brought new life to the genre, bringing in quite disparate influences to craft a more ‘modern’ doom sound. Like them, we consider FAMYNE something of a modern doom hybrid. ‘Canterbury Doom’ if you will! Having said that, SOLITUDE AETURNUS, WARNING, THE OBSESSED, CANDLEMASS, SAINT VITUS, ACID KING etc. were all very important in bringing doom to our attention in the early days – we would not be here without them.

What musical differences do you see compared to the predecessor?

Album 2 definitely has a new layer of complexity, both structurally and texturally; the new material incorporates more diverse elements, prog etc. perhaps there is more colour in some of the songs too. It’s difficult to truly say from the ‘inside’.

Did you approach the new album differently than the self-titled debut from 2018?

We had to out of necessity, this being our ‘Covid album’. More of this record was thought out individually, with demos sent back and forth. Much more detail was able to be added, which eventually came together as a whole. The first album was written solely in the live room, playing and improvising over bits. Two very different approaches; two very different albums.

What are your expectations this time and what goals have you set yourself?

More of the same; to continue playing our music with, and to, wonderful people all over Europe and beyond…!

Can we see you live soon?

Germany is one of our favourite countries to play, so know that we are working on it! Watch this space…

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