Rising To The Masses: Rogue Limb

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Before the first riffs echo through the fields of Catton Park, we are diving head first into the pulse-pounding world of the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock 2024. So grab your backstage pass, tune your senses, and join us as we explore the stories, inspirations, and the relentless drive of the bands who are rising to the masses! Introducing Rogue Limb…

How would you describe your band to someone who’s never heard you?

I’d say we’re a frantic mix of powerful riffs, slamming drums, feral dual vocals, and pure anxiety with a sarcastic streak a mile wide. And very loud.

Tell us about your band’s origin story. How did you all come together?

We originally met around 2007 when Thew’s band was about to break up for unavoidable life reasons and Greg happened to be looking for a drummer. We started jamming and kinda never stopped! The two of us have been playing together for around 15 years in this or that band, but we decided to strike out as a duo in 2021, while drinking in the Midgard camp site at Bloodstock. It’s wild that we’re heading back so soon as performers.

What song would you recommend for someone’s first listen of your band?

Describe your songwriting process. How do you create your music?

We’ve cultivated a pretty smooth musical chemistry over the years of knowing each other and playing together, so we understand each other’s songwriting priorities – we just want to play hard-hitting, complex songs that sound great live. Greg usually comes up with a sweet riff to get the ball rolling, Thew handles most of the lyrics, and then we just lock in and hyperfixate on these ideas for months until they eventually emulsify into something we can play.

How do you handle creative disagreements within the band?

It’s not often we disagree on songs honestly! When we do, we try and work it out in a constructive way – we’ll never just be like “that sucks, I hate it” – we’ll think of alternatives or jam through ideas until we find an approach that works for both of us.

What are your musical influences?

The main thrust of our sound is a high-energy hardcore like Every Time I Die, Converge, Botch, etc., but we draw influence from across the heavy spectrum. We’re both big fans of doomy post-metal, hardcore punk, grindcore, stoner, death metal, and a bit of nu-metal, so elements of all these sounds find their way in.

What’s the story behind your band name?

We originally chose the name Gorgon Ramsay when we were aiming for a bit of a wackier vibe, but it soon became clear that we weren’t that band! We’ve still got a daft streak, but a name like Rogue Limb fits us so much better. It suggests a neuroticism and barely-contained panic that forms the heart of our music. I do think of us as a rogue element on the music scene – we don’t really have a pocket or a sub-genre where we fit perfectly, but we’re always there, indefinable and unpredictable, and we stick out a mile.

What’s your guilty pleasure music outside of metal?

I can’t speak for Greg, but I (Thew) love the shit out of pop music! I’m a huge fan of Lady Gaga and I can’t get enough of Chappell Roan. I don’t really believe in guilty pleasures. Like what you like, yeah?

Tell us about your most memorable live performance or tour experience.

As live experiences go, the Metal 2 The Masses final was pretty wild! We were such an outlier in the contest – we never expected to get through the semis, even, so the moment we were announced as the winner was totally overwhelming. Playing that night was amazing fun – it was pretty sick watching a ton of people who’d never seen us before being won over in real time!

What’s the most challenging aspect of being a metal band in today’s music industry?

For me it’s the oversaturation. Metal and hardcore are in a great spot right now, but Jesus, there are SO many bands out there! It’s impossible to check everyone out and even harder to remember them. It’s got to be a post-lockdown thing – speaking for ourselves, we only realised how much we missed playing when the opportunity wasn’t there anymore, so everyone’s at it harder than ever now. Streaming platforms are tricky too – they’re great for casual listeners, but getting heard is near impossible. It’s so difficult to cut through and STAY through.

Any advice for other aspiring metal musicians?

Christ, no! We’re barely in any position to be doling out advice. I guess, just work hard at your instrument, hone your songs to perfection, and most importantly, believe in your music or get the fuck out. Nobody wants to watch a band who are only half-convinced of themselves. Play the best gig of your life every single time or fuckin, go home.

What’s next after Bloodstock for the band?

Back to the grind, baby! We’ve got a couple of hometown and nearby gigs scheduled to keep the momentum up. We’d love to get a new release out in 2025, so we’ll be polishing up a handful of half-finished songs and seeing what else we can come up with. We’re just getting started.

How do you choose album artwork or visuals for your releases?

We like to keep it classy and ambiguous. The recently-topped tree on our album “Actus Reus” just made me feel a certain way when I saw it – it looked so desolate and wounded, like a hand with its fingers lopped off, which I thought played into album’s themes of loss, detachment, and disillusionment. Plus, y’know, tree branches are called limbs, so there’s that. Most of our favourite albums from history have abstract covers, so a bit of that influence was bound to seep into the visuals.

What’s the most unexpected inspiration for one of your songs?

It’s gotta be Fuckboy! Considering most of our tracks are furious hardcore songs about feeling like shit, it’s a bit of a departure to throw an upbeat, almost pop-rock song about shagging into the mix. The moment Greg played that Motorhead/Wildhearts sounding riff I immediately wanted it to be a summer makeout jam, but from our grimy ageing POV. It’s like, what if Prince was in Minor Threat.

What’s the best gig you’ve attended as a fan and why?

Man, too many to mention! We were at Better Lovers in Nottingham a few weeks back, which was absolutely unhinged. They’re kind of a dream band for us, as big ETID/DEP fans, and they put on the wildest and loudest show I’ve seen in ages. The dude even climbed up to the balcony and hopped into the mosh. Never seen a crowd of mostly over-35s go so apeshit.

Have you faced any challenges as an unsigned band? How do you overcome them?

I mean, we as people have been around the block enough times to know how to keep expectations realistic, and this band is still only a couple of years old so I think most of our challenges are ahead of us! We approach every gig and every opportunity with gratitude and respect, and if we bump up against anything, we’ll handle it in the same spirit.

How do you stay motivated during creative slumps?

Take a deep breath, a bit of a break, maybe a pint, and get back to it. We always get there in the end!

Rogue Limb are set to play The Hopical Storm New Blood Stage On Friday 9th August 2024.