DISCOVER | ForeignWolf – Belfast, Northern Ireland.

11th December 2023 0 By Laura Jane

Today on DISCOVER, I’m joined by ForeignWolf. ForeignWolf are a five piece band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Current members of ForeignWolf are Gerard McCann, Dave Brady, Conor Forbes, Justin Lee Jamison and Max Couhig. Today we talk wolf packs,

Thank you for your time this evening, let’s start with the generic questions first. ForeignWolf – Where did the name come from?

Dave: The name doesn’t really have an origin. We had played about with a few iterations but decided ForeignWolf had maybe a slightly deeper meaning. Gerard and Dave had been in bands previous together but the rest of the members were from other bands that had went their separate ways. So everyone was kind of “Foreign” to each other then not to go to Cliche but forming a band with new members felt like starting a new Wolf pack. Therefore “ForeignWolf”.

Nothing cliche about that, How did you guys meet and what prompted you to start creating music as a band?

Gerard: The band line up has changed over the years but the core of the band has pretty much stayed the same. Me and Dave played together prior to forming ForeignWolf for quite a few years. We knew Jay from prior shows around Northern Ireland and knew he’d suit the music perfectly. Through various formations we’ve ended with our strongest line up yet. Conor auditioned at the beginning of 2022 and instantly fit in from the first moment. Max joined the band in May 2023 and has been a seriously influential and refreshing addition to the band

Ah, that’s great to hear. It’s good when things just instantly click, If you were to describe your bands sound in 5 words, what would those 5 words be?

Justin: I guess we would go with “early 2000s alt-metal with heft!”

I love the word Heft, reminds me of my cat. Where would you say you draw inspiration for your music?

Connor: Musically we draw inspiration from bands that we all grew up listening to and admire such as Alexisonfire, Deftones, Cancer Bats, In Flames and Alter Bridge. Lyrically we draw mainly from our own life experiences and mental health with a slight focus on social commentary.

Love that. I have listened to a lot of your tracks on Spotify and really the influence of some of those bands mentioned in the track “Almost Lost”. You seemed to have released a fair few singles throughout 2023, Could you tell me which has been the most ‘fun’ to release?

Max: I would say Faceless as it’s the first one we’ve done as this lineup and for me personally the most exciting one to release and play live

Gerard: I personally feel like Almost Lost was my favourite! It was the beginning of our releases for this year and really set in motion the success we had!

Dave: Stay with Me honestly was one of the most fun tracks and music videos I feel we have done to date. The entire video was done in one take, we had been recording all day, we were exhausted and had to bring so much energy, in between full takes we just laughed and kept each other going. It’s just a song that keeps driving and doesn’t let up

Sounds like there is a variety of songs there then! It’s great to see. How does your creative process work – do all members contribute or is there one main songwriter/music lead?

Dave: Everyone contributes evenly I feel. We all constantly write and send in new ideas every week. When we get into a room together we take what has been sent through and everyone starts adding their own parts and style to the music. Individually we all have very different influences but when we add them together it really makes up our sound.

Sounds like a solid foundation. So, going back a bit to you guys – could you tell me a little bit about each member of the band and their role within the group?

Justin: Gerard, Guitar & Vocals. Gerard is the core of lyrics and melodies. He continually pushes his vocal ability and songwriting to give 100%.

David, Guitar – Dave’s lead guitar writing skills and sound really help bring the harmonies and melodies to life.

Conor, bass – Conor’s bass playing is unbelievable to watch and hear. He really locks in with Max to give us a solid rhythm section.

Max, drums – Max is the most musical amongst us all (and the baby of the band). His drumming brings an energetic vibe that we love.

Justin, guitar – He writes ambient sad boy riffs in the background.

Sad boy rifts, haha. Sounds like a number #1 Hawthorne Heights aspiration that.

Justin: I’m all in on Thursday, all of the time.

What do you feel sets your band apart from other bands in your genre?

Gerard: Overall our sound would be placed as Hard Rock. The thing is, we’ve always had a hard time of putting ourselves into a specific genre. Not being pigeon holed is probably our biggest strength though. Not being tied down to a certain sound has allowed us to write music without being pulled in one specific direction. When people try to describe us as band or relate us to another band there always tends to be a wide variety of examples. I think that’s at the core of the band really sets us apart

Coming to the end of the interview now and I have two questions, one is more fun – one is more “serious” which one would you like to do first?

Gerrard: Serious first and then we can end on a funny note!

Right “serious” one first, With us now approaching the end of 2023, a new year looming – Are you guys currently working on any new stuff or have any upcoming shows that people can catch you at?

Gerrard: We will be touring England and Scotland in April followed by a home show in Belfast. Following that we have further plans to be set in motion but that will be further in the year. In terms of new music, we are always writing and putting together new ideas. There will be plenty more to hear from us next year but for now our lips are sealed as to what will be coming!

Sounds exciting ! I can’t wait to hear the new stuff. So I like to end the interviews on something a bit light hearted and fun, I have a list in front of me with numbers 1-7, could you as a team select the number you would like to have?

Justin: Ehhh hmm, 6!

So, the closing question I leave for you guys is… What are two things that you think are normal, but become really strange when you do them repeatedly?”

Justin: Hahaha! I really like the combination of dark chocolate & ham people think I’m odd for that. I also have OCD so flicking off light switches in a rhythm is also a little odd.

Conor: Being perpetually confused about why my equipment isn’t working (it’s always something dead simple) despite playing for over ten years

Dave: Making spreadsheets, the first time everyone was really impressed but after the 20th everyone grew very concerned. Constantly over planning everything, great for going on tour, not so great when only wanting to go the shops.

Gerrard: 1. Mixing Brown sauce and maple syrup on the same plate…. Like, getting your fry with a bit of brown sauce and maple syrup and they accidentally meet. Surprisingly delicious, but deeply frowned upon. 2. I have a tendency to start projects then never follow through with them. Pretty common but it’s almost a condition now haha