Abby White of Brighton based band Friars Lantern tells Zara Rowden about why they’ve always wanted to keep individuality in what they do, what to expect from their future music and how it feels to be a female drummer in the music industry.

How did you guys first form?

Originally it was just me and Hayden [lead guitarist] and we decided we just wanted to record and release an EP in my living room, using different sounds, and weird samples. But we wanted to play gigs, and what we had on our first EP just wasn’t going to be doable live, so Hayden suggested finding a vocalist. He had worked with Melissa at BIMM before and she was just perfect; she came up with these insane lyrics and vocal parts. And then we found Ben and we haven’t looked back since.

How did you first discover your unique sound?

Our sound has just come from all of us listening to lots of different genres. I always had it in my head that I wanted to be writing music that could be put alongside visuals because I’ve always been influenced by Soundtracks, and bands like Sigur Ros and The Cinematic Orchestra, so all of us made the sound what it is. One of our new songs has this huge-sounding ending with Melissa doing a vocal part that would not be out of place on a full on dance remix.

Being a female drummer (and having a female vocalist!), have you guys ever experienced sexism in the industry first-hand, or do you think maybe it’s not much of an issue for female musicians to be taken seriously anymore?

It’s still an issue in terms of female musicians being taken seriously. I’ve had people come up to me with all my drum stuff and say “are you part of the band?” I don’t think they mean to be patronising when they say it but it comes across a bit like that.

Melissa had an incident at a gig where this guy saw her get up onstage and then began taking the mic, pretending to sing like an opera singer, thinking Melissa would be getting up and doing something generic and predictable. This guy was saying all this stood next to Melissa’s mum, who heard the whole thing. She said that he soon walked off embarrassed once we started playing and Melissa belted out her first few notes.

We could sit there getting angry about it at every gig, because naturally when two women walk into a sound check, people will look, it’s just the way it is, but instead of getting annoyed we just get on with things, don’t make a fuss and show them that we’re as professional a musician as anyone else. Just be quietly confident in your ability as a musician and performer, that’s the best way to keep people quiet.

How do you feel BIMM has helped you as a musician?

In terms of our technical abilities, BIMM is great, because it teaches you so many different genres and styles you pick up so many things that will help your playing get so much better without you realising it. Before BIMM I didn’t have a clue how to sound check properly or general stage etiquette! Now at gigs we can usually get ourselves sound checked really quickly, reducing any stress for other musicians or the sound guy, or ourselves.

What’s your biggest achievement as a band so far?

Touring up and down the UK. We went to Glasgow, and the next day we had to drive back down to London, then back up to Sheffield. The first tour you do with a band can make it or break it but we’re all still buzzing and really excited about recording again. It seems like we’re going to be here for a while longer!

  • Catch Friars Lantern at the Green Door Store tomorrow, supporting Youngest Sons.