DISCOVER | REDEEMON, Manchester/London, United Kingdom.

Today on DISCOVER I’m here with PK and Pook from REDEEMON. REDEEMON are a six piece metal/ska/skacore band from Manchester/London, United Kingdom. Current members of REDEEMON are Pook (Vocals/Trombone), Mike (bass), Aled (Guitar), Rob (Trumpet), Seb (Saxophone) and PK (Drums). Today we discuss knicker sniffing, parping and fart sniffing. 

Good evening and welcome, we’ll start with a simple question. Where did it all begin and what inspired you to start creating music?

Pook: Redeemon started in 2019 after the demise of our old band Beat the Red Light. A few of us weren’t done with making music. We were mixing a lot of genres that we felt had never been done before such as Metal, Ska and thrash but we felt there were a few more stones that needed unturning such as Avantgarde Jazz, Doom, Samba, and Mariachi. It’s a giant cooking pot, with many different members throwing in many different styles.

PK: I started playing drums when I was 11/12 I wasn’t able to play a brass instrument due to not having my adult teeth so I was handed a pair of drumsticks instead. My main inspirations in music were from the Tony Hawks Pro Skater video game soundtracks. They shaped my music taste into what it is today.

Sounds like a varied mix from you both. Has there ever been any disputes with the direction of REEDEMON when considering the bands that have influenced the music, with metal being at one end of the spectrum and Ska being over at the other?

Pook: Not really, it’s super exciting creating our own style of music. It’s not like we have the Horn section saying we’re only playing Ska and the back line stating they’re only playing Metal. It’s more about mates hanging out that have a passion for playing, creating music. We don’t really have rules towards the music, as long as it sounds good and works, it’s good! Normally it’s the audience that disputes is going from Blast beats into Jazz into Doom then Ska.

I can imagine there being some mixed reviews from an audience. I have listened to the REDEEMON EP on your Spotify and it was defiantly an interesting vibe. How did you guys all meet?

Pook: Regarding Audiences we don’t necessarily get mixed reviews, I think a lot of people find it fresh and different, sometimes though we’ve had people who just don’t flat out get it and that’s ok. For me music is all about getting some form of emotion or energy, whether it’s positive or negative. As an example we’ve had an old skinhead dude at Rebellion Fest claim we were the worst band he’s ever seen…. The dude who said we were the worst band… He’s not forgetting us and there’s a fine line between love and hate.

We’ve all met each other through the gigging circuit. Aled and Mike were in an old Folk punk band called ‘Smokey Bastard’ that we played loads of shows with and I’ve known PK for a good few years now, but we really became close through the Roughneck Riot tour I was driving as he was filling in on for them.

Redeemon were going through line up changes and when our original drummer left I managed to convince PK that he should drum in our Metalliska band.

It’s weird how the music scene works, it feels like everyone plays with everyone at some point regardless of where you’re located! With us coming to the end of 2023 now, what was the most memorable show you have played this year?

Pook: The music scene has changed a lot, live music you’re battling with the current situation of venues having to shut doors, rent and bills going through the roof which makes it hard for people to go out.

Most memorable shows for me were I’d say KNRD Fest in Nuremberg south Germany, they had this beer tap on the side of the stage, I don’t drink as much as I use to but that day i made full use of… Pinballing my way across the stage to quench mine and others thirst. The night ended with Greeny from Roughneck Riot tucking us all into bed and reading us a story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs style. Oh and also touring with my all time favourite band Voodoo Glow Skulls, that was a personal bucket list tick for me.

PK: Personally it was KNRD Fest in Germany. There was a beer pump onstage which Pook became very friendly with through out the day. We even played tequila by the champs just so Pook could pour some pints for him and the audience. Even when the headliners “Authority Zero” where playing, he wandered onstage and poured himself a pint.

Pook: Tequila is a tune!! I think it’s the most sophisticated we’ve ever looked. I forgot that I pinballed my way across the stage while Authority Zero played… At least I poured them a drink too…

 

Sounds like a lot happened at KNRD fest then! With the genre of your band being very unique what obstacles or challenges do you encounter when it comes to getting your music out there and heard by potential new fans?

Pook: I’d say we don’t really struggle with getting our music out there. Our heart is very firmly in the DIY punk scene where we have been welcomed with open arms, primarily because they know our old bands.

I’ll be honest it can be a bit of a challenge trying to get our foot in the Metal circuit. Where soon as they see the sparkle of a horn they’ll immediately dismiss us before hearing what we play which is a bit of a shame. I really feel what we do with horns is really not very conventional. When we write horn lines we like to us the math’s equation of Les Claypool (Primus) bass player rhythm + Lamb Of God notation + John Coltranes free spirit = killer horn lines but some people just expect us to conjure out some goofy Hawaiian shirt 3rd wave Reel Big Fish style parping… and what’s more Punk Rock than being different?

That’s true, we’re almost coming to the end of the interview now so I have two more questions, these are a bit more fun ( I hope ). If you had to describe your sound to someone who had never heard ska or metal before, how would you explain the sound? Imagine Poor Grandma Doris who’s hard of hearing sat on the couch asking “What does that sound like?”

Pook: Metalliska… If Slipknot hooked up with Voodoo Glow Skulls.

PK: It sounds like if Metallica have a fight with a brass band.

Pook: I mean Doris wouldn’t have heard of any of those bands …

PK: Poor Doris, she’s missing out.

Pook: She’s missing out on tinnitus.

Thank you for your time this evening and I’ll leave you with one final question. I feel that this one is an important one… What is something that has a funny smell yet you sniff it nevertheless?

Pook: Doris’s Knickers.

PK: He sneaks In when she’s at bingo.

Go on PK, we’ve got Pook with Doris’s Knickers.. Can you beat that?

PK: How am I supposed to beat that.

Pook: Pk I would imagine would be going to next doors… Beryls.

PK: I’m just going with my own farts. They stink, but I’m still gonna smell them.

Well, I did lie – this is the final final question of the evening. Are you working on any new music or planning anything exciting for 2024?

PK: Pook’s knicker sniffing meetings are the last Sunday of the month at the church Hall.

As far Redeemon stuff. We are currently taking some time out writing material for our debut full length album. Looking to record next year. We will be back on the road next for the odd show here and there. We’ll be back on tour in August.

Pook: Yeah new music is being written and worked on as we speak. I think we have 7 songs down at the moment but more in the pipe line. Band practices can be a little like herding kittens and it can be hard to get us all under one roof to learn and rehearse but it’s defiantly sounding sick, again loads of different styles going in then we’ll be recording it and working on getting it released. No idea when though as it’s early stages. In late July through to August we’ve got a tour coming up hitting the EU and UK. Super stoked to be hitting the festivals as well.

 

Artist: REDEEMON / Location: Manchester/London / Label: Pookout Records Genre: Metal/ ska / Skacore
For Fans Of: Trumpet strangling Metalliska
Next upcoming shows:
10.12.23 – Dingwalls – Camden Underworld
28.01.24 – The Butler – Reading
04.04.24 – Rebellion festival
Can be found on the following platforms: Facebook Instagram Spotify