From http://beatcast.tv/2010/08/old-forest-botw-12/:
Ones to watch, future radar stars these are the buzzwords and life blood of todays music industry. It’s tricky for bands in the present climate one moment they are being hyped to the hilt by magazines, blogs, forums and labels then six months down the line they disappear into oblivion. Cajun Dance Party is a good case in point a band formed solely for an end of school show, so the rumors go. No sooner had they written a few songs and set up a Myspace they were immediately signed to XL Recordings. A limited edition 7 inch sold out within a few days of its release followed by a debut album, some great support slots and a tour. Fast-forward to the present and Cajun Dance Party no longer exist, instead we have Yuck formed by Danny and Max two of the original member of CDP. So does all the hype help these embryonic bands or is it a huge burden on young shoulders. I’d say it’s a double-edged sword and a fine line between success and failure for most. If they are given time by the record labels to grow and develop then it can only be a good thing. After all at such young age you’re still discovering the world and finding out about yourself. The lyrical context of the songs will always remain the same; love, life and alienation. These are the standard hot topics but life experience always helps to bolster lyrical content.
This month BOTW is featuring Old Forest a band named after The Lord of the Rings (the book not the movie I must stipulate). Still so very young but given time to develop they’re sure to make waves. Based in South West London comprising of college kids Tom, Matt and Luke. Tom and Matt met in primary school and later they met Luke at their secondary school. They spent three years playing Blink 182 covers in Luke’s bedroom. According to Tom they weren’t really bothered about doing anything serious until the beginning of this year when they started writing and recording their own material. The writing process is shared amongst all the band members. Tom states it’s better to write together on the spot instead of over analysing different parts then becoming disappointed with the end product because it’s not how you imagined or wanted it to sound. It’s a great way to write on the fly and without over thinking, many bands get caught up in tweaking and over producing their song and sound sometimes. What we have with Old Forest is fuzzy, loud and raw. Tom retorts “We love to make everything really loud, distorting everything through fuzz pedals. Our drummer plays hard so we always have to turn everything up, still can’t hear it though and we love to play face melting solos that set fires!”
When asked about their influences, most of which you can probably here for yourself from their demos, they site Dinosaur Jr, Melvins and Nirvana. However they aren’t pigeon holing themselves and do enjoy a wide range of other bands, basically anything they like the sound of. When asked about featured track Moe, the history and grandeur is simple, it’s the quickest thing they’ve ever written. They made it up half an hour before a show at The Old Blue last. Named after Moe Syslac from the Simpsons. Asked why, Tom unashamedly and simply says “We don’t take anything seriously. We just liked The Simpsons and his name”.
A debt of gratitude is owed to Joe of Dignan Porch/Artefacts for Space Travel, who is also Luke’s older brother. He has really helped the band get started by organising gigs and recording and producing them on an 8 Track. In the beginning they didn’t really have any proper recordings and used to put a video camera in the corner and play live and then later drop the vocals in at home.
“We’re not really in a rush to do anything, we just take things as it comes, it just is what it is. We have a CD-R coming out on Yew Nork Records that the guy from Faux Fur set up. We just think you should do what you want, do it for fun. Hopefully when we start getting some interest we can send off some more demos, hopefully get on a tour or something. I dunno. Were only sixteen” I think this statement is a perfect summary and a great ethos, still so young and having fun with it , finding their voice and doing it their own way. This band is definitely one to keep an eye on. Where they go and in what direction they take musically is totally in their own hands.