#91 Exit Black

FORMER University Of Sussex student Henry Green is splitting his time between Worthing, London and Luton courtesy of his band Exit Black.

Following a slot opening the main stage at the Rhythms Of The World Festival the band is set to release their second EP Predator And Prey.

Below bassist Green introduces the band which came together when he, guitarist Joe Devine and drummer Jamie Byrne advertised on Gumtree for a new vocalist.

“JOE, Jamie and I were originally in another band. After that ended we decided to look for a new singer and slightly heavier direction. After months of auditioning it turned out [vocalist] Tony Bignell was right under our nose, five minutes from rehearsals.

“We come from a varied background. Joe is from an Irish folk playing genius family, Tony strutted out the womb singing swing (minus the bow tie), Jamie is the biggest Muse fan you will ever find and I was brought up on progressive rock - which a blessing and a curse. In all, the names that we seem to bring up most are Royal Blood, Muse, Stereophonics and Yes.

“We opened the main stage at Rhythms Of The World and played a packed Dunstable Rocks crowd. Both gigs were so much fun, we could definitely get used to it! At the time of writing, we are about to take part in a TV pilot and support The Pigeon Detectives. WE. CANNOT. WAIT!

“On the new EP we have a few tracks which are definitely live favourites, such as Breathe and Rise And Fall but also a couple that have recently been written. On the physical copies there's also a little intro we like to play. The fans seem to love it, so we thought as a kind of thank you we will put it on the physical copies. It's nice to have those little Easter eggs that fans can take home with them.

“We already have a million and one ideas for an album. We want to build our fanbase and keep playing shows for the time being, but of course when the time is right, we will get recording again.

“It's hard to make concrete plans, as the nature of the business is such that you have to be malleable and adapt to changes that are suddenly sprung upon you. However, our framework is to keep doing what we're doing really; that's the gigging, promoting etc, but most of all having the time of our lives. As cheesy as that sounds, it really is true. There is nothing like a few thousand going absolutely nuts to a riff, or singing back the lyrics you've crafted.

“We are in the process of booking a gig, most probably in Brighton. I love playing Brighton, it's a bit like London in the way that there is just a massive buzz about the local scene. I remember when I was at uni there, I used to spend the majority of my time watching bands and sampling the local beers. It's a warm and welcome place for, well, anything really.”

Predator And Prey is released tomorrow (Saturday, October 24, on YouTube, Spotify and iTunes.

The EP is launched at Luton’s Hat Factory, in Bute Street, tomorrow, Saturday, October 24, from 8pm. Tickets cost £6. Visit www.lutonculture.com

Find out more:

www.exitblack.com

www.facebook.com/exitblackofficial

@exitblackonline