Knocked Loose member Bryan Garris spoke to the NME backstage at Reading 2023, discussing his viral journey at Coachella and how his upbringing in Kentucky shaped his sound. Watch the full interview above.
With Loyle Carner bringing an emotional message to the Main Stage, the hard-hitting US giants took to the Festival Republic stage on the festival’s opening day, showing Reading fans how they left such a lasting impression on their US festival appearances with recently.
Before they hit the stage, however, frontman Bryan Garris sat down with NME behind the scenes and gave us an insight into the British artist the band can’t get enough of, and what he’s up to to see the reaction of the crowd.
NME: Welcome to Reading! How do you feel?
“I feel good! Yes, excited. I’m very happy to be here.”
You already had a lot of shows during 2023. How are you doing?
“I think we thrive on keeping busy, you know? We feel good here. We’re coming to the end, we’ve been here almost a month. We have today and tomorrow and then we go home for a few days, but I feel good. I’m excited.”
How do the crowds in the UK compare to those across the pond?
“It’s an interesting question. I think I’m starting to notice a big difference: it’s singing louder here. Maybe the United States needs to improve.”
Speaking of the American crowd, we have to talk about the Coachella crowd. What was it like for you to have that big viral moment, especially among an audience that isn’t your traditional fans?
“It was amazing. We didn’t know what to expect. We were very excited, but we had the feeling that it might not have gone well. But we were excited to be there and be able to say that we did it.
“Also, everything went very well and it was very exciting for us, we will continue to enjoy that excitement for the rest of the year. We are lucky to be able to participate.”
How does it feel to play Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza… all those big shows?
“It’s great. I think it’s always our goal to get out of our comfort zone and put ourselves in an environment where we can’t fit in. You can get a lot out of it and get a lot out of people attract to your own side.
“It’s a learning experience to be able to play those festivals because there are a lot of new nerves that come with it… Playing festivals like that, you have no idea. Anything can happen.”
Just because you play to a mainstream audience doesn’t mean your music is becoming more mainstream. His latest tracks are some of his toughest to date. Why is it important to you to maintain that seriousness?
“It’s really important for us to stay a very heavy band, and I think that’s the one thing we’ve always agreed on as individuals.
“We can’t sacrifice aggressiveness and heaviness, because that’s what we all like. And when it came to getting these opportunities to the general public, it was never a conversation of ‘Oh, we need we really fight it, or we have to. fight it with the darkness… We keep doing what comes naturally to us. So it’s interesting to see our heavier stuff put into the mainstream light .”
He has toured and performed with big names including Gojira and 30 Seconds to Mars. Did working with these artists give you anything?
“It was really exciting. We had the chance to do a lot of things. We got to play with Gojira and Bring Me the Horizon, and we even did shows with $uicideboy$, where we were the only band on the bill. .
“So it’s been great learning how to communicate with those different audiences and navigating those different rooms and trying to give them the best version of Knocked Loose to make sure they go home talking about us and thinking about us. I think, in many ways, it worked and helped us”.
What new artists have you noticed right now that are helping to revitalize the metalcore scene?
“I was talking about this with a friend, and I’m waiting for Loathe, from the UK. I’m a huge fan of that band. Everyone in my band loves him. We’ve been waiting a long time to get together. cross. with them. It’s been in heavy rotation for me lately.
“We try to get inspiration from everything. We try not to limit ourselves to heavy music. I’ve had a lot of influences, especially from country music and my geographical base…things I never noticed they have influenced who I am until recently..
“It’s very interesting to explore.”
How would you say growing up in Kentucky influenced you?
“I grew up around a lot of country music, but I was also lucky enough to grow up around all kinds of music.
“I come from a very musical family, so I’ve always had that influence [y] Freedom to explore my own musical genres. In many ways, being from Kentucky has given me and the rest of my band a very specific drive and attitude to go out there and do it, and do it as much as we can, and that’s kind of the reason we are like that. busy band.”
For the people of Reading & Leeds who haven’t come across many genres of metal before, why should they see your show? What makes you get such a huge response wherever you go?
“It’s exciting to see whether you like it or not. The adrenaline in the room is contagious. I think the worst case scenario, people see it and you still get a good story.
“The energy, the adrenaline and the atmosphere is very liberating and satisfying. I think that’s why people who walk by the tent want to go in and see what it’s all about, but then they’ll fun.”
We’ve only seen these two new singles [‘Deep In The Willow’ y ‘Everything Is Quiet Now’]but tell us, are there more plans for new music?
“I can’t give too much away, but we’re working, we’re working hard, that’s all I can say. The next thing is going to be tough.”
Come back to NME here for the latest Reading & Leeds 2023 news, reviews, interviews, photos and more.
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