Welcome to our exclusive interview with Sabres, an incredibly talented band currently on tour with the sensational Hot Juice. With a rich history of touring and a strong support system from Mayfield Records, Sabres are making waves in the music industry. Today, we dive deep into their journey, their upcoming releases, and what sets their live performances apart. Join us as we uncover their musical influences, their strategies for staying relevant, and their aspirations for making a lasting impact on their audience.
How did the opportunity to tour with Hot Juice come about, and what can you tell us about the upcoming tour dates and venues?
Quite simply, we’re two bands keen to get out there and make a name for ourselves, we started a conversation and got booking. We’ve looked at some of our favourite venues across England plus ones we’ve never been to, breaking new ground for ourselves. It’s tough on new soil but this tour sees us hit Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham, Reading, London, Southampton and Bournemouth. We’ve been extra motivated after some great supports for other touring bands like Mondo Generator, Melt-Banana, the Virginmarys and Blind River.
What can fans expect from Sabres’ upcoming tour?
Expect noise. Lots of noise. We pride ourselves on people frequently hearing us and being surprised that we’re only a two-piece band generating the sound that we do. We’d like to think this was captured perfectly in our EP.
Our touring support, Hot Juice, are a four-piece from Brighton who you can’t miss. Between the two of us bands, there’ll be a veritable cocktail of sounds and energies. We’re excited to kick off the tour in Bristol with German stoner rockers, Beehoover, at the famous Gryphon pub. We’re also joined by some pals of ours like Yur Mum from London, and Dead Lettuce from Bournemouth. Great people, and fantastic bands.
After tour, we’re back in our hometown for Icebreaker Festival in February, which is easily Portsmouth’s best weekend of live music.
What can we anticipate from your upcoming releases?
Our newly released EP, courtesy of Mayfield Records, features all three of our singles to date, plus three more tracks: In My Day, Paint By Numbers, and Pollution. Altogether, the EP explores themes such as depression, generational trauma, bigotry, right-wing press and toxic masculinity. We’re not the most cheerful band in the world, but we’re fine with that. Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. Musically we’ve drawn from a melting pot of stoner rock, grunge, punk, alt… our biggest influences are the likes of Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age, Nirvana and Foo Fighters. We recently recorded a new batch of tracks with Samhain for a future release, and we’re ambitious that they’ll sound even better than this EP.
The music industry is constantly evolving. How do you stay creative and relevant in an ever-changing landscape? Are there any specific strategies or approaches you employ to keep your music fresh and engaging for your fans?
Trial and error. We’re not marketing gurus and we’ve no interest to be. To some extent, you’ve got to play the game, but not lose sight of what’s important to you. We landed a few editorial playlists on Apple and Spotify too, including Spotify’s Shockwave playlist; that massively boosts your listeners. Give them the best pitch you can and hope for the best. We had a blast making music videos for our first two singles, they’re definitely not a bad way to both sell your ‘product’. Ours were shot by Samhain Carter-Brazier, who also recorded and mixed all our songs to date at Mayfield.
Touring can be physically and mentally demanding. How do you prepare yourselves for the challenges that come with being on the road? Are there any rituals or routines that help you stay focused and energized throughout the tour?
A pint tends to help in most situations.
Music has the power to connect people and evoke emotions. How do you hope your music resonates with your audience? What kind of impact do you strive to make through your songs and performances?
We can only draw on our own experiences to write lyrical content, and if people relate to it, that’s always a good thing. The music itself is as important, a song is equal to the sum of its parts; the music tends to come first when we write. We diversify in our sound because it comes naturally to us, and perhaps that versatility is an appeal.
It’s not easy to talk about connection when the music and performance often comes across quite miserable and angry, but there’s as much to talk about in disconnect and transgression than anything. Themes of loss, for example, have come up a few times in our writing; it’s nothing new or groundbreaking, it’s just honest.
Where can fans find Sabres online to stay updated on your music, tour updates, and other exciting content?
Our EP is out now on all major streaming platforms: https://ditto.fm/sabres
Instagram: @sabres.band
Twitter: @SabresBand
YouTube: @SabresBand