Darktards
Meet Colombia-born UK Open Mic performer Darktards:
Hi Darktards, thanks for joining us! Let’s get into it:
Do you play solo only, or also in a group?
Group
What’s the name of the group?
Darktards
How old are you?
18
Where were you born?
Colombia
Where did you grow up?
Colombia
How did that place influence your music? (if at all!)
Music scene in Colombia influenced our band slightly, but our influences are mainly in Europe
Where are you based now, and why?
London
What got you into making music in the first place?
Darktards came to a response to what was happening in the Music Industry. Music is an artistic way to express your feelings and protest against a rigged system. Our debut album “Fast Food” will be released this year with a whole world of characters and satire against the consumption industry. Feelings got us into music, is the most accurate way of talking about concepts so abstract such as human feelings and the most powerful medium to cause feelings and protest.
What instrument/s do you play?
Singing, Piano, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Music Producer
Who would be in your top 10 musical influences, and why?
Arctic Monkeys
Poppy
IDLES
Wargasm
Muse
Nine Inch Nails
Slipknot
(Our band merges genres from classical to metal, so we are very versatile in out shows, depending on how the audience is feeling we will play some songs or other songs)
Do you write your own songs?
Yes
How many years have you been writing songs for?
2
What process, or processes, do you often find yourself using when you write songs?
Depends on the song, mostly we start with a topic, something that makes us feel something. Then work in the nusic and lastly ad the words. This way we started with the concept of “Fast Food”, a protest against the consuption industry, then went for the individual topics, such as the music industry, social media, mass production, etc. then musical references, sound and lastly lyrics. Getting to a complex product with a whole caricaturization of the consumption industry, with its own characters and animations. Art being influenced by Pink Floyd’s the wall, movement being inspired by late 70s punk and music by everything that was told before. The Rebirth of Heavy Music is the final message of Darktards, trying to bring back the visibility that heavy music had collaborating with growing local bands.
Why did you get into playing them in the first place?
We started playing in open mics to get ready to perform bigger gigs
What advice would you give new performers who are just starting out playing their first open mics?
We are the new performers
What’s the hardest thing, for you, about playing open mics?
We focus on retaining the public’s attention, its not hard but it needs ti be done consiously
What’s the most bizarre, or fun, open mic, or gig, you’ve ever played, and why?
Hammerton Open Mic, we played on a comoletely out of tune piano. Trying to avoid the bad notes while playing was a challenge, but it turned out good.
If it’s not already, are you hoping to make music your full-time career?
Yes
What do you currently find the hardest and biggest obstacles to moving your music career forward?
We just started in London, so finding gigs
What’s the one truth about you that people often find surprising?
You don’t have to make popular music in order to live from music. You don’t need to be famous in order to live from music
What’s the most exciting project you’re working on at the moment?
The Rebirth. A group of growing bands that working together will bring visibility to the heavy scene again, make concerts with lots of rebirth bands, reinvent the rock hand symbol and get everyone to look our way.
Fast Food. The debut album, with an amzing concept accompained by beautiful art and products. And of course, amazing music.
Do you have your own music video, channel or playlist you’d like to share?
Do you have music on streaming? What’s you main streaming channel to send people to?
Where is the main place should people go to find out more about you?
What other sites/profiles should people go to to find out more about you?
instagram.com/darktards?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">instagram.com/darktards?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ=
We’re done! Anything else you want to share before we go?
We have a new video coming up on February 10th, the first single of Fast Food. Video was recorded in an abandoned factory in Colombia. Pur past videos have won two honorable mentions in London film awards.