Fresh from touring with The Answer and Tracer, newly formed rock band Cage The Gods have had an explosive start to their career so far and are to headline in Manchester this December.
Intrigued by the success the band has achieved in a matter of months MM decided to find out more and managed to track down guitarist Jam and bassist Mitch Witham.
Born late 2012 and descending from the four corners of the UK by Irish singer Peter Comerford, the quartet appear to be leaving their mark wherever they play and produce an unbelievably accomplished sound for the extremely short time they have spent together.
“We’ve played Manchester on our tour with Tracer and The Answer this year and had a great response from the crowd there. It’s a great city that appreciates rock n roll!” Jam said.
“We’ve all played in different bands before Cage The Gods. Peter and I met through a mutual friend and discovered we shared the same love of rock n roll.
“We began writing tracks together in 2011. In summer 2012 we decided to put together a band and found Mitch and our original drummer NJ. After NJ left, Mitch recommended his friend Colin and he fit the bill straight away.”
It hasn’t been an easy ride; original drummer NJ went on a drinking spree true rock and roll style in Las Vegas during the summer and got hitched on the spur of the moment to a 38-year-old glamour model and has remained there ever since.
“To be honest, we weren’t all that surprised.” Jam confessed. “We were disappointed initially but we were happy for him.”
With no warning Colin Jones was swiftly drafted in to substitute as the band were supporting American rockers Filter at the time. Jones had to instantly step up to the mark on his first appearance.
Jam continued: “As soon as Colin jammed with us it took things to a whole new level and we’ve never looked back!”
Many rock bands are introducing electronics into their music at the moment or mixing sing and scream, however Cage The Gods have opted for a more traditional style of rock with hints of blues.
Mitch explained why they had taken this direction: “Hmm, our main influences? Love, anger, depression, joy and dreams…oh and Jack Daniels, definitely Jack!’ He teased.
“On a serious note, our main influences come from hard rock, rock n roll, blues rock and early classic rock from 60’s and 70’s era but we like to take influences from everywhere.
“Say we hear a track on the radio, it can literally be anything and there’s certain elements to the track we like we’ll always try to incorporate those elements in our songs.”
Mitch elaborated: “In the van we listen to a wide variety of things, like AC/DC, Guns n’ Roses, Alter Bridge, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Biffy Clyro, System Of A Down, Foo Fighters and whatever takes our fancy at the time.”
Ambitiously writing and recording whilst touring the UK, Cage The Gods already have a four-track debut EP named Favourite Sin due out on November 24 ahead of a Hard Rock Hell 7 Festival appearance which is already generating outstanding reviews.
Having also recorded a debut album which is ready to go, the band are aspiring to break into the UK and USA markets simultaneously.
Jam brought us up to date: “The album will be out in February 2014; we are still finalising artwork concepts and so haven’t settled on a final title yet.
“Next year is looking like it’s gonna be a busy one.
“We have another UK tour lined up in February along with hopefully some shows in the US. We want to spend all next year playing as much as possible as it’s what we love.”
While discussing spending most of the year on the road touring Mitch disclosed which concert had stood out the most so far.
“For me personally it would have to be supporting Filter at the O2 Academy Islington,” he said undoubtedly,” he said.
“It was Colin’s debut show with us and he nailed it! He put on such a great show especially after only rehearsing with us twice. People didn’t even realise we went through a line-up change at first. It confirmed in our heads that we’re onto a winner with ol’ Jonesy on-board! And to be fair I think we all performed well at that gig. Everything just felt right…”
Mitch shared his thoughts on who Cage The Gods would most like to share a stage with given the chance.
He said: “I think for us probably the ultimate dream would be to share a stage with a band like AC/DC. You can’t get more rock, can you?”
Cage The Gods are set to perform at The Deaf Institute on December 14. We wondered what Manchester had to look forward to.
“This will also be our first headline tour, which is great as we get to play a longer set and show everyone what we can do, and more of what’s in store for next year,” Jam said enthusiastically.
“Powerful hard rock tunes showcased through a high energy performance. Apologies in advance, we won’t be gentle!” Mitch jested.
Image courtesy of CageTheGods via YouTube, with thanks.
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