SOAC INTERVIEW

Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Me (Nick Hannon – bass) and Marlon (guitars) formed in 2001 after we wanted to do something different from what we had ben doing which was basically playing grunge and metal in one form or another. We had a load of bands that we had been hanging out with and we’d thrown some awesome generator parties in our fields but we wanted to do something that we could absolutely commit to beyond our teenage years. Steive B and Blake joined in 2004 ho were the choice cuts of people from our local scene and those guys been performing in various local bands over the years. Stevie B had been part of the scene when me and Marlon were growing up and we’d see him playing in some of the really cool hardcore bands that used to come from our home towns of Sittingbourne and Sheerness like Koresh and Whisperkill. 

What’s the origin of the band’s name?

As we wanted the band to be influenced and gravitating towards something different we chose ‘Alpha Centauri’ as it’s our nearest star and the ‘Sons of’ was initially meant to be ‘Suns of’ but me and Marlon went with ‘Sons of’ to reflect a more family and fraternity vibe. 

Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

We’re from Swale which is basically the towns of Sittingbourne and Sheerness separated by a river. Sheerness is an island off the UK island and is the spiritual home of the band. The music scene running out of there was pretty much from the early 90s through until the mid 2000s punk and hardcore. I wasn’t really one for punk but everyone all shared their love of Helmet, Quicksand and The God Machine. In fact, one of Stevie Bs bands did a cover of The God Machine – The Tremolo Song which was awesome! Sadly, there aren’t any local bands really anymore, there was some cool hardcore scenes from like 97 to 05 but they’re all gone now. All of the old boys from that band pretty much support SOAC though so we have a lot of vicarious support from the old school still which is cool. 

How would you describe your style?

Trance rock. That’s my words for sure. Not post metal or post rock or prog but we do see some awesome genre combinations from the media to describe our sound! We’re more of a hypnotic trance type band – drug rock almost. 

What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

No answer provided

Do you have any new music in the works?

Always, I think that the journey of SOAC is slow and progressive and I’m quietly hoping that as it escalates it will be viewed as a holsitc inter-woven body of work set across various chapters or phases. We’re currently in phase two you know? We did the debut and the first phase for collaborations with Karma to Burn and Yawning Man. Now we’re on the second album and hence more material will follow… it’s like the Marvel Cinematic Universe man! 

How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

Yeah right on, we’re currently booked up to play with Yawning Man on the UK tour which hits Manchester, Bristol and London. That kicks off at the end of July! 

What plans do you have for the future as a band?

Promote this record and not wait another 10 years until the next one comes out. We really feel like Continuum marks the end of the beginning for SOAC. Sounds a little weird after 17 years but we’re not an average band. There’s no room for average bands here anymore. 

Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

Find us on Bandcamp! www.bandcamp.com/sonsofalphacentauri 

Check out our own website too – old school for sure when the Internet was interesting – www.sonsofalphacentauri.co.uk 

Fuck Facebook. But yeah, the ‘Likes’ culture still exists so give us a shout out if your web browsing only extends as far as that piece of shit. 

What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time? 

Russia. Jupiter. Warfare. Space Travel. Cold War. All of that is in the new album. Somewhere. Please enjoy the music and let us take you away – but we don’t promise to get you home gently. If you buy the vinyl then you’ll truly enter the Continuum at the end!