Saint[the]Sinner – The Highwire Daze Legacy Interviews

Saint[the]Sinner – The Highwire Daze Legacy Interviews

Originally Posted: 01/28/16

From the press release: Music’s ability to re-invent and provide a 3-dimensional appearance never ceases to surprise. Theatricality and entertainment in art always go hand in hand and in the case of South Coast UK’s Saint[the]Sinner it’s a driving force.

Enter their new EP, Masquerades, a tour de force of post-hardcore and pop-driven hard rock. A riveting and ear-catching mix of energy and anger combined with infectious and irresistibly repeatable hooks. Driven along similar lines to early Panic at the Disco, Bullet for My Valentine, My Chemical Romance and more, the multi-faceted release, accompanied by a strong visual aesthetic, is a must-listen.

Driving guitars, dual vocals and haunting piano lines all create a winning combination. A combination that’s already seen the band play Vans Warped Tour 2013, Takedown 2014, and play alongside Parkway Drive, A Day To Remember, Crossfaith and more.

Produced by Romesh Dodangoda in Cardiff (Bullet for My Valentine, All Time Low, Bring Me The Horizon), Masquerades is set to be just the next step in a long and fruitful career for this band bursting with potential.

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Saint[the]Sinner, and how long the band has been together.
Yo! I’m JP the clean vocalist for SAINT[THE]SINNER, thank you for having me! The band experimented for about a year from late 2011 in order to find its feet, but SINNER has been a real touring and writing band for just over 2 years now and it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come since then!

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there?
The band’s members are dotted around the South Coast of the United Kingdom but I the majority of us live in Bournemouth, a big town just outside of Southampton! The music scene has seen it’s ups and downs but we’ve got to a place now where every ‘hometown’ show we play is completely off the chain and that’s a great feeling – knowing we have such a strong following back home. The same can be said about towns and cities further east and west across the south of the UK – we love playing there.

Is there any story or concept behind the title Masquerades EP?
‘Masquerades‘ is a title I came up with when we were discussing the theatrical theme of the genre we’ve found ourselves in. Myself and our guitarist Pash were throwing around longer and more twisted names for a while but we agreed that we wanted something short and snappy to stick in people’s heads. The name came into my head when I was thinking about some of the lyrical content I had written and when it came to mind – so did the EP artwork ideas, the concepts for both music videos and much more. ‘Masquerades’ seems to capture the essence of the darkness we have underlying our sound.

It also represents, in more of a metaphorical way, the smoke and mirrors you have to get past in the music industry and in life in general; people try to fool you, hold you back and people even have a hard time finding themselves sometimes – that message ties in with a few of the songs too (Theatre Of Broken Dreams, First Blood and Asylum).

Select two songs from Masquerades EP and what inspired the lyrics.
Well, as I’ve just mentioned – followers of the band will ask us all the time what Theatre of Broken Dreams is about so I’ll explain now! It’s basically a metaphor for waking up from a world (the theatre) where you’re being told what to do and held back from following your dreams (hence broken dreams). It’s telling the listeners to “wake up” and get what they want!

Following from that is the meaning behind ‘First Blood’, which is essentially saying that once you find what you want – do everything within your power to get it and find happiness, no matter what the cost and the adversities you might face “I’m just searching for purpose, ‘cause I feel so worthless. I need a legacy.”

What could one expect from a live Saint[the]Sinner show
Come out and find out for yourself! But if I had to sum it up, our live performances are all about: energy, passion, musicianship and interaction with the audience. We absolute cherish each night we play, we lose our minds.

Any strange or scary happenings while on the road or at a show?
Plenty of strange and scary things have happened on the road and live. Some of which I’m pretty sure I can’t talk about! But, stopping shows because members of the audience have passed out is always quite frightening, but hasn’t happened TOO many times, luckily! Stage lights have blown up… I’d say the strangest thing to happen on the road, from my point of view, was when this young kid asked me to sign his arm and then immediately afterwards told me he was going to get it tattooed on him – scared the life out of me and of course I told him not to. I just think it’s mad the lengths some fans will go to show their appreciation! It’s amazing to see.

What was the experience like playing the Vans Warped Tour in 2013?
Warped Tour was incredible. Start to finish. Got about one-hours sleep but the adrenaline dragged us through. Spent the first 2 hours walking around the main hall just speaking to as many fans as we could, which was a great experience. Then we performed and had an amazing response which was everything we could have asked for and more.

If Saint[the]Sinner could open up for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
We listen to a more music than any other band we’ve met so this one is difficult! If we had to fit the bill – My Chemical Romance, Bring Me The Horizon, Panic! At The Disco – and rock greats alike! We’d love to tour with bands like Issues, PVRIS, BMTH and all the amazing younger bands which are changing the rock/metal scene!

The Queen of England invites Saint[the]Sinner to play one song for her at a Royal Command Performance. What song would you do for Her Majesty and guests and why?
We have a cover coming out shortly after Christmas which would be perfect for a British occasion – keep your eyes open for that!

What’s up next Saint[the]Sinner?
We’re booking tons of tours at the moment, one has already been announced for February 2016 (UK), more are being arranged for March, April and the Summer! Expect to see us all over the country and the continent – come check us out! We’re already writing loads of new material for a full length album which we’re really proud of too. There are no signs of slowing down!

Any final words of wisdom?
Words of wisdom? Check out our new record ‘MASQUERADES’ and hit us up online! Let us know what you think and spread the word!

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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